Italian football icon Carolina Morace appointed as London City Lionesses Head Coach

London City is thrilled to announce the appointment of Carolina Morace as First Team Head Coach on a contract until June 2025.

Carolina Morace, now of London City Lionesses (Image: S.S. Lazio)

The Italian Football Hall of Fame inductee joins Nicola Williams at Princes Park, who was unveiled as First team Assistant Coach on 24 June.

“I’m delighted to have been appointed the new Head Coach of London City Lionesses," said Morace.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to join a female-led football club who are paving the way for women and girls to realise their footballing ambitions and I look forward to playing my part in London City's journey.

"The Club is highly motivated to win the [Barclays Women’s] Championship and I will work tirelessly with the players, staff and leadership team to make sure that we build on London City’s proud traditions and achieve the Club's collective ambitions."

Morace joins the Club from S.S. Lazio Women, with whom she secured promotion to Serie A in 2020-21. In her previous role, the 59-year-old coached A.C. Milan Women to a third-place finish in the Rossonere’s inaugural top flight campaign.

Further success followed at the helm of the Canadian National Team, where she clinched the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Championship and climbed five places in the FIFA World Rankings.

She spent five years as Italy head coach, qualifying for back-to-back UEFA Women’s European Championships.

Morace, the first woman to be inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame, achieved legendary status as a player, featuring in six European Championships and the inaugural Women’s World Cup, in which she became the first player to score a hat-trick.

The Venetian forward retired as the second-highest scorer in her nation’s history, with 105 goals in 150 appearances for the Azzurre.

Head of Recruitment and Player Acquisition Ronald Thompson added: “The word ‘legend’ is overused in the modern game, but it truly applies to Carolina. When I knew there was a chance that we could bring her to the Club, I felt that it was something we just had to do.

“People in the sport will recognise the wealth of experience she will bring to London City, both as a player and a coach. We have been looking for a coach who shares our vision and can build on the positive work that has already been done – and Carolina is the perfect option to push us forwards.

“Carolina’s leadership and knowledge will help shape and drive our academy to the next level, helping to develop our younger players with the aim to promote them through our player pathway and into the first team.”

Welcome to the Pride, Carolina!