The European Cup winner bringing women's football dream to Monaco

The Guardian

4 hours ago

Women's football in France has always been an important marker point in Europe, mainly through Lyon's record-breaking Champions League success. The club have been pushed along domestically by Paris Saint-Germain but a shift is taking place, with Paris FC continuing to develop and Lens and Marseille promoted to the top division for the 2025-26 season.
One place lacking a professional team in the women's pyramid is Monaco but that could change before long, and not necessarily through AS Monaco. Monaco United launch this season and although they will begin in the fifth tier, they are founded and coached by Marco Simone, a four-time Serie A winner and two-time Champions League winner as a player with Milan.
'I've coached men's teams around the world, starting here in Monaco with AS Monaco in 2011,' says Simone. 'I coached in Switzerland, Morocco, Thailand and France, but always men's teams. One year, I was studying and the only games I saw were women's games. I watched them in France, England, Germany, Spain and Italy, and I really enjoyed it. That led me to build this project.'
Monaco United's creation was announced just under two months ago in a partnership with the Racing City Group, which was founded by Morris Pagniello and has a network of clubs. Simone, who won four Italy caps, became involved with the group in January when it partnered with AS Monaco's women's team. He had two spells as a player with the men's side before returning as the coach.
'I played here for five years, coached here, but the history of the place is incredible,' he says. 'The people think it is impossible to build another club because we are not a big country. It's not like London, where there are five or six teams in the top league alone – that's not possible here.
'The real target is the development of women's football, because when you see the top league here, you see Lyon, PSG, Montpellier, now Marseille too, the top clubs in France. But Monaco [United] is not in the top league, not the second league, not even the third league. I think it's not possible for Monaco to not be there one day. We are very far away because we start in the fifth division, but I do believe in a few years we can be in a professional league.'
Open trials have allowed Simone to build a squad, and training and fixtures will take place at the Stade Didier Deschamps in Cap-d'Ail. Monaco United list the aim of also having a successful men's team and men's academy but describe women's football as being 'at the heart' of the club.
'It's important when you start to respect the time it will take, to arrive at the time one day to have a bigger budget, to think about professionalism, but the time we have for this project is very important,' Simone says.
'We are starting at zero … I know football isn't easy, but I know this team has the chance to become professional quicker than if this was the men's game, where the budgets and structures are much bigger. We don't have many pitches or stadiums in Monaco, the structures are not as simple, but we do have passion and enthusiasm, and we are ready for this.'
On the squad, the 56-year-old says: 'We have 20 players. It's not been easy to scout. Some players we know locally, some through contacts, but through that and watching many, many videos, we have our squad.'
As a player, Simone also won multiple domestic cups, two European Super Cups and a French First Division title in Monaco in 2000, as well as individual honours including the 1998 Ligue 1 player of the year and France Football's best foreign player in 1998 and 2000. That experience could be invaluable.
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'Yes, but this is also my first experience of the women's game,' Simone says. 'I have the experience from my career. I played 10 years for AC Milan, I played for PSG, for Monaco, and I hope I can offer all my experience to the team, of how to win both games and leagues. I don't know everything about women's football but I hope my experience can help build the team. I'm positive, but I know the work is not simple.'
He has wasted no time in utilising his status with some of his former clubs to arrange glamorous friendlies. On 27 August, Monaco United will face Milan, a club where Simone is in the Hall of Fame, in their first match and through the season he aims to give his squad a taste of top-level football in 'MUWFC challenge' fixtures fitted around the league matches.
'It's a big friendly game for us, the AC Milan game,' Simone says. 'We are the fifth division against AC Milan! For a new club, it's a big event, a big moment, but I want to give the visibility for the women's team. The league is not very strong, so we have arranged these friendlies against top European teams, and it will start with AC Milan … It's very special.'
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