Marten Glotzbach is a name you will increasingly hear in conversations about women’s football in the Netherlands. Known publicly as the husband of England head coach Sarina Wiegman, he has his own track record as a Dutch coach with deep roots in The Hague. In December 2024 he stepped into the role of head coach for ADO Den Haag Women, bringing decades of youth development experience and a calm, educator’s mindset to a league that is racing to professionalize. This guide explains who Marten Glotzbach is, why his career matters, and how his approach blends teaching and coaching into one consistent philosophy.
Quick profile
- Full name: Marten Glotzbach
- Nationality: Dutch, based in The Hague
- Current role: Head coach, ADO Den Haag Women
- Previous work: Longtime youth and amateur coach in the region, including ADO Den Haag’s MO teams and assistant roles at HBS
- Background in education: Economics teacher and mentor associated with Segbroek College in The Hague
- Family: Married to Sarina Wiegman, with two daughters, Sacha and Lauren
- Coaching identity: Player development first, club DNA focused, steady builder rather than quick fixer
From classroom to touchline: the educator behind the coach
Many coaches talk about development. Marten Glotzbach has spent most of his working life building it day by day, in classrooms and on training pitches. His economics teaching experience shows up in the way he structures sessions, sets expectations, and measures progress. Players who have come through ADO Den Haag’s youth pathway describe a clear, incremental system, where small wins are compounded over weeks rather than forced in a weekend.
This educator’s lens changes the rhythm of a team. Instead of chasing rapid tactical overhauls, he emphasizes fundamentals, communication, and repeatable habits. The result is a calm training environment where athletes understand why a drill exists and how it connects to match actions. For a young squad or a league still standardizing its professional structures, that clarity is valuable.
A Dutch pathway built in The Hague
Marten Glotzbach’s coaching résumé is almost entirely local to the region around The Hague, and that is by design. He has worked across community clubs and ADO Den Haag’s youth set-up, focusing on the transitions that matter most in the women’s game: school to academy, academy to senior football. That pathway view gave him insight into where girls and young women need the most support, whether that is technical work, game intelligence, or simply the confidence to compete with older professionals.
Why the pathway matters
- Continuity of language: Players hear the same concepts and cues as they rise through age groups.
- Retention of talent: Local prospects see a route to the first team without leaving the area too soon.
- Club culture: Shared vocabulary and standards create a style that looks like ADO Den Haag, not a copy of someone else.
Taking over ADO Den Haag Women
The move to head coach of ADO Den Haag Women in late 2024 was a natural next step. He inherited a squad with a strong homegrown core, many of whom had already worked with him at youth level. That familiarity shortened the bedding-in period and allowed him to focus on raising training intensity, sharpening set pieces, and tidying transitions between pressing and compact defending.
Year one themes under Marten Glotzbach
- Youth integration: Graduates from the MO pathway featured in key roles, not just minutes at the margins.
- Consistency over chaos: Rather than dramatic formation changes, he emphasized roles and spacing.
- Fitness and repeatability: Sessions prioritized drills that translate cleanly to match moments and can be repeated under fatigue.
A results lens that fits the league
The Dutch women’s top flight is improving quickly, yet the financial gap between clubs remains real. ADO Den Haag Women operate with ambition and discipline, which puts a premium on coaching detail and development. Marten Glotzbach’s approach fits this reality. He aims for what could be called sustainable competitiveness, where a team improves month to month without overreaching financially or tactically.
What sustainable competitiveness looks like
- Set-piece edge: Margins matter when budgets differ, so dead-ball situations receive extra attention.
- Match management: The team learns when to compress games, when to run, and when to slow down.
- Role clarity: Each player understands their primary and secondary jobs in and out of possession.
The partnership with Sarina Wiegman
It is tempting to frame Marten Glotzbach only through the lens of his wife’s global profile. The reality is more interesting. Both are coaches formed by The Hague, by school environments that valued sport, and by decades spent learning how to build teams. At home, they share the same language of development and respect for the work. Professionally, their tracks run in parallel. He coaches in the Dutch system, she leads England and Great Britain at the very top tier. It is a partnership built on mutual understanding, not shared job titles.
