Lauren Glotzbach: ADO Den Haag Career and Early Retirement
Lauren Glotzbach is a former Dutch footballer who played as a midfielder for ADO Den Haag Vrouwen. She progressed through the club’s youth system, signed her first senior contract in 2023, made her Vrouwen Eredivisie debut later that year and ended her playing career after the 2024–25 season.
Her family connection brought additional attention. Her mother is England women’s head coach Sarina Wiegman, while her father, Marten Glotzbach, worked for several years in ADO Den Haag’s girls’ academy and later became head coach of the senior women’s team. Lauren’s own football record, however, was built through the club’s academy and first-team pathway.
Lauren Glotzbach’s Age and Playing Position
ESPN records Lauren Glotzbach’s date of birth as 6 December 2003. She is 22 years old as of July 2026. She is Dutch and played primarily as a midfielder.
During her time with ADO Den Haag, Glotzbach developed into a deeper midfield player. Her role involved helping the team maintain structure, moving the ball between defence and attack and making decisions under pressure rather than operating mainly as a goalscorer.
Development Through ADO Den Haag’s Youth System
Glotzbach spent several years in ADO Den Haag Vrouwen’s youth pathway before reaching the senior squad. Club reports show her playing for the under-17 team and later the reserve side as she moved through the development structure.
ADO Den Haag’s academy was created to give talented girls a clearer route towards senior women’s football. Glotzbach was among the players who progressed through that system rather than joining the first team from another professional club.
Her father coached within the academy from the 2018–19 season. This created an unusual family situation, but ADO later stated that he had worked with numerous members of the senior squad during their youth careers, not only his daughter.
Signing Her First Senior Contract
On 20 June 2023, Glotzbach signed her first senior contract with ADO Den Haag Vrouwen alongside Anne van Egmond. The official ADO Den Haag announcement stated that both players had completed the club’s full youth pathway.
Glotzbach’s agreement ran until the middle of 2025. She said at the time that she had attended ADO Den Haag Vrouwen clinics as a young girl and was pleased to complete the route from those early sessions to a first-team contract.
The contract did not guarantee regular first-team football. It gave her the opportunity to train within the senior environment and compete for minutes in the Dutch women’s top division.
Vrouwen Eredivisie Debut
Glotzbach made her Vrouwen Eredivisie debut on 8 October 2023 during ADO Den Haag’s 2–0 away win over SC Heerenveen. The official match report records that she entered in the closing stages as a substitute for Asude van Oosten.
The appearance was brief, but it represented the final step from academy football into the senior league. ADO’s review of the 2023–24 season later included Glotzbach among the academy players who made their first-team debuts.
Her first senior season was therefore mainly one of transition. She gained experience around the squad while adapting to the speed, physical demands and tactical responsibility of top-level football.
A Larger Role During the 2024–25 Season
Glotzbach became more involved during the following campaign. By February 2025, ADO Den Haag reported that she had started eight league matches that season and had become a regular member of the first-team selection.
In the club’s February 2025 interview with Lauren Glotzbach, she said she wanted to become more important to the team by receiving the ball more often, acting more quickly and learning when to accelerate the game or slow it down.
Those comments provide a clearer picture of her role than general claims about talent or potential. She viewed her development in terms of decision-making, positioning and influence on the team’s possession.
Football records list 16 Vrouwen Eredivisie appearances across her two senior seasons. She did not score a league goal, which is consistent with her deeper midfield role rather than an attacking position.
Playing Under Her Father
In December 2024, ADO Den Haag appointed Marten Glotzbach as head coach of the senior women’s team. The club addressed the family connection directly because Lauren was already part of the squad.
In the official appointment announcement, Marten Glotzbach said that he had coached his daughter for several seasons in the academy and would continue to make decisions in the interests of the team.
NOS also reported that Lauren was a 21-year-old midfielder in the senior selection when her father took charge. The situation attracted public attention, but it formed only part of her two-year first-team career.
Leaving Professional Football in 2025
ADO Den Haag announced on 17 May 2025 that Lauren Glotzbach had chosen to end her football career after the season. The club said that she and team-mate Cheyenne van den Goorbergh had decided to focus on their maatschappelijke carrière, meaning their professional or working lives outside football.
The official farewell announcement confirmed that Glotzbach was retiring rather than transferring to another club. Her contract was already due to expire in mid-2025.
She made her farewell appearance against Fortuna Sittard on 16 May 2025. ADO’s match report states that she was substituted after an hour as the club recognised several departing players.
Her exact plans outside football were not announced publicly. A responsible account should therefore avoid inventing a job title, salary, university course or personal reason for the decision.
Lauren Glotzbach and Sarina Wiegman
Lauren is one of two daughters of Sarina Wiegman and Marten Glotzbach. Her mother’s international coaching success meant that Lauren’s football was often discussed through the family connection.
That connection is relevant, but their careers operated at very different levels. Wiegman built a long playing and coaching record in domestic and international football, while Lauren’s senior career consisted of two seasons with ADO Den Haag before she moved into work outside the sport.
Lauren did not reach the Netherlands senior national team, and there is no basis for comparing her playing achievements directly with her mother’s coaching record. Her documented achievement was progressing through a professional academy and reaching the Vrouwen Eredivisie.
A Balanced View of Her Football Career
Glotzbach’s senior career was short. She did not become a long-term starter, win major honours or build an international playing record. It would therefore be misleading to describe her as a major Dutch football star.
At the same time, moving from a youth academy into a professional first team is a meaningful achievement. She signed a two-year contract, made her league debut, earned starts during her second season and completed the pathway she had entered as a young player.
Her decision to stop at 21 also reflects a reality of women’s football that is sometimes overlooked. Not every player who reaches the top domestic division chooses or is able to make football a long-term career. Education, work, financial security, injury, playing opportunities and personal priorities can all influence that decision, although ADO did not publish Lauren’s individual reasons in detail.
Conclusion
Lauren Glotzbach is a former Dutch midfielder who progressed through ADO Den Haag Vrouwen’s academy and reached the club’s senior team. Born on 6 December 2003, she signed her first professional contract in 2023 and made her Vrouwen Eredivisie debut against SC Heerenveen later that year.
She became more involved during the 2024–25 season, starting several league matches and playing under her father after his appointment as head coach. In May 2025, she announced that she would leave football to focus on a career outside the sport.
Her story is best presented without exaggeration. She did not have a long or decorated senior career, but she completed a recognised development pathway, played in the Dutch top division and made a clear decision about the next stage of her working life.
Sources
- ESPN: Lauren Glotzbach player biography
- ADO Den Haag: First senior contract
- ADO Den Haag: Vrouwen Eredivisie debut against Heerenveen
- ADO Den Haag: February 2025 interview
- ADO Den Haag: Marten Glotzbach appointed head coach
- NOS: Lauren Glotzbach in the ADO senior squad
- ADO Den Haag: Retirement announcement
- ADO Den Haag: Farewell match against Fortuna Sittard
