by Swieqi United’s arc to reach a maiden league title was not one for the faint-hearted. Following years of being the only contenders to Birkirkara, but faced with continued disappointment, Swieqi coach Dorianne Theuma and captain Shona Zammit reflected on the inner workings to bring home the eluding trophy in a season in which the Owls were most unexpected to claim it.
Key Milestones Despite Moments of Struggle & Doubt
Swieqi United’s fifteen years anniversary has been made sweeter by the women’s senior team clinching a maiden league title. Although the intent to claim the title has been there for a number of years, Birkirkara was a challenge that Swieqi United chipped at strongly for the last three years.
Progress was made in getting up the league table over time, followed by a maiden Assikura Women’s Knockout under Judith Kuipers in the 22/23 season, that gave real belief once the first piece of silverware was clinched. Last season, the team broke Birkirkara’s unbeaten run in November, chipping at another crucial milestone.
However, a downward spiral emerged again as inner turmoil reigned and Savour Darmanin departed mid-way through the season soon after clinching the Coach of The Round trophy. The team managed to retain second place in the league and earn a semi-final in the Knockout.
Despite this, the end of the 2023/24 season put Swieqi United in a dire state compared to their competition, with Hibernians & Mgarr United already making clear positive strides since the mid-point of the season following changes in the their coaching staff, while Swieqi United appeared to struggle for clear direction and questions loomed into the stability of the squad.
Although it is all roses today, this season started in the worst possible way which raised doubts into their ability to mount a challenge as they faced not one, but three strong opponents in Hibernians, Birkirkara and Mgarr United.
An opening 2 – 0 defeat to Hibernians was further compounded by a 4 – 1 loss to Birkirkara. However, the team managed a slender 1 – 0 win against Mgarr United at the end of the first round, following which the side garnered winning consistency in the second phase.
Clinching the Super Cup for the first time against Birkirkara in December, after having lost by 3 – 0 and 2 – 1 in previous editions, alerted more to the growth of the side in winning decisive moments when the pressure was on. It was a new characteristic for the team. The final phase of the league brought with it improved consistency and an increased reliability in defence with enough goalscoring output to clinch the needed points for the victory.
Swieqi United’s title hopes were always surrounded by discussions of coaching changes, with plenty of digs thrown at the Owls who seemed unable to get the winning combination in place to clinch the league from Birkirkara.
Having lived through the battles against Birkirkara, characterised by triumphs and disappointments with Hibernians and Swieqi United as a player and captain, Dorianne Theuma was questioned on what she thinks made the difference this year. This, as she took on the new responsibility of head coach for Swieqi United to clinch a maiden league title with the Owls.
She said, “My first target with the team was to set everything that is within our control to be organised in the best possible way. I thought that if we ensured the details were in place we could challenge. I think when we started I had no certainty we would get to this point, but I think the fact that we did validates the initial thinking of the importance of all these details that we took care of. I am obviously very happy that we made it.”
Shona Zammit was into her maiden season captaining the side, a role which the midfielder grew into. Asked what she thought was the turning point for the team this season, she replied, “I think it was a journey that started very tough. We did not have any expectations at the beginning of the season other than to build a group that worked toward the same aim. However, bit by bit we built the consistency and managed to get to this proud moment.”
The Swieqi United captain admitted the surreal feeling of having battled for this title in seasons past and faced consistent disappointment against a single rival, only to win it following the most competitive women’s league which had four contenders up to the penultimate day.
She said, “I think it’s still not fully sunk in yet and it feels an even stronger win. It’s even more special because, as harsh as it sounds, our targets at the beginning of the season were much lower than what we even achieved today.”
Shona Zammit continued on the strength of a united mentality, “I think this is the beauty of this title win, that with the patience, humble attitude and hard work put in on the training pitch every day, we got the consistency and got to this today. I would not change a single player from this squad. It was poignant because it was truly a puzzle of an entire team, with the players and staff each knowing their role and doing their job everyday to make it happen. It was a tough start but I think we had a vision and a plan, and we used the time effectively to build a strong foundation. It paid off.”
A Failed Transfer Window But A Successful Summer In Hindsight
The summer is always characterised by plenty of transfer excitement, however Swieqi United’s first announcement was the decision to introduce a contract structure for their players, from amateur to semi-pro and professional tiers. Though it marked a new movement in the professionalisation of the women’s game in Malta, most players did not appear to meet this with the same enthusiasm.
In fact, the summer transfer window was not buzzing for the Owls, with the side making just two signings in Sarah Urpani and Miriana Conti, while suffering the departure of Jessica Dimech and Kaysia Micallef. As the season started, plenty doubted Swieqi United’s ability to mount a challenge with a disastrous opening, marked by two defeats to Hibernians and Birkirkara. Wins against Valletta & San Gwann appeared by no means easy for the Owls, with the side also conceding against the Yellows.
