Nina Patalon

Nina Patalon

Personal information
Date of birth	(1986-01-20) 20 January 1986
Place of birth	Działdowo, Poland
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Poland women's (head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–	Medyk Konin
	Czarni Sosnowiec
–2011	Medyk Konin
International career
2004–2006	Poland U19
2009	Poland (students)
Managerial career
2010–2013	Medyk Konin (youth)
2011–2013	Medyk Konin
2011–2013	Poland U15 (assistant)
2014–2019	Poland U17
2019–2021	Poland U19
2021–	Poland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nina Patalon (born 20 January 1986) is a Polish football manager and former player who played as a midfielder, currently in charge of Poland women's national team.

Club career

In 2002, Patalon began her career at Medyk Konin in the Ekstraliga, where she had played for many years, with an in-between stint at Czarni Sosnowiec.

International career

From 2004 to 2006, she was a member of the under-19 national team. In 2009, she represented Poland as part of a students' team at the Summer Universiade 2009 in Belgrade. The later stage of her career, however, was plagued by injuries for which she underwent seven knee surgeries.

Managerial career

After retiring from an active career she began working as a coach. Initially, from 2010, she trained Medyk Konin's youth team and, in January 2011, became the co-head coach of the Medyk's senior squad, alongside Anna Gawrońska. In 2011, she took on a role of an assistant coach for the under-15 squad, and in May 2014 she was appointed to the managerial position of the Poland U17s.

In March 2021 she replaced Miłosz Stępiński as the head coach of the senior national team, becoming the first female coach in history to hold this position. She made her debut in a friendly match against Sweden on 13 April 2021.

Patalon has stressed that, in order for Poland to develop a stronger women's football capability, more awareness and finding is needed, and girls must receive more encouragement to take up the sport during school sports classes.

Personal life

Patalon graduated with a bachelor from the State University of Applied Sciences in Konin and with a Masters from the Poznan University of Physical Education, where she obtained a class II football coaching license.

Honours

Player

Medyk Konin

• Ekstraliga runner-up: 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11
• Ekstraliga third place: 2003–04, 2008–09
• Polish Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
• Polish Junior Championships: 2004, 2005, 2006

Manager

Medyk Konin

• Ekstraliga runner-up: 2011–12, 2012–13
• Polish Cup runner-up: 2011–12