Giacomo Piva to lead experimental Women's Under-16 National Team

San Marino will have its first ever women’s national team, albeit still in an experimental set-up. The official European debut is still a few months away, but the staff of the Women’s Under-16 National Team will very soon begin the process of building and then consolidating the squad that will take part in the UEFA Development Tournament in the spring. The Head Coach has also been appointed: Giacomo Piva, currently in charge of the San Marino Academy Under-17 side and, last season, head coach of the Under-15 team that finished among the top eight in Italy. It is precisely from the excellent work carried out in recent years by the San Marino Academy youth sector that this pioneering Under-16 National Team takes its cue, with the aim of becoming a point of reference for all the girls in the Republic who are already playing football, or who might consider taking up the game in the near future. “The strongest feeling I have is pride at having been chosen, at being part of this growth of the women’s game and also at having managed to achieve something historic for San Marino. – Piva explains – The work done in the Academy must be taken forward in this creation of the first experimental National Team. From here we want to establish a starting point for the future.” On 6 November, the first in a series of training camps will be held to allow the Head Coach and his staff to shape the team ahead of its debut in an official match: “This Under-16 National Team will be made up largely of players from the Academy’s Under-17s, along with a few girls from the Under-15s. We will hold the first camps to build the group, even though many of them are already used to working together. Then in the spring we will take part in UEFA’s experimental tournament for Under-16 national teams. We will go there to gain experience and to enjoy ourselves. We also hope to further increase interest in women’s football here in San Marino.”

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