Over the last decade, women’s football has enjoyed a deservedly rapid rise in the public eye with leagues around the world receiving greater investment and support in a bid to improve the overall state of the women’s game.
Tournaments such as the European Championships, World Cup, and the SheBelieves Cup have received greater recognition and the increase in exposure has translated into greater quality seen on the pitch.
Women’s football in Ireland has been no exception to this. 2023 marked a significant moment in Irish women’s football history when the national team qualified for their first ever major tournament. Participating in the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was rewarded for years spent trying to put the building blocks for women’s football in Ireland in place.
Groundbreaking Equal Pay Announcement
Although the deal was only announced in 2021, discussions had been going on for years to bring equality in the pay received by male and female Irish football players. Key to this landmark achievement getting over the line were Irish women’s captain Katie McCabe, men’s captain Seamus Coleman and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) CEO Jonathan Hill. However, former women’s captain, Emma Byrne, played a crucial role in initiating the movement, which has given equal recognition to Irish football across the board.
Improvement on the Pitch
As a result of the work performed in the background, there has been a fresh impetus given to women’s football in Ireland, starting at grassroots level with girl’s football and the Women’s Premier Division. Although women’s football in Ireland as a whole still trails nations such as England, USA, Spain, and Germany, progression has been seen on the pitch with qualification for the 2023 World Cup the ultimate feather in the cap to date.
Consistency is the mark of any good team, which is what Ireland Women are striving for. There were narrow misses in qualification for Euro 2021 and this summer’s Euros with Vera Pauw’s side finishing third by two points from Ukraine in Group I, missing out on a Play-Off spot. And last December, under the direction of Eileen Gleeson, Ireland were narrowly beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Wales in the second round Play-Offs. Now under the guidance of Carla Ward after Gleeson was not offered an extension following the bitter defeat to Wales, the aim is surely to qualify for these major tournaments on a more consistent basis.
Mission: World Cup 2027
Forward and Ireland Women, their sights are firmly set on qualifying for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. While the Euros continue to elude them, Ireland will look to build on the points they gained from their debut campaign in 2023 following a 0-0 draw with Nigeria. Katie McCabe showed the world what Ireland can do by putting her team into the lead against Canada in the second group stage match, but the Irish could not hold on and eventually lost 1-2.
With the overall standard and recognition of women’s football improving all over the world, a more competitive future for the sport is inevitable and a daily sports predictions site such as MegaTipsList might have to rethink their odds on certain nations. Ireland will hope that they can be one of those nations emerging into the spotlight and mixing it with the more consistent nations on the European and world stages.
Many will see the qualification process for the next World Cup as key to achieving these objectives. Playing on the biggest stage will also provide much-needed big-game experience in front of sold-out stadiums that will also further the Irish game. Whether the Irish can be a footballing force in the future, it is probably too early to tell. However, with a solid foundation to build on, the potential is certainly there.