Persepolis W.F.C.
Football club
Persepolis (Women)
Full namePersepolis Women Football Club
NicknamesPersepolis Girls
Tehran Reds
Tehran Lionesses
Founded1968; 58 years ago (1968)
October 2024; 1 year ago (2024-10) (reestablished)
GroundShahid Kazemi Stadium
Capacity15,000
Owner(s)Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club
(Bank Shahr: 30%
Bank Mellat: 20%
Tejarat Bank: 20%
Bank Saderat Iran: 5.175%
Refah Bank: 5%
EN Bank: 5%
Shahr Financial Group: 3.715%
Public Shareholders: 11.11% – IFB: PSPP1)
PresidentReza Darvish
Head coachMaryam Azmoon
LeagueKowsar Women Football League
2024–25Women 1st Division champions
Websitehttp://fc-perspolis.com
Current season

Persepolis W.F.C. is an Iranian professional women's football club based in Tehran, Iran. It is the women's football section of Persepolis F.C. and competes in the Kowsar Women Football League, playing home games at the Shahid Kazemi Stadium.

Persepolis women's team was originally founded in the early 1970s as part of the multisport Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club, contributing to the early development of women's football in Iran alongside teams like Taj and Deyham. However, following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the women's section was disbanded due to government policies restricting women's sports activities. The team was re-established in 2024, marking a historic return to women's football after over four decades of inactivity. In its reformed era, Persepolis Women achieved rapid success.

Persepolis Women share the legacy and fanbase of the men's Persepolis F.C., one of Iran's most successful clubs, and draw from a vast supporter network known as the "Red Army," which has enthusiastically embraced the women's team through social media and match attendance. Persepolis Women play their home matches at Shahid Kazemi Stadium, with a capacity of 15,000, after initially using Marghoobkar Stadium and Derafshifar Stadium for early fixtures. Their iconic red kits and logo, inspired by ancient Persian symbols from the Achaemenid Empire's capital Persepolis, symbolize strength and heritage, earning nicknames like the Red Lionesses or Tehran Lionesses.

History

1970s

Women's football in Iran started in 1970. Women were participating in male football competitions in alleys and streets, and also took part in some men's football games. During that time, when numerous trainers participated in the top grade of FIFA's training courses in Japan, they were able to see the Japan women's national football team's games against female teams from Korea, Singapore and India. From 1970, serious measures were taken in order to reach appropriate standards. Thereafter, women took part first in football training and then in football teams such as Taj, Deyhim, Persepolis and Oghab . By organizing different competitions between those teams, the best players were selected and placed in the first Iranian women's national team. This team was composed of former volleyball players, basketball players and athletes aged from 12 to 18. They started to train more seriously as sport magazines published the news of their progress, then gradually a large number of female fans arose to support the team. With the help of educational institutions across the country, talented youngsters were scouted.

The first head coach for the winning women's team in Iran was Alan Rogers (from Persepolis), who was also the coach of the men's team at the same time.[1]

Rebuilding the team in 2022 was on the agenda.[2][3]

2020s

Fatemeh Safarastgu in the team's first match after re-establishment on November 14, 2024.

On October 12, 2024, it was announced that, after facing many oppositions and challenges, Persepolis acquired the rights of the "Ako Kermanshah Women's Football Team" in the Women's League of Iran. Thus, Persepolis re-established its women's football section, marking a significant step in its sports history by returning to the women's football scene.[4][5]

Shortly after its launch in October 2024, Persepolis Football Club issued a call for capable female footballers. In just two days, over 300 girls participated in the team's training tests. The revival of Persepolis Women's Football Team sparked significant excitement and enthusiasm among Iranian girls interested in football, as more than 500 girls applied to join the team within five days.[6]

2024–25 Persepolis F.C.Women season finished by winning the Division One.[7][8]


Team image

The Persian column from Persepolis serves as a symbol for the team.
An illustration of a column at Apadana, from the Illustrerad verldshistoria utgifven

