The Vatican City women's national football team is the team that represents Vatican City in association football and is under the control of the Vatican Amateur Sports Association, headquartered in the Vatican's Cortile di San Damaso.[1] Gianfranco Guadagnoli, an Italian, is the current head coach, in addition to being the coach of the men's national team.[2] Susan Volpini is the current manager.[3]
| Association | Vatican Amateur Sports Association | |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Gianfranco Guadagnoli | |
| Captain | Eugenie Tcheugoue | |
| Home stadium | Campo Pio XI, Rome | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 Vatican City 0–10 A.S. Roma  (Rome, Italy; 26 May 2019) | ||
History
editAt Vatican Family Day in June 2018, a group of women organized to play football against each other as the male employees had done for years. Soon after they competed in a tournament organized by the Bambino Gesù Hospital.[3]
The national representative team was first formed in 2019 and played its first match on 26 May of that year.[4] The team took on A.S. Roma of the women's Serie A, the highest level of women's football in Italy.[2] The Vatican side lost 0–10[5][6] at the Campo Pio XI.[7]
On 7 June 2019 the team played their first "away" match, traveling across Rome to face the women's team of Serie D club A.S.D. Trastevere Calcio. Despite the 1–3 defeat, the Vatican City team earned a penalty kick which was converted for the team's first-ever goal.[8]
After several months of preparation and planning, the team traveled to Austria to face Wiener Landesliga (women's third division) side FC Mariahilf at a stadium in Simmering in Vienna on 22 June 2019 as part of the club's twentieth anniversary. However, the match was abandoned after several FCM players displayed pro-choice t-shirts under their jerseys during the playing of Vatican City's national anthem.[2][9]
Players
editAs of 2018 there are approximately 800 female employees of Vatican City.[10] The squad consists of female Vatican employees and wives and daughters of Vatican employees. In 2019, about 20 to 25 women between the ages of 25 and 50 comprised the squad.[2] There were only lay workers and no nuns on the squad but nuns are welcome to play.[10][11][6] Although most team members are merely amateur players, some, such as Cameroonian captain Eugenie Tcheugoue, have played at higher levels.[10]
Team image
editKits and crest
editAs of 2019 the team wears an all yellow Givova top with the Sport Association logo in the center of the chest.[6]
Home stadium
editThe Vatican City women's national football team plays their home matches on the Campo Pio XI.
Results and fixtures
editThe following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Void or postponed Fixture
2019
edit| 26 May Unofficial friendly | Vatican City  | 0–10 | A.S. Roma Primavera | Rome, Italy |
| Stadium: Campo Pio XI |
| 7 June Unofficial friendly | A.S.D. Trastevere Calcio | 3–1 | Vatican City | Rome, Italy |
| Stadium: Vittorio Bachelet Stadium |
2023
edit| June Vatican Cup | Vatican City | 1–3 |  KSV Johannisthal | Rome, Italy |
| Report | Stadium: Campo Pio XI |
2024
edit| 12 October Vatican Cup | KSV Johannisthal | v | Vatican City | Berlin, Germany |
| Stadium: Käthe Tucholla Stadium |
Coaching staff
editCurrent coaching staff
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2021) |
- As of 15 February 2021
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Gianfranco Guadagnoli |
Notable players
edit
Eugenie Tcheugoue - captain[12][13][14][15]
Manager history
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2021) |
| Name | Period | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gianfranco Guadagnoli | ????– | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 00.0% |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Nuti, Nicola. "Vaticano: 7 squadre per il campionato di calcio" (in Italian). News Cattoliche. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d Harris, Elise. "Women's soccer team in Austria apologizes to Vatican after game cancellation". cruxnow.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Female Employees Form Team". netny.tv. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Thomas, Marissa. "Pope gives blessing as Vatican launches women's football team". prostinternational.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Borghese, Livia; Robinson, Matthew. "Vatican cancels football match with Vienna over anti-abortion protests". CNN. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Lisi, Clemente. "Vatican's Soccer Team Had Little Choice But Refuse To Play In Austria". religionunplugged.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Masotti, Adriana. "Prima partita per la squadra femminile di calcio vaticana" (in Italian). vaticannews.va. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Trastevere– Citta' del Vaticano, Un 'Amichevole in Rosa allo Stadium" (in Italian). A.S.D. Trastevere Calcio. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ Wimmer, Anian Christoph. "Abortion, LGBT activists disrupt Vatican women footballers' debut". catholicherald.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Squires, Nick. "Vatican forms its first women's football team". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Mckenna, Josephine. "Vatican cancels women's team debut match after pro-choice protest". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "La calciatrice del Papa, laureata in teologia che sta in porta a parare i gol". ilmessaggero.it.
- ^ "Noi, le calciatrici del Vaticano". roma.corriere.it.
- ^ "The Pope's XI". nationsandballs.com.
- ^ "Vatican forms its first women's football team". telegraph.co.uk.