Dorianne Theuma’s transition from legendary player to title-winning coach has been nothing short of remarkable.
Having hung up her boots just last year, she secured the domestic league title in her first full season as Swieqi United’s senior coach – a script seemingly written in the stars.
The road to success wasn’t smooth. Swieqi lost key players in the summer transfer window, including Kaysia Micallef, who joined Sampdoria, and Salamatu Abdulai, returning from the U-20 World Cup with Ghana.
Their campaign started with defeats to Hibernians and Birkirkara, and even late in the season, they suffered a setback – a 2-0 loss to Mġarr United in the Top Four phase.
Yet, Theuma’s team bounced back emphatically, winning their last three matches, scoring seven goals, and keeping three clean sheets.
“At the start of the season, our primary goal was to build a solid foundation, both from a coaching staff perspective and especially in terms of players, following several seasons of instability. We lost key figures from the team, making it difficult to consider title contention from the outset,” Theuma told the Times of Malta.
A pioneer of Maltese football, Theuma was the first to reach 100 caps for the women’s national team and claimed multiple titles as a player.
Now, she has left her mark on Swieqi, implementing her blueprint despite a challenging start. Her squad gradually embodied her philosophy, with players fully buying into her ideas.
The turning point? December’s Super Cup victory against Birkirkara, the dominant side of recent years – marking Swieqi’s first-ever triumph in the competition. That win injected belief and confidence, setting the foundation for their title charge.
“In all my years involved in football, I believe this has been the most competitive season ever,” she explained.
“We knew that the most consistent team would have the best chance of winning the league. Although we had a challenging first round while still settling in, the team remained united and kept working hard.”
“In the second round, we found our balance and consistency, which also led us to win the Super Cup – a final that helped boost our confidence. We took it one game at a time, but I can say that the tougher the matches got, the more the players rose to the occasion.”
“Despite having many young players in the team and my initial concerns about how they would handle the pressure, they showed great maturity and stepped up when it mattered most.”
Already a proven winner at the youth level, Theuma has now added senior success to her coaching résumé.
“Even though I had some idea of what I was stepping into, this was my first experience at senior level,” the former Malta captain said.
“It was a challenging journey filled with responsibility and pressure, and honestly, I wasn’t fully prepared for it.”
“However, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a staff, coaches, and players who shared my principles, making the experience a little easier.”
“If there’s one key lesson I’ve learned, it’s that when someone feels valued, they give so much more. That’s why I believe this success was the result of a collective effort and sacrifice from everyone involved.”
FIXTURES
THURSDAY
Birkirkara vs Mġarr United – 8.15pm, Centenary Stadium
SATURDAY
Lija Athletic vs Mtarfa – 2pm, Dingli Ground
Swieqi United vs Hibernians – 2pm, Centenary Stadium
San Ġwann vs Valletta – 4.30pm, Dingli Ground
