Introdution
Marten Glotzbach is a Dutch football coach, former amateur player and experienced educator from The Hague. He is recognised for developing young female footballers and coaching ADO Den Haag Women.
He also became widely known as the husband of England women’s head coach Sarina Wiegman. However, his own career includes decades of work across amateur football, education and women’s player development.
His story adds another important name to Newstrap’s growing football coverage, particularly for readers interested in the people working behind the scenes of the sport.
Quick Profile
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Marten Glotzbach |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Home city | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Profession | Football coach and former economics teacher |
| Former playing level | Dutch amateur football |
| Known for | ADO Den Haag Women and its girls’ academy |
| Former senior role | Head coach of ADO Den Haag Women |
| Coaching areas | Youth development, women’s football and amateur football |
| Former school role | Economics teacher, mentor and football-programme coordinator |
| Spouse | Sarina Wiegman |
| Publicly known daughter | Lauren Glotzbach |
Who Is Marten Glotzbach?
Marten Glotzbach is a Dutch coach whose football journey developed largely around clubs in and near The Hague.
He played amateur football before moving into coaching, team management and youth development. His career has included work with HBS Craeyenhout, Quick, Scheveningen, Westlandia, Sportclub Monster and ADO Den Haag.
Glotzbach has also worked in education. He taught economics and helped manage a school football programme at Segbroek College, where talented pupils combined academic study with additional football training.
Early Life in The Hague
Glotzbach grew up in The Hague and joined HBS Craeyenhout as a young player.
He progressed through the club’s youth system and eventually reached its senior team. His long relationship with HBS later continued through several coaching and development positions.
A detailed regional profile records that he coached HBS youth sides and worked as a youth coordinator before gaining experience at other Dutch amateur clubs.
His connection with The Hague remained an important part of his identity. Even after working elsewhere, he repeatedly returned to clubs and football projects based in the city.
Playing and Early Coaching Career
After his early years with HBS, Glotzbach moved to nearby club Quick, where he combined playing with coaching duties.
His later path included work with GDA and JAC before he moved into senior coaching positions at Scheveningen, Westlandia and Sportclub Monster.
He became head coach of Scheveningen’s Saturday team and later accepted a similar position with Westlandia. Sportclub Monster was another important stop in his amateur coaching journey.
These roles helped him learn how to manage different squads, communicate tactical ideas and develop players without the large resources available in professional football.
Readers interested in coaches and athletes who built their reputations through steady progress can explore Newstrap’s wider Sporting Legends section.
Work at Segbroek College
Football was only one part of Glotzbach’s professional life.
He worked at Segbroek College in The Hague as an economics teacher, mentor and coordinator. He was also involved in the school’s football plan, which supported talented pupils who wanted to continue their education while receiving additional sports training.
The programme included both boys and girls. Glotzbach explained that young female players were just as eager to train, improve and compete at a high level.
His teaching background likely strengthened his ability to explain ideas clearly and work patiently with developing players. Coaching young footballers requires more than tactical knowledge; it also depends on communication, planning and understanding individual needs.
Building ADO Den Haag’s Girls’ Academy
Glotzbach joined ADO Den Haag’s girls’ development structure during the 2018–19 season.
He first became responsible for the club’s under-16 girls before moving on to coach the under-17 team. The programme gave talented young women a dedicated route towards senior football.
Before these teams were created, many gifted girls had to continue their development within boys’ teams. ADO’s new pathway gave them a more focused environment with suitable coaching, competition and long-term progression.
Within the first two years, nine players coached by Glotzbach advanced to ADO Den Haag Women’s reserve or development squad. This showed the early value of the academy structure.
Marten Glotzbach’s Coaching Philosophy
Glotzbach’s approach places strong importance on patience and long-term development.
He has explained that players need enough time to adjust when entering a new learning environment. Not every footballer improves at the same speed, especially when training demands and expectations suddenly increase.
His players worked on physical development, tactical awareness and decision-making. He also wanted them to become more confident and take responsibility during matches.
Glotzbach believed that young female footballers should learn to lead rather than depend on stronger players around them. This approach aimed to prepare them for the demands of senior football.
Like former British sprinter and performance coach Conrad Williams, Glotzbach has used his own sporting experience to help younger athletes develop.
Return to HBS Craeyenhout
Glotzbach returned to HBS as an assistant coach ahead of the 2022–23 season.
He joined the technical staff under head coach Ekrem Kahya. The appointment brought him back to the club where his playing and early coaching journey had started.
He said that returning to HBS meant a great deal to him and expressed the hope that he could make a positive contribution to the senior side.
Glotzbach left the assistant position in 2023 after HBS changed its regular match schedule from Sunday to Saturday. The change made it difficult for him to continue combining the role with his other responsibilities.
Appointment as ADO Den Haag Women Head Coach
ADO Den Haag appointed Glotzbach as head coach of its senior women’s team on 17 December 2024.
He stepped up from the under-17 girls’ team and initially signed a contract intended to continue until the middle of 2026.
The club’s official appointment announcement highlighted his detailed knowledge of the women’s department, its playing identity and its young footballers.
At the time of his promotion, 12 members of the senior squad had previously worked with him in the academy. This familiarity allowed him to begin the role without needing a long adjustment period.
