Badalona Women Renew Coach Marc Ballester

FC Badalona Women said on May 19 that Marc Ballester will stay on as head coach for the 2026-27 season, extending his contract through June 2027. The Catalan club made the move after Ballester, who had taken charge on an interim basis in November, guided the team clear of danger in Liga F and into the Copa de la Reina semifinals. Ballester is a Barcelona-born coach born in 1997 and had spent three seasons as an assistant before stepping into the top job. The renewal gives him his first full season in charge from the start of preseason. ### How did Ballester get the job in the first place? November was the turning point in Ballester's role at the club. Liga F and club reports said he took over on an interim basis in mid-November after the departure of Ana Junyent, moving up after three seasons as assistant coach. Marc Ballester had been working inside the club's structure before that change. FC Badalona Women said his familiarity with the squad and the wider project helped the team through what sporting director Ferran Cabello described as a "complex" moment. ### What did Badalona say he achieved in the months after taking over? FC Badalona Women said Ballester stabilized the side during a critical stretch of the season. The club's English-language statement said Badalona reached the Copa de la Reina semifinals under his leadership and sat in 10th place in Liga F Moeve with two matchdays remaining. Europa Press reported the team had secured survival several rounds before the end of the season. Mundo Deportivo also said the club was in a comfortable 10th place when the renewal was announced. ### What did Ballester say after signing the extension? Ballester said he was looking ahead to building the team from the start of preseason. In comments carried by the club and other Spanish media, he said he was pleased to be able to "start building the team from preseason" and to transmit his playing idea from the first day of work with the squad. Those remarks underscored the practical difference between his interim spell and the campaign ahead. The 2026-27 season will be his first full experience leading a first team from the opening of preseason. ### Why did club executives back continuity? Ferran Cabello said Ballester and his staff had brought stability and shown they could compete in demanding settings. Cabello said the coaching group had the capacity to take the team "to the next level," according to Europa Press. Pedro Iriondo, the club's chief executive, tied the decision to Ballester's knowledge of the organization. Iriondo said the club wanted to keep consolidating its place in the top tier of Spanish women's football with people who know the project and its academy structure. ### What does this mean for the squad planning? June 2027 is now the end date on Ballester's current deal, giving Badalona a defined coaching setup before the summer window and preseason work begin. The club said continuity would help it keep building from within as it prepares the next campaign. The renewal also removes uncertainty around the bench after Ballester spent much of the season in an interim role. With the coach now confirmed, Badalona can move into preseason planning with the same staff that finished the 2025-26 campaign. ### What comes next for Badalona Women? The 2026-27 preseason will be Ballester's first chance to shape the team from day one. Club and league reports said that is the phase he highlighted most strongly after the extension was announced. Liga F's next season will be the next formal milestone for both Ballester and FC Badalona Women. By then, the coach will be leading the side under a contract that runs through June 2027, after a first senior campaign that included a semifinal run in the Copa de la Reina.