1. FC Union Berlin continue to push forward with the professionalisation of their women's and girls' department. As of 01.02.2023 the former German international Jennifer Zietz will take over a role as sporting director of the 1st women's team, and will as such also be responsible for squad planning.

Zietz can look back on many years of experience in top-level football. She started out at her hometown club PSV Rostock, going on to play for Turbine Potsdam from 1998 to 2015 (captaining the side between 2006 to 2013). With Turbine, the midfielder won the DFB Pokal three times, the German championship six times, the UEFA Women's Cup and, in 2010, the UEFA Champions League. She won the European Championship title with the German national team in Finland in 2009.

Parallel to her athletic career, Zietz studied sports science and management at the University of Potsdam, which enabled her to start her professional career at AOK as her playing career came to an end. Now she is returning to football, bringing her considerable expertise and experience to an ambitious Union.

"Our decision to bring women's football, through our first team, to the highest competitive level is one we are fully committed to," said 1. FC Union Berlin president, Dirk Zingler. "And this includes bringing in leaders who want to follow this path, and who can bring experience that we have not had in the club so far. I am delighted that Jennifer Zietz, a former player with an outstanding sporting reputation, has decided to take on the job with us and I would like to offer her the warmest of welcomes." 

"The professionalisation of the the women's first team at Union is an important step for women's football in Berlin," said Zietz about her commitment to her new role. "I am very much looking forward to the responsibility of this role, contributing both my sporting and professional experience to further the sporting development of the team. The goal of reaching the Bundesliga in the long term is ambitious and will require a great deal of effort. I am happy to take on this task and am also looking forward to working with head coach Ailien Poese, team manager Kathleen Jurczyk, the entire team and the many employees at the club."

"The first few months after the realignment of our women's and girls' department have shown that we are on the right track, but that we also have a lot of work ahead of us," said Lutz Munack, Union's director of women's, youth and amateur football. "Jennifer Zietz brings with her an enormous wealth of experience and we are very happy that we were able to win her for Union. The squad planning and the further development of the framework around the team require full power and concentration. I am convinced that the position of sporting director is urgently needed and will allow our head coach Ailien Poese to focus clearly on training work with the team."