Persepolis Football Club was named after Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The club logo incorporates elements from the location. The first design of Persepolis' crest used the Faravahar, an ancient Persian and Zoroastrian symbol depicting a man with three-feathered falcon wings.[9] After using the crest on its shirt in its early years, the team stopped including the crest on its shirt until the 1980s. In the middle of the 1980s, the team created a new crest based on an image depicted on a column at Apadana. The image consists of two bull heads attached to one body, with a cup on top and the Olympic symbols underneath.[9] The bull is a symbol of productivity in ancient Persian beliefs and Persian Literature, and the cup on the top of the column represents the championship. The team then changed the crest again in the middle of the 1990s to a more stylised image: the crest became bent and the Olympic rings were dropped, the cup became more explicit, and the bull heads leaned toward the cup.[9] This version was used until 2004,[9] when the team restored the Olympic rings and replaced the bulls with the Homa, a mythological bird and symbol used in the architecture of Persepolis.[9] During the 2011–2012 season, and before 74th Tehran derby, the club released a new version of its logo[10] This current version of the club's logo incorporates the previous version into a red shield-shaped frame and includes the name of Persepolis in Persian and English.

Colors and kits

The women’s team, like the men’s team of the club, uses a first red kit and a secondary white kit. The team’s nicknames include “Red Army” and “Red Lionesses.” Another unofficial nickname attributed to them on social media is “Red Devils”.[11]

Media

The women’s team has accounts on social media. In October 2024, its Instagram account was launched.[12][13]

Grounds

Team’s training at Derafshifar Stadium in 2025

In 2024, the Persepolis Women’s Football Club designated Marghoobkar Stadium[14][15] as its initial home ground. This arrangement lasted until November 2024, when the team relocated its home matches to Derafshifar Stadium.[16][17] Subsequently, a decision was made to establish Kazemi Stadium as the club’s new permanent home venue, reflecting efforts to enhance facilities for the team.[18][19]

Supporters and rivalries

The Persepolis Women’s Football Team, known as the “Lionesses of Tehran” and the “Red Army,” is among the most popular women’s football clubs in Iran. This popularity has largely been influenced by the fame of the club’s men’s team, as the women’s team had no activity for nearly half a century (due to government policies following the 1979 Revolution). Persepolis fans typically react to team news and support the players.[20][21]

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  IRN Samira Mohammadi
4 DF  IRN Zeynab Abbaspour
5 DF  IRN Hedieh Hezarjaribi
7 MF  IRN Sahar Ramezani (4th Captain)
8 DF  IRN Ghazaleh Salehipour
9 MF  IRN Maryam Mohammadi
10 FW  IRN Fatemeh Ghasemi (3rd Captain)
11 DF  IRN Zahra Ahmadizadeh
12 GK  IRN Negin Iranpour
13 MF  IRN Mohaddeseh Amiri
14 MF  IRN Maryam Safarastgoo
17 MF  IRN Soheila Shirali
18 MF  IRN Sana Sadeghi (Vice Captain)
19 FW  IRN Fatemeh Rezaei
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW  IRN Somayeh Khorrami
21 FW  IRN Fatemeh Safarastgoo
22 GK  IRN Atena Tofigh
23 DF  IRN Fatemeh Rezaei
24 DF  IRN Elham Abdolrahmani
25 MF  IRN Samaneh Ghamari
27 FW  IRN Nastaran Mohammadkhani
54 GK  IRN Zahra Khajavi
77 MF  IRN Fatemeh Ardestani
80 DF  IRN Mahsa Alimadadi
88 MF  IRN Melika Bagherinasab
90 FW  IRN Zeynab Khalili
99 FW  IRN Zahra Ghanbari (Captain)

Technical staff

Azmoon staff

Position Staff
Head coach Iran Maryam Azmoon
Assistant coach Iran Tahereh Mobarra
Assistant coach and Analyzer Iran Shaghayegh Faskhoudi
Doctor Iran Maryam Najafi
Physiotherapists Iran Maral Esmaeilinia
Iran Maryam Manavi
Massage therapists Iran Elmira Alipour
Iran Sepideh Ghasemnejad
Team Manager Iran Shahrzad Nasiri
Media Officer Iran Zeinab Manjiri
Photographer Iran Ghazal Khoddam
Support Iran Sahar Jafari

Recent seasons

The table below chronicles the achievements of Persepolis F.C. (women) in various competitions since 2024.

