After triumphing over France in the UEFA Women’s Nations League semi-finals, the German women’s national football team is set to face Spain in the Final tomorrow in Kaiserslautern. This matchup is particularly significant as Spain previously knocked out the DFB-Frauen in the Women’s Euros in Switzerland last summer.
Head coach Christian Wück’s squad will be looking to their standout forward, Jule Brand, for crucial contributions. An intriguing tidbit about the 23-year-old, who has 67 caps for her country, is that she will be playing her first-ever match at the legendary Fritz Walter Stadion in her home state of Rheinland-Pfalz.
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A native of Germersheim, Brand left the Pfalz at a young age, progressing from the Speyer academy to the Hoffenheim Ladies program in 2018 at just 16. She turned professional with Hoffenheim before joining the esteemed “She-Wolves” of VfL Wolfsburg and, this past summer, made a move to Olympique Lyonnais.
Brand grew up near the famed 1. FC Kaiserslautern, a dominant force in German football, particularly in Rhineland-Palatinate and parts of Baden-Württemberg and Saarland. While the area is not devoid of opportunities for aspiring female footballers, many young girls often have to travel to Sinsheim or Willstätt to advance their careers.
Until last year, 1. FC Kaiserslautern did not have a women’s team, but they revived their women’s program after 40 years, marking the return of women’s football to Pfalz. With Brand back in her hometown, she expressed her excitement during a DFB Press event yesterday.
“I’m really looking forward to playing atop the Betzenberg,” Brand shared. “Being from the Pfalz, I grew up a Kaiserslautern supporter. I’ve visited the Betze a few times as a fan. My grandparents and uncle were all Lautern fans, and I have photos with my family at the stadium.
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“As I grew older, I continued to watch Kaiserslautern games, though I stopped using Lautern bedsheets,” she added. “I started following Hoffenheim, but now everyone will be at the [Fritz Walter] Stadion, including my grandma. I really look forward to that.”