LAST WEEK BROUGHT the arrival of the FAI’s long-awaited, highly-anticipated Women and Girls’ action plan.
Some 10 months into her role as head of women and girls’ football, Hannah Dingley unveiled her workings at the Mansion House.
A week on, the feeling is the 2025-2027 action plan underwhelms and lacks detail and clarity. It is rich with buzz words, but scant on details.
‘Empower’, ‘inspire’ and ‘impact’ are used repeatedly, though there aren’t so many measurable aims and actions. Where is the real substance and structure in the glossy 19-page presentation?
I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, either as a journalist or as one of more than 45,000women and girls registered as playing regular competitive football in Ireland. But it wasn’t this. The major issues in Irish women’s football aren’t exactly addressed.
To have a vision solely dedicated to women and girls’ football is positive, but again, we are left with more questions than answers.
Six goals are listed under three key pillars — participation, pathways and performance — though they are vague, to say the least. They are more so aspirations, lacking detail or clarity in how they will be achieved.
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In contrast, across the water, priorities in the FA 2024-2028 strategy for women and girls’ football are clear and concise: win a major tournament, and 90% of schools to deliver equal access for girls to play football, among them. Similar FAI goals are to review the women’s international pathway and provide recreational football for teenage girls in schools and clubs.
Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
There are no striking specifics or top lines. No numbers or public metrics for the FAI to hold themselves accountable, like the FA’s percentages, amidst a step-by-step plan. No mention of costs or budget, or tangible outcomes.
Nothing majorly new or different from the Football Pathways Plan, launched last March, or the 2022-2025 FAI Strategy.
“The key thing around this plan is how we are going to resource it,” said Dingley.
“It’s brought up we don’t have any money so we have to think about how we are going to impact widely. Sending a development officer to deliver something is not going to impact widely, but empowering women within our community to deliver stuff is gong to have more impact on the game.”
This appears to put much of the onus on clubs and volunteers rather than the FAI, who seem happy to rely on ‘a ripple effect’ for growth.
Surely more than positive experiences and encouragement from others is needed. Without funding details — “ploughing limited resources into things that are going to make the most bang for your euro” was the height of what Dingley revealed publicly — words ring hollow.
Much of the action plan is focused on recreational football, and it hinges on familiar stats rehashed from Sport Ireland reports, like only 11% of teenage girls in Ireland meet the recommended daily physical activity levels.
Yes, participation and retention rates are important, as is stopping the drop, but there are other pressing matters unique to Irish women’s football that need addressing.
The 42 underlined some of those in the wake of Ireland’s shocking 4-0 defeat to Slovenia. That alarming result, and failure to qualify for Euro 2025, have highlighted some deeper problems threatening future success.
An ageing senior squad; other nations catching up and Ireland struggling to progress; financial constraints; the widening gap from U19 to senior international level; and the perceived ‘disconnect’ with the Women’s Premier Division, to name but a few.
Away from the international stage and senior spotlight, there are many grassroots issues and grievances.
Elite young female players are without a clear pathway in their early teenage years, following the disbandment of the Emerging Talent Programme. Previously, there was opportunity for top-level training and coaching at regional development centres, but they have since been removed. There is now a notable gap before the best youngsters can join a Women’s League of Ireland Academy at U17 level.
The collapse of the Dublin Metropolitan Girls’ League (MGL) over the last two years has had major repercussions: more than 400 girls across 27 underage teams in north Dublin and east Meath have been locked out of league football for the 2024/25 season.
This is staggering, yet not even mentioned in a footnote in an action plan which has participation of teenage girls among its key pillars.
Ireland before their World Cup debut in 2023. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Almost two years on from Ireland’s historic World Cup appearance, where is the notable upturn? Concern is growing about the direction of the game, the risk of major tournament qualification being a one-off becoming more and more real.
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Without transparency and accountability from the FAI, these fears will only heighten.
In two years’ time, how can we gauge the progress of this action plan without metrics?
“We have set internal KPIs,” said Dingley. “It’s not that I’m shy of sharing them, it’s just that they become the focus.
“The focus becomes, have you delivered 50 programmes? I could have delivered 50 rubbish programmes. Does it matter? Actually, is there the impact? Have the women who will be taking part in those programmes felt supported, felt they have improved, felt it’s helped them get into senior positions? That’s the measure.”
There was no doubting Dingley’s passion or how much this resonates, but this attempt to explain away a lack of transparency encapsulated the action plan.
Dingley has a difficult job, and the FAI have their own challenges, but surely they should be striving for more to really ‘inspire’ and ‘impact’.
A clear focus is needed, along with accountability and higher ambition. The 45,000 women and girls registered as playing regular competitive football in Ireland deserve better.
