FC Carl Zeiss Jena (women)

Carl Zeiss Jena
Ground	Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld
Chairman	Ralf Schmidt-Röh
Manager	Christopher Heck
League	Frauen-Bundesliga
2023–24	2nd of 14 (promoted)
Home colours	Away colours

FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German women's football club from Jena, Thuringia. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the highest level of women's football in Germany.

Carl Zeiss Jena played regional women's football since 2016–17 but became more prominent, when it merged with FF USV Jena in 2020.

History

HSG Uni Jena, USV Jena, FF USV Jena

After becoming the last East German women's football champion in 1991, Uni Jena was admitted to the Bundesliga after the reunification of Germany. They were relegated after one season and have remained in the second tier league (then Regionalliga, later 2. Bundesliga) since then. In 2003 Jena became champions of the northeastern Regionalliga but failed to achieve promotion to the Bundesliga. The decisive match was lost at home against Hamburger SV. A year later they qualified for the newly founded 2. Bundesliga and were grouped into the southern division.

In 2004 a new women's club was founded, so the USV Jena became the FF USV Jena (FF for Frauenfußball, women's football)^[1]

In 2005 and 2006 they came in third, in 2007 even in second place. In the 2007–08 season, Jena finished first in the 2. Bundesliga Süd and got promoted to the Bundesliga. In 2008–09 the managed a 9th place and improved to an 8th place the next season. The team's biggest success was reaching the final of the 2009–10 Frauen DFB-Pokal, where they lost 1–0 to FCR 2001 Duisburg.^{[citation needed]}

From 1 July 2020 on, the club will play under a new name, after agreeing to a merger with the men's football club Carl Zeiss Jena.^[2]

Carl Zeiss's women's section

Carl Zeiss entered a women's team in the Thüringenliga, the 4th level, for the first time in the 2017–18 season. It remained in that league for three years, finishing first eventually.^[3] The team was created by transferring over USV Jena III. USV Jena kept their first two teams.

Merger with Carl Zeiss

After the 2019/20 season FF USV Jena, transferred all their teams to Carl Zeiss Jena, in order to combine forces and benefit of the larger club with its image.^[4]

Current squad

As of 17 September 2024^[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	AUT	Mariella El Sherif
2	DF	GER	Bente Fischer
3	DF	GER	Toma Ihlenburg
4	DF	GER	Anika Metzner
5	DF	GER	Jalysa Stechemesser
7	FW	GER	Melina Reuter
8	DF	GER	Felicia Sträßer
10	MF	GER	Merza Julević
11	FW	GER	Hannah Mesch
12	GK	GER	Sofie Lehmann
14	MF	GER	Anja Heuschkel
15	DF	GER	Luise Wildner
16	DF	GER	Lisa Gora


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	FW	GER	Nicole Woldmann
18	FW	AUS	Anna Margraf
19	MF	GER	Hannah Lehmann
20	DF	GER	Luca Birkholz
22	MF	GER	Fiona Gaißer
23	FW	GER	Josephine Bonsu
24	GK	GER	Laura Kiontke
25	MF	GER	Noemi Gentile
27	DF	GER	Gwen Mummert
28	DF	GER	Emily Reske
31	DF	GER	Nelly Juckel
49	GK	GER	Jasmin Janning