"WEURO 2025 will be a great opportunity to grow role models for young girls in Switzerland"

Thalmann, freshly retired and embarking on a new role as head of women’s football at FC Lugano, holds the UEFA Certificate in Football Management (CFM) with honours. She discusses her career as a player and Playmakers Manager for the Swiss Football Association, the upcoming Women's EURO in Switzerland, and the balancing act between her on and off-pitch pursuits.

Gaëlle, you've had an impressive career as a goalkeeper for Switzerland. Could you share a moment or match that you consider particularly defining for your journey in football?

There are many, but if I had to choose one, I would say Switzerland’s first time qualifying for the Women’s World Cup back in 2015. Seven months before that, I tore my cruciate ligament. Looking back at everything I’ve been through, it really taught me a lot, to be strong mentally and to focus on what’s really important, and enjoy every moment.

I realised I was really privileged to have football as my job and to be part of this historic moment, on the pitch, with my team-mates.

Gaelle Thalmann during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 Round of 16 match between Canada and Switzerland.FIFA via Getty Images

Switzerland is set to host the UEFA Women's EURO in 2025. What does it mean to you personally to have such a prestigious tournament take place in your home country?

It’s something exceptional. Having the best European players in my country, going to the stadium, being able to see them, follow them during one of the biggest competitions in the world. It will also be a great opportunity to grow role models for young girls in Switzerland, watching them play and having them very close.

You have been working simultaneously for the Swiss FA and playing for Switzerland. How did you manage to do it all?

It was quite intense and tricky to juggle with two schedules and the ones from my colleagues. You don’t work alone so you have to adapt to each other. I was training in the morning and then working in the afternoon. By then, my colleagues had already completed half of their “office” day when mine was just starting.

It was sometimes an advantage to be working on a late shift because I often spoke to non-professional clubs, who don’t have a lot of resources for women’s football and have volunteers managing activities on top of their daily job, often after work. So, we were meeting at the end of the day, that was very often the case for the Playmakers project, for example.

In women’s football administration, we often don’t have as many resources as the men, so it takes a lot of multitasking and organisation.

Do you have any advice for young girls who would like to pursue a career in football?

Enjoy yourself and live your passion. It is what helped me go through the tougher moments, helped me move forward and always improve.

You've successfully completed the UEFA CFM programme at the UEFA Academy. Why did you decide to enrol and what did it bring to your career?

Thalmann received a special award from the University of Lausanne in recognition of her outstanding results in the UEFA Certificate in Football Management.UEFA

I decided to enrol in the UEFA CFM when my boss at the time, who was the director of women’s football, talked to me about it. I had done a similar course ten years ago and I felt like I needed a refresher. In my career, I have always continued to follow education courses in different fields. The UEFA CFM was ideal because it is about management but also tailored to football. It was also very convenient because the players edition is fully online, which allowed me to continue both my training and my job. What I learnt in the course helps me in my new job to develop our department, where I try to apply the new concepts and tools.

Coming here in Bucharest for the UEFA Academy Summit is great because you meet people from the same industry but with different perspectives.