Marieke Visser [#35]: Launching the First Professional Female-Founded Football Club in Europe

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Marieke Visser and Frederique De Laat from HERA United, a pioneering women’s-only football club based in Amsterdam which is  set to launch in 2025.

This conversation dives deep into their ambitious goals for club, including their vision for competing in the Champions League, as well as creating long-term growth for Dutch women’s football.

Marieke, who is the founder and CEO, talks about the possibilities created by building HERA United from the ground up and shares with us her lifelong fight for gender equality in sports, which is rooted in her early experiences of exclusion from the game. 

Meanwhile Frederique, who heads up finance and operations, reflects on transitioning from strategy consulting to the sports industry, drawn in by the untapped potential and commercial opportunities she could see within women’s football.

Together, they reveal the challenges of launching a women’s-only club in a system designed to favour men’s teams, including how they successfully lobbied the KNVB and how they acquired Telstar's women’s team license. They also discuss HERA’s innovative female-first approach to coaching, sports tech, and talent development, which they believe is essential for building a more sustainable, collaborative football ecosystem.

Timestamps:
3:00 - Marieke’s Early Fight for Gender Equality in Football
8:00 - Frederique’s Journey from Strategy Consulting to Women’s Football
11:00 - The Founding Story of HERA United
16:00 - Overcoming the System: Securing a Place in the Eredivisie
25:00 - Why a Female-First Approach is Key to Success
30:00 - The Power of Collaboration in Dutch Football
35:00 - Retaining Talent in the Netherlands: Challenges and Opportunities
40:00 - Future Ambitions: Competing in the Champions League
44:00 - HERA’s Vision for Long-Term Growth and Social Change

Additional Links

Hera United should become the first professional club for women only: "What gets attention, grows"

Amsterdam could get a new all-women pro football club

Connect with Marieke on LinkedIn - Here
Connect with Frederique on LinkedIn - Here
Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here