JESSIE STAPLETON IS one of Irish football’s brightest young talents.
Last week, Eileen Gleeson said the 19-year-old is “potentially your core starting centre-back in Euro 2025″.
“Obviously, I was delighted with the comment,” Stapleton says ahead of Friday’s opening Euro 2025 qualifier away to France. “But then again, it’s in my hands with that.
“I still have to keep performing and working hard and obviously getting game time. It was a really nice comment. But you have to take it with a pinch of salt. You don’t know with football, and I just have to keep working hard and putting in good performances.”
Endless opportunity awaits.
The Dubliner, currently on loan at Reading from West Ham United, has impressed through her four Ireland caps to date, between defence and midfield.
She was a standout player in February’s friendly window — her first start was at six against Italy — but she’s keeping her feet firmly on the ground and taking it all in her stride.
This is nothing new for Stapleton.
She has been ear-marked as a prodigious talent from a young age. At just 13, she was called into an Ireland home-based training session by Colin Bell, and eyes and expectation have followed her from Cherry Orchard to Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and across the water.
“I just turn up to play football,” she insists. “Play as best I can, whether there’s media around it or not, I just want to play football and be the best I can.”
Stapleton has carried that through her rise. It hasn’t always been straightforward, though.
12 months ago, she was captaining the Ireland U19s rather than a regular call-up for the seniors, while she was overlooked for the extended World Cup squad.
“When Vera [Pauw] was gaffer, I was in and out of squads. I was still playing in Ireland. I played against England for the 19s and it was something I needed to experience. Captaining the 19s as fall-back from the seniors wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t held back. Ireland wanted what’s best for me.”
What was it like missing out on the World Cup, though?
“Obviously it was disappointing, but that’s football. You have your little bumps in the road. If I’m not in the squad, I’m supporting. I’m a fan. The competitiveness in the squad, there is people that miss out. Unfortunately, I was one of them at the time.”
Stapleton watched the warm-up game against France at Tallaght Stadium, but didn’t travel to Australia — reminding us that she was a Leaving Cert student that didn’t have the money to do so.
She signed her first professional contract for West Ham last July, before going in search of regular minutes at Championship strugglers Reading mid-season. She followed in the footsteps of her cousin, Darren, by joining the Royals. “He offers some advice. He’s good to have around.”
“I was 18 when signing and WSL is different gravy,” she says.
“When you’re young, especially as a centre-back, you need the experience and maturity. It was a conversation between the manager and myself. We both decided it was best to go on loan and get the experience as a stepping stone in my career.
“The results in the last few weeks haven’t gone the way we wanted. The club isn’t in the best place right now. With the uncertainty of new ownership, it doesn’t affect me as much but it might affect the players on permanent contracts. When you have to worry about the business side, it’s going to impact on your performance.
“It’s still a professional environment. Hopefully we’ll have a bit of certainty going into the last three games and play like we need the points.”
Stapleton remains under contract at West Ham and hails the club’s support as she targets a WSL return in due course.
But for now, it’s all about France on Friday. Gleeson’s side open their daunting Euro 2025 qualifying campaign in Metz before welcoming reigning champions England to the Aviva Stadium tomorrow week.
Stapleton should feature prominently. She “loved” playing the six recently, and her positioning will be up for debate over the coming days.
Whatever her role is, she will undoubtedly take it in her stride. As always.
“Obviously, the next two games are massive. But we’re Irish, we like to put up a fight and we don’t want to go down easy. We’re going to be hard to beat, we’re going to bring our game on to them as well.
“Whether I play in midfield, defence, I’m gonna leave everything on the pitch.”
