People - 26.03.2025 - 10:04
“Sometimes I play as a wing-back, sometimes as a centre-back. And last week I played as a number 10,” says Céline Bradke. The 24-year-old HSG graduate played professionally for FC St.Gallen-Staad (now FC St.Gallen) for three years until 2021 and currently plays for FC Staad in the 1st division. Bradke also demonstrates versatility off the football pitch: she is the project manager of the St.Gallen venue for the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro, which is taking place in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July. Three preliminary round matches of the Women's European Football Championship will be held at Kybunpark St.Gallen – and Bradke, along with a team of ten, is responsible for traffic, security, marketing, communication and welcoming fans to the city centre of St.Gallen.
For Céline Bradke, the greatest thing is that she has been able to create the best possible platform for her sport in her home region. It is important to her that these European Championships help to get more girls and women interested in football and, at the same time, create better conditions for women's football. “As a player, I know from my own experience that there is still a lot of catching up to do.”
For example, as a professional, she trained up to seven times a week while studying for her bachelor's degree at HSG and received no financial compensation. “Women's football needs more visibility, and this will increase with the European Championships. This will automatically boost interest from clubs, future players, officials and coaches, as well as sponsors. It's all connected.” Her project team works with various football associations, clubs, schools and foundations to strengthen girls and womens football.
HSG is also involved: it is organising several public lectures on (women's) football, including one on the economic opportunities for the region of the Women's European Championship. In addition, there will be an open training session for female students and staff on 24 April with Jessica Schärer, a player in the Swiss Women's Super League . On campus there is also a women-only football training regularly scheduled at HSG.
Also supporting women’s sport at HSG is UniSport instructor Julia Marty, a female ice hockey player who plays for SC Bern and represented Switzerland many times as an Olympian.
Bradke has remained loyal to football even outside of work. She trains two to three times a week with the women's first team of FC Staad, the club where she started playing football. She also still has ties with HSG, where she completed an English-language double master's degree in international relations. She
lives near the campus and regularly works out in the UniSport weight room. She received her master's degree in 2024, and she also spent a year studying at the internationally renowned Science Po in Paris.
It was never an option for her to focus entirely on football. “I knew that as a woman in football, I would need an alternative to earn an income.” She says her time at university prepared her well for her current job: “At HSG, there is a lot of group work. This is how you learn to advance projects with a wide range of people.” She also appreciated the close academic exchange and lively culture on campus. “I met my best friends here.” She also took the focus she needed for her ambitious degree course at HSG with her on the football pitch. “In football, you have to be 100 per cent present all the time – if you're not, mistakes happen.”
Now, Bradke is looking forward to a football festival in her hometown. “We're hoping for sold-out games. St. Gallen is a football city and the games taking place here are attractive pairings.” In addition, the culture around it is more peaceful than at men's games. “That attracts a lot of families.”
On the pitch, there is also less tactical manoeuvring and time wasting among women. “When women play, you can feel that they need a lot of passion for their sport.” She hopes that the European Championship will help to get more girls and women interested in football. “Currently, only 12 per cent of all licensed players in Switzerland are women – that has to change.”
