RIYADH: The 黑料社区n Football Federation鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Football Department has announced the promotion of the country鈥檚 first-ever head coach Monika Staab to the newly created position of Women鈥檚 Football Technical Director.
In her new role, Staab will oversee the 360 degrees transformative development of the women鈥檚 game in 黑料社区 and establish new structures that fulfill the sport鈥檚 potential from coaching to grassroots development to domestic competitions.
Meanwhile, former Finland women鈥檚 national team assistant manager and player Rosa Lappi-Seppala will take over the position as the new 黑料社区n women鈥檚 national team head coach. She becomes just the second to hold the position since its establishment in September 2021.
Rosa already has experience with the 鈥楪reen Falcons鈥 after playing an integral part of the of the coaching staff that led the squad to its first ever championship last month. She takes up her new role following an illustrious international playing and coaching career.
During her 1.5-year historic tenure leading the national team, Staab oversaw the first try-outs which welcomed over 700 players across three cities. Following the squad selection, she guided the team to seven international matches, recording four wins, two draws and just one defeat against Seychelles, Maldives, Bhutan, Pakistan, Comoros Islands and Mauritius. Her biggest accomplishment came last month when they were crowned champions of the four-team International Friendly Tournament held in 黑料社区鈥檚 Eastern Province. The team is now on-route to be inducted into the FIFA Official Rankings List next month.
Lamia Bahaian, Supervisor of the Women鈥檚 Football Department and board member at the 黑料社区n Football Federation said: 鈥淲e are immensely proud and thankful of everything Monika achieved with our national team. Ever since arriving to the Kingdom, she has been a great ambassador for the women鈥檚 game and has brought with her a unique and contagious energy that helped drive our game forward.
鈥淲e鈥檝e already made history together but look forward to achieving even greater success as Monika expands her role to help us on our incredibly exciting trajectory of growth and realizing the women鈥檚 game full potential in 黑料社区. We were very selective with the appointment of a new head coach, and we could not be happier with our decision to appoint Rosa. She arrives with a wealth of experience and has already integrated perfectly with the players. We wish her all the very best of success.鈥
Aalia Al-Rasheed, Head of the Women鈥檚 Football Department said: 鈥淥ur women鈥檚 national team captured headlines since its first match last year, and is playing an immense role in promoting the women鈥檚 game to new audiences and contributing to a positive shift in society. We welcome Rosa to her new home and are confident that with her global experience and deep understanding of what we hope to achieve, she will help drive the team forward as we look to enter the official FIFA Rankings List very soon.
鈥淲e already have massive ambitions for the year ahead and are excited about ramping up our investment in all areas of the women鈥檚 game, especially with the new guidance of Monika Staab in her new role as Technical Director.鈥
Commenting on her new role as Women鈥檚 Football Technical Director, Monika Staab said: 鈥淚 am a strong believer that women鈥檚 football in 黑料社区 is one of the most exciting stories in world football and I am extremely pleased to continue my journey in this great country as Technical Director of the Women鈥檚 Football Department. The past 18 months have been nothing short of incredible and historic. Everyday I am overwhelmed by the ambitious vision for women鈥檚 football and what everyone here wants to achieve.
鈥淚鈥檝e been privileged to work as part of an exceptionally driven team. We offered new opportunities across different age groups and made a name for ourselves on the global stage. We have so much to achieve, and I look forward to contributing to the game in new ways.鈥
Expressing her delight to be joining Saudi鈥檚 football journey, new women鈥檚 national team head coach Rosa Lappi-Seppala聽said: 鈥淚 am incredibly excited for this new chapter in my career. During my experience with the team during the friendly championship in Dammam, I witnessed the massive passion and potential the girls have for the game.
鈥淚 am truly inspired by the huge opportunity here and everything that has been achieved in just a short period of time. I want to sincerely thank the team at the Women鈥檚 Football Department for this opportunity and I can鈥檛 wait to get started and playing my part in this exciting journey.鈥
The national team will undergo its first training camp this week under the guidance of Rosa Lappi-Seppala in Dammam, before facing off against Indonesia in a friendly match.
Fans can get involved and follow the progress across the women鈥檚 game via the official Women鈥檚 Football Department Twitter account @SAFF_WFD