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FAI women and girls' football action plan underwhelms as concern grows
LAST WEEK BROUGHT the arrival of the FAI’s long-awaited, highly-anticipated Women and Girls’ action plan.
Some 10 months into her role as head of women and girls’ football, Hannah Dingley unveiled her workings at the Mansion House.
A week on, the feeling is the 2025-2027 action plan underwhelms and lacks detail and clarity. It is rich with buzz words, but scant on details.
‘Empower’, ‘inspire’ and ‘impact’ are used repeatedly, though there aren’t so many measurable aims and actions. Where is the real substance and structure in the glossy 19-page presentation?
I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, either as a journalist or as one of more than 45,000 women and girls registered as playing regular competitive football in Ireland. But it wasn’t this. The major issues in Irish women’s football aren’t exactly addressed.
To have a vision solely dedicated to women and girls’ football is positive, but again, we are left with more questions than answers.
Six goals are listed under three key pillars — participation, pathways and performance — though they are vague, to say the least. They are more so aspirations, lacking detail or clarity in how they will be achieved.
In contrast, across the water, priorities in the FA 2024-2028 strategy for women and girls’ football are clear and concise: win a major tournament, and 90% of schools to deliver equal access for girls to play football, among them. Similar FAI goals are to review the women’s international pathway and provide recreational football for teenage girls in schools and clubs.
There are no striking specifics or top lines. No numbers or public metrics for the FAI to hold themselves accountable, like the FA’s percentages, amidst a step-by-step plan. No mention of costs or budget, or tangible outcomes.
Nothing majorly new or different from the Football Pathways Plan, launched last March, or the 2022-2025 FAI Strategy.
“The key thing around this plan is how we are going to resource it,” said Dingley.
“It’s brought up we don’t have any money so we have to think about how we are going to impact widely. Sending a development officer to deliver something is not going to impact widely, but empowering women within our community to deliver stuff is gong to have more impact on the game.”
This appears to put much of the onus on clubs and volunteers rather than the FAI, who seem happy to rely on ‘a ripple effect’ for growth.
Surely more than positive experiences and encouragement from others is needed. Without funding details — “ploughing limited resources into things that are going to make the most bang for your euro” was the height of what Dingley revealed publicly — words ring hollow.
Much of the action plan is focused on recreational football, and it hinges on familiar stats rehashed from Sport Ireland reports, like only 11% of teenage girls in Ireland meet the recommended daily physical activity levels.
Yes, participation and retention rates are important, as is stopping the drop, but there are other pressing matters unique to Irish women’s football that need addressing.
The 42 underlined some of those in the wake of Ireland’s shocking 4-0 defeat to Slovenia. That alarming result, and failure to qualify for Euro 2025, have highlighted some deeper problems threatening future success.
An ageing senior squad; other nations catching up and Ireland struggling to progress; financial constraints; the widening gap from U19 to senior international level; and the perceived ‘disconnect’ with the Women’s Premier Division, to name but a few.
Away from the international stage and senior spotlight, there are many grassroots issues and grievances.
Elite young female players are without a clear pathway in their early teenage years, following the disbandment of the Emerging Talent Programme. Previously, there was opportunity for top-level training and coaching at regional development centres, but they have since been removed. There is now a notable gap before the best youngsters can join a Women’s League of Ireland Academy at U17 level.
The collapse of the Dublin Metropolitan Girls’ League (MGL) over the last two years has had major repercussions: more than 400 girls across 27 underage teams in north Dublin and east Meath have been locked out of league football for the 2024/25 season.
This is staggering, yet not even mentioned in a footnote in an action plan which has participation of teenage girls among its key pillars.
Almost two years on from Ireland’s historic World Cup appearance, where is the notable upturn? Concern is growing about the direction of the game, the risk of major tournament qualification being a one-off becoming more and more real.
Without transparency and accountability from the FAI, these fears will only heighten.
In two years’ time, how can we gauge the progress of this action plan without metrics?
“We have set internal KPIs,” said Dingley. “It’s not that I’m shy of sharing them, it’s just that they become the focus.
“The focus becomes, have you delivered 50 programmes? I could have delivered 50 rubbish programmes. Does it matter? Actually, is there the impact? Have the women who will be taking part in those programmes felt supported, felt they have improved, felt it’s helped them get into senior positions? That’s the measure.”
There was no doubting Dingley’s passion or how much this resonates, but this attempt to explain away a lack of transparency encapsulated the action plan.
Dingley has a difficult job, and the FAI have their own challenges, but surely they should be striving for more to really ‘inspire’ and ‘impact’.
A clear focus is needed, along with accountability and higher ambition. The 45,000 women and girls registered as playing regular competitive football in Ireland deserve better.
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