USV Neulengbach's Maria Gstöttner is the 2024 One-Club Woman

Maria ‘Mary’ Gstöttner (St. Pölten-Land, Austria, 1984) is Athletic Club's 2024 One-Club Woman. Through this award, Athletic Club is paying tribute to the footballer’s outstanding career path with USV Neulengbach, the most successful team in the history of the the ÖFB Frauen-Bundesliga, Austria’s First Division.

Maria Gstöttner thus joins the illustrious list of previous One-Club Woman Award winners: Malin Moström, Umeå I.K., Sweden (OCW 2019), Pia Wunderlich, 1. FFC Frankfurt, Germany (OCW 2020), Jennifer Zietz, 1. FCC Turbine, Germany (OCW 2022) and Mati Martínez, Fundación Albacete, Spain (OCW 2023).

Maria will receive the 2024 One-Club Woman 2024 trophy at San Mamés, in front of the fans at The Cathedral, in the build-up to Athletic Club vs Real Madrid, our LaLiga Matchday 19 fixture, which will be played midweek around December 4 (kick-off time to be confirmed). During the same match, our 2024 One-Club Man will also pick up his award.

USV Neulengbach's great goalscorer

Gstöttner joined USV Neulengbach's youth ranks as a 14-year-old in 1998. She made her first-team debut that same season and remained with the club for all 24 years of her entire professional career, until retiring on 5 November 2022 at the age of 38. During her career, Maria became one of the most important players in the history of the ÖFB Frauen-Bundesliga, becoming a pioneer and one of the driving forces behind women's football in her city and country. 

Gstöttner is the ÖFB Frauen-Bundesliga’s all-time top scorer, having netted 393 goals in 465 games for USV Neulengbach. During the first decade of the 21st century, Gstöttner led her hometown club to their golden era, winning 12 consecutive league titles, the first of which came in 2003, and 10 cup competitions. 

The forward from Würmla, a village near the towns of Neulengbach and St. Pölten in Lower Austria in the north-east of the country, was also the ÖFB Frauen-Bundesliga’s golden boot winner six times (from 2001 to 2005 and in 2013).

In addition, Maria Gstöttner wore the Austria shirt 35 times and in 2018 she received the prestigious Bruno Player of the Year award.
 

Athletic's UEFA Women's Champions League debut was against Gstöttner's team

Maria Gstöttner also played a prominent role in Europe with USV Neulengbach. She scored 26 goals in 44 matches and was the top scorer in the competition (including pre-group qualifying) in the 2003/04 season, scoring 11 goals. 
In that same 2003/04 season, USV Neulengbach, after progressing from the qualifying round, were put in the same group as Athletic Club, who had lifted their first league title in April 2003. 

The Lionesses' European bow came against USV Neulengbach at Santa Lucía, Gernika on the 21 August 2003. Maria Gsttötner, wearing the number 19 jersey, had several chances but was unable to score. The Lionesses eventually won 2-0, with goals from Irantzu, from the penalty spot, and Gurutze.

Curiously, the team that went qualified from the group to the quarter-finals was 1. FFC Frankfurt, led by our second One-Club Woman, Pia Wunderlich. 

The German team reached the final, where they lost to Sweden's Umeå IK, a team captained, coincidently, by another illustrious One-Club Woman, Malin Moström, the first winner of Athletic Club's prestigious award.

Loyalty and recognition

Nearly 6,000 people attended USV Neulengbach’s stadium for Maria Gstöttner's farewell match against local rivals SKN St. Pölten. An unforgettable day for Maria in which her community celebrated the player’s unwavering loyalty to the club of her life.

In early December, before the start of a LaLiga classic, Athletic Club vs Real Madrid, Mary Gstöttner will no doubt receive another standing ovation, in this case at San Mamés, The Cathedral of football.