YB coach Imke Wübbenhorst returns to the coaching bench on Saturday after 14 weeks of maternity leave. Her mother Kerstin has also been in Bern this weekend to support her.
20.03.2025, 05:00
20.03.2025, 07:04
SDA
"My mother is practically running after me with the little one because I will continue to breastfeed so that I can always put him on," the 36-year-old told the German Press Agency during an interview in Bern, where her offspring was also very patiently present. Planning makes a lot of things easier.
But everyday life as a professional coach and mother with a three-and-a-half-month-old boy is a challenge all of its own. In Germany, Theresa Merk returned to the coaching bench of Bundesliga club SC Freiburg a good six months after the birth of her daughter.
A child as a career obstacle? "I've never thought about it because I'm convinced that I can manage everything - also because I get great support from my family and YB is fully behind me," replied Wübbenhorst, whose mother will be looking after her son Bendt for the next two months when her parents are busy at work.
No job tandem
Since taking maternity leave at the end of November, she has been replaced by technical director Rolf Kirchhofer, who has already successfully coached the Bernese women in the past. "He has already said: 'Imke, would you like to do another week? (laughs) The team is just fun," says Wübbenhorst. "Together with the management, we also gave a lot of thought to what the best solution was," said Kirchhofer. "It worked out well."
A job tandem with Kirchhofer in order to have more private time did not occur to Wübbenhorst. "YB is very progressive and very open. If I wanted to do something like that, the club would probably go along with it," said Wübbenhorst. "But I'm not the type to give up so much. I want to get back to my team one hundred percent."
Pioneer against her will
Wübbenhorst is a pioneer in football, even if she wouldn't describe herself as such. The former Germany youth international made headlines in 2020 when she became the first woman after Inka Grings to coach a men's fourth-division team in Lotte.
"At first, I never thought about whether I wanted to be a pioneer. I just wanted to do my job, be a good coach and have fun," said Wübbenhorst, who can talk enthusiastically. "But then you realize that this is not a matter of course and you encounter a lot of resistance. So it's important that women take this path."
Football slogan of the year
And such a path can also be accompanied by sexism. For example, at Cloppenburg when she was insulted by fans in the worst possible way. Or at Viktoria Köln, when she was employed as an analysis assistant coach in 2021/22.
"It was difficult to work with people who had problems with my gender alone, but couldn't say anything against my professional qualifications," said Wübbenhorst. "That was the case at Viktoria Köln when, during an opponent analysis, one of the coaching staff said: 'We're going to let a woman tell us something about football for half an hour. That wouldn't have happened a few years ago."
Wübbenhorst is quick-witted and can resolve such situations with the necessary verbal ruthlessness. In 2019, she was awarded the prize for Football Slogan of the Year. "I am a professional. I line up by tail length," was her joking response to the question of whether she would wear a siren on her head before joining her players in the dressing room. "I've never allowed myself to be pushed into a victim role. I have also never suffered from these vulgar statements," said Wübbenhorst.
The joy of YB
After a turbulent time in men's football, Bern came at just the right time for Wübbenhorst in the summer of 2022. "It was great fun with the lads back then. At the same time, you always felt like you were in the shop window and had to prove yourself. You quickly got into justification mode. I was tired of that," she said.
"I wanted to work in peace again, without everything being scrutinized. In Bern, it was nice to see how I was appreciated in women's football. Probably also because I used to play myself," said Wübbenhorst. "I hope to be able to coach in Bern for a few more years. Why not shape an era like Christian Streich once did in Freiburg?"
