Her father was a track and field athlete, and her mother played handball.
After she completed her teacher training, she became the first woman in Germany to acquire the DFB Fußball-Lehrer (coach) licence in 1985,[2] which is equivalent to the UEFA Pro license.
In total she won six European championships, three as an assistant to Gero Bisanz, three as national coach, and led the German women's team to victory in the 2003 Women's World Cup.
After winning the UEFA Women's Championship in 2005, she retired from the position of national coach, as had already been announced, handing over to her assistant Silvia Neid.
[4] Theune married Thomas Meyer, who coached her as a player.