Ailien Poese is a Unioner through and through, having already been active as a player at Union for from 1998 to 2010, after which she remained with the club for some time in other roles. She had coached various girls‘ teams since 2006 and headed the women’s and girls’ department from 2008 to 2013.
After working for the BFV (Berlin Football Association) and the DFB (German Football Association), the experienced coach returned to Köpenick in 2022, when she took over the role of the first full-time head coach and head of the women’s and girls’ department, before Jennifer Zietz took over the management of the department in January 2023 allowing Poese to focus exclusively on her duties as head coach.
In her first season as head coach, Union finished second in the Regionalliga Nordost. They impressed particularly after Christmas, finishing as the best team in the second half of the season. In the 2023/24 season, the team – now fully equipped with professional contracts and fully focused on football – won every competitive game and dominated the league with a goal difference of 145-5. In the subsequent promotion play-off matches against Henstedt-Ulzburg, her side were superb and, after seven years in the Regionalliga, were promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga. The club secured the double by winning the Berlin regional cup.
In recognition of these achievements, Ailien Poese was named Berlin Coach of the Year for the 2023–24 season.
The women’s team of 1. FC Union Berlin are currently the only unbeaten team in the 2. Bundesliga after four games played and are in second place with eight points. In the DFB Pokal, they have made it to the round of 16 for the first time in the club’s history.
The views on the extension
“Ailien Pose has shown in the past two years that she can convey sporting ambition and determination and be successful with her team,” said Union president, Dirk Zingler, on the extension of Poese’s contract. “We value her expertise and want to take the next step together and get promoted to the Bundesliga. We will support her in the best possible way with the strength of the club.”
“Union is my footballing home, I have spent a large part of my career here as a player and was able to take my first steps here as a coach,” said Poese, meanwhile. “Continuing to follow the path of professionalisation is a great task and an honour. I am looking forward to it and, together with the team, we will do everything we can to achieve our goals.”
“We have made great strides in the development of professional women’s football over the last two years and have been able to quickly translate the significantly improved conditions and structures into sporting success,” said Union’s director of women’s and girl’s football, Jennifer Zietz. “As head coach, Ailien has played a major role in this. It is therefore only logical to continue our cooperation and tackle the next goals. I look forward to continuing our work.”