VfL captain Svenja Huth looks back at what was a very special year, having become a mother in 2023.
What was no doubt VfL captain Svenja Huth’s happiest day in 2023 was 10 September, when her son Emil was born. While this may have turned her world on its head – in a very positive way – the past 12 months were full of highs and lows for the 32-year-old on the pitch.
“Feeling you can’t put into words”
“It’s a feeling you can’t put into words. You always try to describe the feelings and emotions that come with it,” said Huth of her wife Laura giving birth to their son and the sensation of pride, love and pure happiness that came with it. “We obviously had to adapt to things to begin with,” she added, referring not only to the lack of sleep but in particular how to organise her day. “Having Emil obviously means that I’m busy before and after training. But Laura and I are a good team and we complement one another.“ For the periods immediately prior to matches, the couple have found routines that help to make sure that Huth gets enough sleep, with the captain saying: “Anyone who knows me will be aware of the fact that my absolute focus is still on football”.
I’m still proud of how well we represented German women’s football and VfL Wolfsburg on the European stage.
Svenja HuthProud of what she has achieved
On the pitch, 2023 was “a roller-coaster of emotions” for the 32-year-old. “Winning the DFB Cup again was a real highlight, and the same goes for making the final of the Champions League, which was obviously on a completely different scale,“ said Huth. The She-Wolves saw off the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal en route to the final, where they came up just short against Barcelona. “We were obviously disappointed that we didn’t win in the end, but I’m still proud of how well we represented German women’s football and VfL Wolfsburg on the European stage.”
Up-and-down start
The start to the 2023/24 season did not go as planned with the team being knocked out of the Champions League, but Huth now believes that the She-Wolves are back on the right track. “I think that we’ve settled, and it’s been good to have had more training sessions together in recent weeks, to work things out tactically and on the pitch, so that we can make progress,” she explained. With the team not having to play midweek, there has been time for more variety in training and also for aspects of life away from football. “It helps us as a squad to enjoy the matches when they come and maintain our focus,” the captain summed up.