However, the few singings were effective, with Urpani especially having been among the most consistent players on the pitch this season, while the club bore the fruit of having nurtured plenty of young talent, together with a back-bone of seasoned players. It was ultimately the winning combination for Swieqi United.
Backing that growth was the club’s support in the re-structuring of the technical and administrative staff during the summer. Dorianne Theuma reflected, “I think the time and effort we put in to set the right structure was the most fundamental thing. We knew that there is no point getting the best players, assuming that they want to join, if you don’t have the right environment and quality around them. So I wanted good technical staff around me and I had a club who backed me in these requests to build the right structure.”
Drawing on her experiences as a prolific player for Hibernians, Mosta & Swieqi United, as well as in Malta’s national team, in which she amassed records in goals, appearances and trophies, Dorianne Theuma continued, “What I learned is that a team needs those difference makers, but in the end an individual never wins matches by themselves. I never won matches by myself as a player and I knew that in the end, it is the team that matters. I think if a person feels valued they will give everything so this is what we focused on.”
Looking at her team, the Swieqi United coach felt it was a squad that gave everything, “There is quality in the team but there are also a lot of young players who have a lot to learn. I think our competitors certainly had strong names on their sheets, but I am proud of my squad. Seeing players who were seventeen-eighteen years old playing regularly in the first team, getting the consistency and ultimately earning this title, is very satisfying.”
Change In System & Maintaining A Healthy Squad
A shaky start signalled warnings for the coaching staff, with Dorianne Theuma discussing those early weeks of understanding the need to transition the system and getting the buy-in from the team.
She said, “We started with the 4-3-3 but looking at the squad and the characteristics of our players, we thought it made sense to switch to the 4-4-2 diamond. The first match we played with this formation was against Birkirkara. We lost by 4-1. It was a low moment but still the turning point for us. The players took the time to understand, but we stuck to it and we worked hard together to get it to work for us.”
The team also managed to stay relatively injury free, which was fundamental element for a squad who had a large number of players stretched between two leagues. Speaking of navigating injuries, Dorianne Theuma weighed in, “Considering how tight things seemed early on, I was certain that any the team who challenged for the title would feel every injury, every red card. So, I knew how we handled injuries and the condition of our players was fundamental. Even though there is an element of luck in it as well, we prepared our players well in pre-season with my staff.”
Once the season took off, playing time was a combined effort in navigating the U19 and senior league title chases in tandem. Swieqi’s coach continued, “Juggling the playing time of the players playing in the U19 and the senior team was tough. I was a player, I also wanted to play every match. This is what our young players wanted but we had to make some tough decisions. So, I faced a lot of long faces during the season when we restricted players to play just fifteen minutes in an U19 match for example. However, I hope that today in celebrating this success, along with the win of the U19 league, they understand that we, as a coaching staff, had a bigger picture on our minds.”
The senior backbone of the team completed the side to push through the toughest moments where experience mattered. Dorianne Theuma finished, “From the more senior players, we managed to avoid long-term struggles for the most part. We truly had only Jade Flask who was plagued by injuries who we had to manage more. I certainly think keeping players healthy was an important pillar for us to get here.”
European Football & The Potential Of Taking The Haul
The maiden league title brings with it the opportunity to showcase Swieqi United on the UEFA Women’s Champions League stage.
Dorianne Theuma appears to be relishing the challenge, “It brings with it a new level for us to face, but I am excited by this challenge for us. I think we have nothing to lose. We have two months to work on building on this foundation that we have created, then we take it from there. Obviously the draw makes a difference, but I have always been a competitor. We will go with the target to get something positive and I believe my players will take to the pitch with the same mentality.”
Captain Shona Zammit is not a stranger to the competition, but admitted the excitement in returning to the coveted competition. “As I said earlier, I think it’s not fully sunk in yet that we’ve won this league, let alone the reality that I will play in the Champions League again. I think we had faced so many disappointments that I had started to lose the faith that I would ever set foot in the competition again. So, of course, it is the cherry on the cake.”
However, before then, the side will be chomping at the bit to complete the treble, with the final piece of silverware awaiting, the Assikura Women’s Knockout. Asked on whether she feels they are favourites for the trophy, Dorianne Theuma replied, “I think we’ve approached the season on a day by day basis and we will approach this title in the same way. The draw obviously will have an effect.”
Speaking about the reality of the dawning treble, she continued, “When we won the Super Cup, we received some comments that at that point we were the only ones who could win the treble which we laughed off because in that moment it seemed remote. Today, there is the belief that it is a real possibility, but as a team, we will keep being humble in this cup and also as we fight to defend the league title next year.”
The Assikura Women’s Knockout draws will be held on Wednesday 2nd April.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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