Football: Janine’s life between goal posts and Swiss Post

“As a goalie, you’re either the hero or the scapegoat.” Janine Teuscher knows exactly what she’s talking about. For her, standing in goal means enduring pressure, paying immediately for any mistake – and still getting back up, again and again. At 28, she guards the net for FC Thun Women (Women’s Super League) while also working full-time as a deputy team leader in branches around the Thun area. That everything works out is also thanks to her football-loving boss. The motto: “If you can plan it, do it!”

Football runs in Janine’s blood: her grandfather played in the national league, then became a coach and referee. Her father also played in the national league, coached by none other than Hanspeter Latour. And then came her sister – a goalkeeper in the Nationalliga A. It was through her that Janine found her place between the posts. “Being a goalie is something special. I’m the last one – every mistake gets punished instantly. You need strong mental resilience.”

Today, she trains four times a week, heads straight from the counter to practice, comes home late and cooks something for herself – “there’s hardly time for anything besides work and football.” Will she get her coaching license one day? Maybe. “First I want to stay active, then I’ll see.”

In July, she’ll be there live at the Euros as a fan – at the Iceland-Finland match in Thun and Spain-Portugal in Bern. Her heart beats not only for Switzerland but also for England – though her favourite to win the title is Spain. And Switzerland? “I hope we go really far.”

For Janine, football is more than just a sport – it’s family, history, passion. And maybe one day, a new chapter on the sidelines.