A new chapter

On 19 July 2022, Lutz Munack, managing director of Union’s director of youth and amateur football, and the new coaching team led by Ailien Poese, officially welcomed the 1.FC Union women's team of to the start of training at Dörpfeldstraße in Adlershof. There the already established players were joined by their 10 new team-mates, as well as some new faces in the coaching team and backroom staff.

A week later, before the squad left for a training camp to integrate the new players and to begin preparations for the coming Regionalliga season, the first official media round was held at the same spot. Head coach, Poese, having returned directly that day from her work for the DFB, scouting the opponents for the forthcoming European Championships in England, quickly set the tone and the goals for the team as a whole.

“We want to get into the 2^nd division as soon as possible”, she said. “Establishing ourselves there is a big step.”

Meanwhile the 38 year old expanded upon her reasons for returning to Union, following her departure as a player in 2013. Intrinsic to this, she said, was the new framework developed by the club as it works towards their goal of ultimately professionalising the women’s team.

Club president, Dirk Zingler, had already announced this earlier on in the year, when he said,

“In the future, the women who play football at our club should be able to develop the same competitive sporting aspirations as the men.”

Friendlies prove cause of optimism

The squad then left for Bitburg, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, for a week, where they found the best possible conditions at the sport school to grow together, both on, and off the pitch. It was hot out there, with regular temperatures over 30 degrees, and there was a lot of hard work in the blazing sun, but they also trained their focus on regenerative work, and on team-building.

There were also matches to be played. First up they beat Regionalliga Südwest side, TuS Issel, despatched 4-1, followed by a 2-0 loss to second division side, SG99 Andernach.

In addition to these there were three further the first against league rivals Viktoria Berlin (who Union play in the season-opener on Sunday), losing 2-1; the second a disappointing 4-0 loss against last season’s Bundesliga team, Carl-Zeiss Jena; and the third, a creditable goalless draw at home to top flight SV Werder Bremen.

The new season can begin

Following the Bremen game the media day took place at the Alte Försterei, with time for individual portraits and video clips of the players, as well as the traditional shooting of the team photo.

The squad now ready for the new season, they can focus on the Lichterfelde stadium, at 2pm on Sunday, where the real business of striving for promotion to the 2.Liga begins.