Marlene Wagner had already fallen in love with soccer when she was just three years old: Whenever her older brother Moritz went to soccer practice, she wanted to go too! Back then, no one could have guessed just how far that passion—and the soccer games she played in the backyard with her brothers Moritz, Konrad, and Wilhelm—would take her. Today, they’re an unbeatable team—four Steinmühlen students, all on their own.
A Girl on the Boys’ Team
Back then, she was fully integrated into the soccer team—as a girl! That was also thanks to her coaches, including Marco Preis and Arthur Keck. Marlene had a lot of fun with her teammates, almost all of whom she knew from kindergarten. Today, the talented Steinmühlen student plays for the TSG Hoffenheim U17 girls’ team. Her goals: the Bundesliga and the national team.
Marlene Wagner Makes the Cut for the Hesse Team
Indeed! We do a quick Google search and find Marlene’s photo under “Defense” on the Blue-and-Whites’ website. What a fantastic journey she has had—and still has ahead of her! Former coach Lothar Potthoff has every reason to be proud. He was part of the adult coaching staff at the Marburg-Weimar Girls’ Soccer Club (MSG), where it all really took off. Together with Jan Arnold, Julia Günsch, and Sascha Meusel, he guided and encouraged the young athlete’s progress on the green field. From the regional team, she made the leap to the Hesse state team.
U-16 Prospects Training Course
In the C-youth division, Marlene joined the boys’ team at Blau-Gelb Marburg. That winter, Marlene participated in a talent development camp for the U-16 national team.
TSG Hoffenheim had already approached the young soccer player last October after the South German Championship. Will everyone be giving her the thumbs-up in the end? If so, it’ll be time to pack her bags and move!
Moving to a new home, changing schools
And that’s exactly what happened. But when dreams come true, there are practical matters to work out, as the young player quickly realized: moving into a shared apartment in Hoffenheim and changing schools. She was a little nervous. Would everything work out? In the end, the light turned green. Everything was all set.
Steinmühle let Marlene go. The good news: It’s just for one year to start with! The talented soccer player passed her medical exam at the end of June and took the next step in her career on July 1. With the support of personalized training and strength training, Marlene can learn a lot in Hoffenheim, tap into her full potential, and pursue her goals. Her focus: settling in well and playing lots of games with her new team. Her next goal: the TSG Hoffenheim U20 team, which currently plays in the Women’s 2nd Bundesliga.
“High level of motivation”
Lothar Potthoff, who also coaches the Steinmühlen women’s soccer team, is both happy and sad to see his center back move on. “We’re losing a good player, but we’re incredibly proud.” He praises Marlene’s strong work ethic, her remarkable determination, and her mental and physical resilience. “You can really feel the strong support she gets from her parents.”
The excellent soccer academy Marlene attended played a big part in her development: “The BG Marburg team and its coach, Pascal Rohpeter, gave me such a warm welcome.” There, she trained three times a week and played with the boys in the Gruppenliga, and last season in the Verbandsliga Nord. “That’s not something to be taken for granted,” Marlene herself says. The family rivalry with her brother Konrad, who plays for TSG Wieseck, is also unusual and very special.
“A stroke of luck for me”
Marlene considers it a stroke of luck that she is currently able to train with Hoffenheim, a club whose women’s first team plays in the 1. Bundesliga. “If I can follow this path all the way to the national team, then I will have achieved my biggest goal.”
The young woman, who is a Bayern fan and greatly admires Joshua Kimmich, is described as “aggressive on the field, but down-to-earth as a person.” Ideal circumstances, one might say—thanks in part to her current Steinmühlen homeroom teacher, Dr. Bernd Schweitzer, a die-hard soccer fan who supports Marlene’s passion wholeheartedly. After all, they understand each other well, since his subject is math—and that, along with sports of course, is Marlene’s favorite subject.
(Angela Heinemann)