Year Division Position Hazfi Cup AWCL
2024-25 1st Division 1st[22] Not held did not qualify
2025-26 Kowsar League Not held did not qualify

Sponsorship

  • Main sponsor: Shahr Bank[23]
  • Official shirt manufacturer: Merooj
  • Sponsor 2:
  • Water supplier: Veensu

See also

Reserve teams

References

  1. ^ "Women Have Been Demanding Their Right to Play Football for Half a Century". iranwire.com. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  2. ^ "در انتظار ورود رسمی پرسپولیس به فوتبال زنان". ورزش سه (in Persian). Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  3. ^ سیما, IRIB NEWS AGENCY | خبرگزاری صدا و (February 8, 2021). "تشکیل تیم فوتبال بانوان پرسپولیس در صورت الزام آسیا". fa (in Persian). Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  4. ^ "پرسپولیس در فوتبال بانوان تیم‌دار شد - ایسنا". www.isna.ir. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  5. ^ "با اعلام رسمی باشگاه؛ تشکیل تیم فوتبال زنان پرسپولیس، اولین‌بار پس از انقلاب". ایران اینترنشنال (in Persian). 2024-10-13. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  6. ^ "پانصد-دختر-در-انتظار-نیم-نگاه-سرمربی-پرسپولیس".
  7. ^ "Persepolis Wins Iran's Women's Football League One - Sports news". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  8. ^ "Persepolis newcomers of Kowsar Women's Football League". Tehran Times. 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  9. ^ a b c d e لوگوی باشگاه پرسپولیس عوض شد. Persepolis News (in Persian). Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  10. ^ لوگوی جدید باشگاه پرسپولیس رونمایی شد (in Persian). iranvij.ir. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  11. ^ ماهنامه فوتبالی، ۱۴۰۴، فروردین، نسخه نخست. Tehran Sports Group.
  12. ^ "عکس| صفحه تیم فوتبال زنان پرسپولیس شروع به کار کرد". خبرورزشی (in Persian). 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  13. ^ "با شروع به کار تیم زنان پرسپولیس ، صفحه این تیم در اینستاگرام شروع به کار کرد". طرفداری (in Persian). 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  14. ^ "اولین میزبانی رسمی زنان پرسپولیس در خانه استقلال!". ورزش سه (in Persian). Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  15. ^ جهان, Fararu | فرارو | اخبار روز ایران و. "(تصاویر) نخستین مسابقه تاریخ فوتبال زنان پرسپولیس". fa (in Persian). Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  16. ^ "اولین پیروزی تاریخ زنان پرسپولیس با چهار گل!". ورزش سه (in Persian). Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  17. ^ "انتقال بازی های خانگی بانوان پرسپولیس به درفشی فر". خبرورزشی (in Persian). 2024-11-18. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  18. ^ "ورزشگاه کاظمی، استادیوم اختصاصی تیم زنان پرسپولیس شد". www.iranintl.com (in Persian). 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  19. ^ "Kazemi Stadium For PFC". www.irna.ir. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  20. ^ "فوتبال زنان با حضور همه باشگاه‌های مطرح قوی می شود؛ زنان سرخپوش در مسیر موفقیت". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  21. ^ خبرنامه ۳۸۹ تهران ورزشی، ۲، ۳. Tehran Varzeshy.
  22. ^ "تیم-زنان-پرسپولیس-قهرمان-شد".
  23. ^ "بانک-شهر-اسپانسر-تیم-بانوان-پرسپولی". 13 November 2024.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Persepolis FC (women).
Wikiquote has quotations related to Persepolis F.C..
  • Official club website (in Persian)
  • Persepolis F.C. at IFLO (in Persian)
  • Persepolis F.C. at FIFA (in English)
  • Persepolis W.F.C. on Instagram
  • Persepolis W.F.C. on Twitter

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