A career with an upwards trajectory

Veit comes to Union as a player who has developed rapidly, and impressively. As the only girl, she made her mark amongst the boys at SV Rugenbergen as early as pre-school age and played there up to the B-junior level in the Hamburg Oberliga. At the same time, she progressed through all the regional selections of the Hamburg Football Association and gained valuable experience in the B-Juniorinnen-Bundesliga Nord/Nordost.

The talented defender’s path finally led her to Frankfurt in the Summer of 2021. There, Veit made a name for herself, taking the U-20’s captain’s armband after just one season, playing over 1,700 minutes across 20 matches. In July 2023, she joined the Bundesliga squad. Since then, the defender, who hails from Pinneberg, has made a further 16 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga, 30 in the top flight, as well as featuring in the Champions League qualifiers, the Europa League and the DFB-Pokal.

She already has a fair amount of experience in the German national team’s colours, having taken to the pitch with the U-15s, U-17s, U-19s, U-20s and U-23 teams. She scored the opener against Switzerland on her debut for the German U15s after just eight minutes. Her time with the U-17s team was particularly successful as Veit made 23 appearances, winning the European Championship title in May 2022 and helped the team secure fourth place at the U-17s World Cup in India. For her outstanding performances, she was awarded the Fritz Walter Gold Medal in the same year.

On 7 March this year, Jella finally made her debut for the German senior national team, when she came on as a substitute in the 69th minute of the World Cup qualifier against Norway.

Three facts about Jella

• The U-17s European champion doesn’t like coffee.

• By her own admission, she laughs hardest at her own jokes.

• When it comes to music, the 21-year-old generally listens to all genres, but currently prefers ‘Spanish and French bangers’.

Reactions to the transfer

“The rapid and positive developments, as well as Union’s ambition and fan culture, really appealed to me,” said Veit on the completion of her transfer. “I’m very much looking forward to being part of it myself from the summer and want to take the next step in my development with the club and the team.”

“In Jella, we are strengthening our defence with a reliable and experienced player,” added Union’s director of women’s professional football, Jennifer Zietz. “Despite her young age, she has impressed in the Bundesliga and the DFB squads, repeatedly demonstrating her great talent and deservedly collecting several awards. We are delighted that she has chosen us and look forward to achieving success together with her.”