Technical manager Nangila van Eyck said Glotzbach combined a performance-based culture with a human approach.
His First Months With the Senior Team
Glotzbach took charge during a challenging stage of the 2024–25 season.
ADO Den Haag had experienced an uneven opening half of the campaign and needed stability. Under his leadership, the team recovered sufficiently to finish seventh in the Women’s Eredivisie.
The club’s end-of-season review described a campaign containing both difficult periods and positive results. The seventh-place finish represented a stable mid-table conclusion after the earlier uncertainty.
His promotion also demonstrated the value of continuity between academy and senior football. He already understood many of the players, while they were familiar with his expectations and training methods.
Departure From ADO Den Haag
The beginning of the 2025–26 campaign proved more difficult.
ADO collected only one point from its opening seven league matches and remained near the bottom of the Women’s Eredivisie table.
On 18 November 2025, the club ended Glotzbach’s contract with immediate effect. ADO stated that a change in technical leadership was considered necessary because improved results had not arrived.
The club nevertheless acknowledged his commitment and noted that he had previously spent more than six seasons coaching within its girls’ academy.
His latest confirmed senior management position remains his spell as head coach of ADO Den Haag Women.
Marriage to Sarina Wiegman
Marten Glotzbach is married to Sarina Wiegman, one of the most successful coaches in international women’s football.
Wiegman played for the Netherlands before entering management. She later led the Dutch national team and became head coach of England Women.
Public profiles of Wiegman have occasionally included comments from Glotzbach, showing that he understands both the professional demands and personal pressures connected with elite coaching.
Although Wiegman’s international achievements have brought greater media attention to the family, Glotzbach has continued to build a separate career based on teaching and football development.
More stories about people connected with major public careers can be found in Newstrap’s Famous Faces section.
Coaching His Daughter Lauren Glotzbach
One unusual part of Glotzbach’s ADO appointment was that his daughter, Lauren Glotzbach, belonged to the senior squad.
Lauren had progressed through ADO Den Haag’s complete girls’ development system and signed her first senior contract in 2023.
Glotzbach said that their earlier coach-player relationship had always remained professional. He made clear that the team would come first and that decisions would be made according to the interests of the squad.
Lauren later chose to end her senior playing career in 2025 to concentrate on her professional life outside football.
Public Image and Work Style
Glotzbach is known as a low-profile sporting figure rather than a celebrity coach.
Most coverage of him focuses on teaching, youth development, ADO Den Haag and his relationship with Sarina Wiegman.
ADO officials praised his experience, commitment and detailed knowledge of the club. His public comments also suggest that he values professionalism, steady improvement and the importance of putting a team before individual interests.
Newstrap also covers professionals who influence sport from outside the spotlight, including former boxing promoter and consultant Blain McGuigan.
Marten Glotzbach Career Timeline
- Began playing and developing at HBS Craeyenhout
- Played and coached at Quick
- Worked with clubs including GDA and JAC
- Coached the senior Saturday team at Scheveningen
- Became head coach of Westlandia
- Continued his coaching career with Sportclub Monster
- Joined ADO Den Haag’s girls’ academy in the 2018–19 season
- Coached ADO’s under-16 and under-17 girls’ teams
- Returned to HBS as assistant coach in 2022
- Became ADO Den Haag Women head coach in December 2024
- Guided ADO to seventh place in the 2024–25 Women’s Eredivisie
- Left the senior head-coach position in November 2025
Interesting Facts About Marten Glotzbach
- He is a native of The Hague.
- He has worked in both education and football coaching.
- HBS played an important role in his playing and coaching journey.
- He helped develop ADO Den Haag’s structured pathway for young female players.
- Several players he coached in the academy later reached ADO’s senior or development teams.
- He has coached at both youth and senior level.
- He worked as an economics teacher and mentor.
- His daughter Lauren played for ADO Den Haag Women.
- His wife, Sarina Wiegman, is an international football manager.
- He has generally maintained a private and professional public profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Marten Glotzbach?
He is a Dutch football coach, former amateur player and former economics teacher.
What is Marten Glotzbach’s nationality?
He is Dutch.
Where is Marten Glotzbach from?
He is from The Hague in the Netherlands.
What is Marten Glotzbach known for?
He is known for coaching ADO Den Haag Women and developing players within its girls’ academy.
Is Marten Glotzbach married?
Yes, he is married to football manager Sarina Wiegman.
Did he coach ADO Den Haag Women?
Yes, he managed the senior women’s team from December 2024 until November 2025.
Was Marten Glotzbach a teacher?
Yes, he worked as an economics teacher, mentor and football-programme coordinator at Segbroek College.
Who is Lauren Glotzbach?
She is his daughter and a former ADO Den Haag Women footballer.
What was his most recent senior coaching role?
His latest confirmed senior role was head coach of ADO Den Haag Women.
Conclusion
Marten Glotzbach has built a varied career across Dutch amateur football, education and women’s player development.
His path began at HBS and later included several coaching positions before he became an important part of ADO Den Haag’s girls’ academy.
Promotion to the senior women’s team represented the highest-profile role of his career. Although that position ended in November 2025, his contribution to young players remains a major part of his professional record.
Beyond his marriage to Sarina Wiegman, Glotzbach has established his own identity as a teacher, mentor and football coach committed to developing the next generation.
