Désirée Grundbacher

Désirée Grundbacher
Personal information
Date of birth (1983-08-16) 16 August 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth Switzerland
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
0000–1999 FC Bethlehem Bern
1999–2003 FC Ostermundigen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 FC Rot-Schwarz Thun
2005-2008 Grasshopper Club
International career‡
2007–2008 Switzerland 13 (1)

Refereeing career
Domestic
Years League Role
2016 2. Liga Referee
2012–2022 1. Liga Referee
2013– Swiss Cup Referee
2022– Challenge League Referee
2022– Promotion League Referee
2024 Super League Referee
International
Years League Role
2012– FIFA listed Referee
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 September 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 September 2024

Désirée Grundbacher (born August 16, 1983) is a Swiss football referee and former football player.

Career

Football player

Before her refereeing career, Grundbacher played as a forward for FC Rot-Schwarz Thun and GC/Schwerzenbach in the Swiss Women's Super League and was a member of the Switzerland women's national team.[1] Between 2007 and 2008, she played 13 international matches, scoring one goal.[2]

Referee

Since 2012, she has been on the FIFA referee list and officiates international football matches.[3]

She regularly officiates matches in the Women's Champions League and Women's Nations League, also several domestic leagues including the Swiss 1. Liga, the Promotion League, and the Challenge League. She also officiated matches in the qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup in France and the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in the qualification for the 2022 European Championship and 2025 European Championship.

On May 14, 2015, Grundbacher served as the Fourth Official in the 2014/15 Women's Champions League final between Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain (2:1).[4]

She officiated qualification matches of various UEFA Women's Under-17 and Under-19 Championships over the years. At the Women's U-17 European Championship in 2018 in Lithuania, Grundbacher officiated two group matches and the final between Germany and Spain (0:2).[5][6]

In 2024, in the 2025 U-21 European Championship qualification, Grundbacher officiated the match between Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.[7]

Personal life

Grundbacher has a son with her partner, whom she met after a football match, and works as a postal assistant.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Liebe auf den zweiten Pfiff. In: Basler Zeitung. 7. Juni 2016, S. 36 (via FC Bubendorf; PDF; 263 kB). Abgerufen am 17. Januar 2024.
  2. ^ Liste der Schweizer Nationalspielerinnen auf fussball-schweiz.ch, abgerufen am 17. Januar 2024.
  3. ^ "FIFA Refereeing 2020" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ "History: 2-1 Paris | Match info | UEFA Women's Champions League 2014/15 Final". UEFA.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Grundbacher thrilled by WU17 final assignment". UEFA.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Germany-Spain | Women's Under-17 2018 Final". UEFA.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Luxembourg vs Azerbaijan | UEFA Under-21 2025". UEFA.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.