Want to practice your Italian? Click here to read an Italian translation of this interview
2020 has been a great year for Women’s football in Italy despite the pandemic as never has the competition in the Serie A Femminile seemed so tight. Many of the players we met so far in our interview series mentioned to us how difficult it is to win in every game.
As part of The Cult of Calcio’s journey in the world of women’s football in Italy, our last chat of the year was with Chanté-Mary Dompig of Empoli Femminile.
Chanté is a 19-year-old striker from the Netherlands who currently spearheads Empoli’s attack in the Serie A Femminile. She showed to have very clear ideas despite her young age and also gave us some nice sample of her Italian speaking skills!
CoC: Hello Chanté! Thanks for taking some time to talk to us. As an introduction, would you tell us something about yourself and how do you see your football career in the future?
Chanté: My pleasure! My name is Chanté-Mary Dompig, I am 19 years old and I was born and raised in Amsterdam. I started to play football at 12. Before that, I was doing other sports like judo, gymnastics, and athletics but when I saw some kids playing football in the street I told to myself – hmmm, I want to play this too!
I played for local club Buitenveldert until 16, when I was scouted by VV Alkmaar – who were named Telstar back then. That’s when I started to realize that I could do something with football in my life. I went on to play with Alkmaar for three years, first in their youth club and then in the first team, getting better and better.
CoC: What about your football playing style? Are there any players who inspire you?
Chanté: I’m a winger who can cover both the left and the right flank but can also play as a striker. I want to be creative and it doesn’t matter whether I get the ball on my feet or in the space, I will go for a dribbling and use my skills to try to be faster than my opponents. I’d like to be important in every game, the kind of player of which, at the end of a match, defenders would say “hey, it was really difficult to play against her.”
My inspirations are Lieke Martens and Lineth Beerensteyn who both play for the Netherlands Women’s National Team. They are strong and fast strikers who like to go for the one-on-one. I want to be like them one day!
CoC: “Don’t think, just shoot!” seems to be your motto and your 2019-2020 season at Alkmaar was indeed very positive. How did that influence your mindset and, do you still keep that motto?
Chanté: Yes, this is still my motto though I need to apply it more when playing in Italy. It helped me a lot during my seasons at Alkmaar but now that I am in Empoli, I sometimes find myself thinking too much. I know I’m a good player but sometimes I ask myself whether I’m doing well and this can lead to mistakes. So, I really need to think less and play more.
CoC: Last summer, you made the big move from Alkmaar to Empoli. How did that happen and how do you think you can contribute to the Team?
Chanté: It was a moment when many good players were leaving VV Alkmaar and, at 19, I also felt the urge to do some new experiences. My agent was sending information about me to many clubs in different leagues, and when I came to know about the Empoli option and started researching about them and the city I realized that I wanted to be there. I discussed the idea with my parents, and they were very supportive…though I had already made up my mind. Empoli looked like a good opportunity and I wanted to take it.
CoC: You scored your first goal in Italy in your very first game against San Marino Academy. How did that feel? Can you explain the way you celebrated with your teammates?
Chanté: I was a starter and the game was going very well for us – we ended up winning 10-0. San Marino are a good team, but I think they were just not ready yet in that moment. As the game progressed, I felt the pressure building up on me as we kept scoring and scoring but I was not – despite being an attacker. But the Mister (note: Football players in Italy usually refers to their coach as the Mister) kept telling me to relax, to stay tranquilla and keep doing my thing.
When I finally scored, I posed like I was taking a selfie with my teammates as a few days earlier we had had a photoshoot and each of us was supposed to choose a pose for it. I chose the selfie pose, so the girls were telling me “Chanté, next time you score you have to pose like that to celebrate!”
CoC: What do you think are the main differences between the Eredivisie and the Serie A Femminile? For example, did your training routine change in any way from Alkmaar to Empoli?
Chanté: I think the main difference is that in Italy the game is very fast. You’re supposed to play the ball very fast and, even when you don’t have it on your feet, you need to keep moving. Also, players are really strong here and as I’m adjusting to that, I think I’m also becoming stronger.
Then, of course, there is the passion. Italians always want to win! Before every game, the Mister gives us a speech to charge us up and all my teammates are like “siamo pronte? Siamo pronte?” (“are we ready?”) to keep the spirit up. You can see in their eyes how everybody wants to win, and I love it!
CoC: How is your experience in Italy going so far? What are your personal goals moving forward?
Chanté: What I mostly like is that Italian people are really open-minded, kind, and want you to stare bene (“feel good”). When they ask you “come stai?” (“How are you?”) they really want to know how you’re doing. The Mister is very supportive as well: Whenever I feel down after a game, he comes to me and say, “it’s going to be ok, you are important to us,” so nessun problema. Plus, the girls in the Team are amazing. There is not a single one of them who I cannot connect with. It’s like a big Family!
Personally, I want to score more and be important in every game, as there are still many occasions when I feel I’m not making a difference. With Empoli I want to get the highest achievable in the competition in series A. I even want to make it to the champions league with this fantastic team.
And from there I wait for my next step. And, of course, play for the Netherlands National Team.
CoC: Visibility for women’s football increased a lot recently, especially after the World Cup 2019. What else do you think can be done to increase women’s football popularity even more?
Chanté: I think if more men players – especially important players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar – talked more about women’s football and brought their opinion about it that would help our movement grow. Women clubs are doing a lot to increase the visibility of our game – I saw it both in the Eredivisie and in the Serie A – but it’s also up to us to show that women are really good at football and get more attention.
CoC: Any final message you would like to send to your Empoli fans? Feel free to try and do that in Italian if you want! ?
…and, rather than transcribing this last answer, we will let you see Chanté answer it, so you can see how good her Italian really is!