Bavagnoli: Our targets will only grow next season

With not long left until the end of the campaign, the club's first ever in Serie A, Roma Women sit fourth in the standings - an impressive accomplishment, with only the more established sides Juventus, AC Milan (formerly Brescia) and Fiorentina ahead of the side.

Speaking to The Equalizer, Bavagnoli spoke at length about her experiences in Italian football as both a player and a coach.

The Italian also reflected on how the first season at the club has panned out so far - and offered some insight into the longer term ambitions for the project over the coming seasons.

Below is a short exerpt from the Q&A - read the full interview here!

Are there added demands coaching such a well-known club as AS Roma?

“Without doubt, the fact that the men’s team is so well supported has given the women’s team a lot of visibility in the media from the very start. That has pushed me and my staff to be even more focused on everything we’re doing.

"Roma is a cutting-edge club and they give us everything we need, so we have to take advantage of every opportunity we’re given. All this means the girls can train at the highest level, in a competitive environment, but inevitably it increases my responsibility as a coach.”

Is your biggest focus with the team on winning silverware or developing players?

“The team is formed of a lot of young, talented players, so inevitably the first step is to develop the group. That said, we’ve done very well to get to the Coppa Italia semifinals [the first leg, against Fiorentina, ended 0-0] so trying to get to the final and win our first piece of silverware has become the bigger priority. That has to be the aim, after all we’ve done so far.

"Having said that, we have very clear ideas for next season: we want to qualify for the Champions League and test ourselves on the international stage.”

With Roma, Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina having professional teams, is there a sense in the country that girls can get into football and make a professional career?

“Absolutely. Thanks to professional clubs creating women’s teams, lots of girls can now dream of becoming professional footballers and playing for their favourite team. For the first time in a long time, there’s a lot of interest around the development of the women’s team.

"Let’s hope that continues to build because there are sure to be lots of challenges on the horizon.”

Click here to read more from the interview!