Family, privacy, and balance
Their two daughters, Sacha and Lauren, are part of a private family life that the couple keeps largely off camera. What is visible is the steady support both ways. When your household knows the fatigue of matchweeks and the need for recovery blocks, the family calendar reflects that. It is one reason Glotzbach’s teams look composed. The environment around him is aligned with what high performance takes.
Coaching philosophy: education in action
If you watch an ADO Den Haag Women training week under Marten Glotzbach, certain patterns emerge:
- Session objectives are simple and measurable. Players can state the day’s goal in one sentence.
- Video is short and purposeful. Clips focus on one or two cues at a time, then move quickly to the pitch.
- Constraints-based drills dominate. Small-sided games with targeted rules shape decision making.
- Language is consistent. Terms for pressing triggers, rest defence, and build-up patterns do not change from week to week.
- Leadership is shared. Senior players model standards for younger teammates, which accelerates integration.
The throughline is an educator’s instinct. Explain it, show it, rep it, test it, and revisit it.
Setting the record straight: nationality and titles
Public interest around a high profile couple can create confusion. For clarity:
- Nationality: Marten Glotzbach is Dutch and closely identified with The Hague.
- Roles: His career is rooted in club and youth coaching in the Netherlands. Media lines that casually label him as a former national team head coach are inaccurate.
- Teaching status: In Dutch context, “economics teacher” is the correct descriptor. English tabloids sometimes use terms like professor, which can overstate the title.
Clearing up these points does not change the core story. It simply places proper credit where it is due.
Why “marten glotzbach” is a name to track
The Vrouwen Eredivisie is growing. As it strengthens, the league will reward clubs that produce players, sell smartly, and coach for improvement. Marten Glotzbach’s profile fits that future. He knows the pathway, understands the economics of development, and has the coaching chops to make squads better over time. That combination, not just the headline of being Sarina Wiegman’s husband, is why his work at ADO Den Haag Women deserves attention.
What to watch next at ADO Den Haag Women
- Youth promotions: Expect a couple of academy players to earn meaningful minutes, especially in the first half of the season.
- Set-piece returns: Tracking goals for and against from corners and wide free kicks will show whether the training emphasis is paying off.
- Transition defence: As the team pushes lines higher, the quality of rest defence will decide results against the league’s top two or three sides.
- Squad continuity: Retaining a homegrown core across windows is a sign that the pathway is working and players believe they will develop in The Hague.
Key takeaways about Marten Glotzbach
- A Dutch coach with a long view of development, not a quick-fix tactician.
- An educator whose classroom experience sharpens how he communicates football ideas.
- A pathway builder aligning academy and first team so players are ready and confident.
- A family man who understands high performance because he lives with it every day.
- A reliable presence in a league where consistency wins as clubs professionalize.
FAQs
Who is Marten Glotzbach?
Marten Glotzbach is a Dutch football coach from The Hague and the current head coach of ADO Den Haag Women. He is known for an education-first approach and for developing youth players through the club’s pathway.
Is Marten Glotzbach Dutch or German?
He is Dutch. Some English-language outlets have mixed this up, but Dutch sources and his club affiliations make his nationality clear.
What team does Marten Glotzbach coach now?
He is the head coach of ADO Den Haag Women in the Dutch top division.
Did Marten Glotzbach ever coach the Netherlands women’s national team?
No. His coaching career has focused on club and youth roles in and around The Hague, culminating in his appointment at ADO Den Haag Women.
What is Marten Glotzbach’s background outside football?
He has a long association with education as an economics teacher and mentor in The Hague. That teaching experience shapes his coaching methods and communication style.
Does Marten Glotzbach have children with Sarina Wiegman?
Yes. They have two daughters, Sacha and Lauren, and they keep their family life largely private.
What are realistic goals for ADO Den Haag Women under Marten Glotzbach?
Short term, a clear identity and steady improvement in set-pieces and transition defending. Medium term, consistent top-half finishes anchored by a strong pipeline from the club’s youth teams.
