VERA PAUW’S REIGN as Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team manager has come to an end.
The FAI decided against a new contract for the history-making Dutch coach after a marathon board meeting last night.
FAI Head of Women’s Football Eileen Gleeson will oversee the historic Nations League opener against Northern Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on 23 September, along with a trip to Budapest to face Hungary the following week.
The next appointment is crucial, as Ireland move from their first-ever World Cup into a new campaign
“We are at such an important point in our development,” former international Karen Duggan told RTÉ this morning. “Getting to the World Cup should be a catalyst for a huge uprise in the amount of players playing in this country.
“We need to make sure we have the right structures in place, and the right manager in place to nurture the talent that is already coming through.
“We have a lot of girls who are ageing. Whoever the new manager coming in, it is going to be a project. It can’t just be for one campaign, it has to be a vision for the team and someone who cares the direction football in the country is going.
“The FAI took a long time to make their decision last night, hopefully it won’t take as long to bring in a candidate, but it is important we get the right one.”
Here’s a look at some possible contenders:
Eileen Gleeson
Gleeson was previously Pauw’s assistant, but departed to take charge of Glasgow City. She’s currently the FAI’s Head of Women’s Football. The Dubliner has held her Pro Licence since 2015 and has had several other high-profile roles here including manager of UCD Waves and Peamount United. While The 42 understands she may not be a runner for the permanent job, Gleeson will make her impact felt long after her interim spell ends.
Tom Elmes
Pauw’s assistant coach since November 2021, Elmes is also Ireland women’s U16 head coach. He previously steered Wexford Youths to Women’s National League and FAI Women’s Cup success, and completed his Uefa Pro Licence last year. Elmes is a highly-regarded coach on these shores and appears to be popular among the players, but may need to cut his teeth further before taking on the permanent managerial role. The Birmingham native made history by scoring Wexford Youths’ first competitive goal as a League of Ireland club in 2007.
Matt Beard
The Liverpool manager has enjoyed a hugely successful career in the women’s game thus far, delivering Championship glory and promotion to the WSL in 2021/22. The Englishman previously worked at West Ham and Chelsea, and has crossed paths with several Irish players across the water including Niamh Fahey, Leanne Kiernan and Megan Campbell.
Maren Meinert
The German coach was in line for the Ireland job before Pauw took over. The 2003 World Cup winner has a glittering CV from her time involved with German underage football: She twice steered her native country to U20 Women’s World Cup glory, and claimed the Uefa U19 championship on three occasions.
Alan Mahon
The Dubliner has been on the Manchester City Women’s staff for almost a decade, garnering huge experience through different roles at underage and senior level. He was City’s interim manager in 2020, and played at Premier League, Champions League and international level in his younger years.
Jayne Ludlow
Ludlow currently works closely with Mahon, as technical director of City’s Girls’ Academy. She managed Wales from 2014 to 2021, having captained her country as a player as well as Arsenal. Ludlow was at the Reading helm before taking charge of Wales.
Colin Bell
This would be a sensational return, Bell having departed the role for Huddersfield Town in June 2019. He’s currently South Korea women’s team manager, at the helm for the recent World Cup where, like Ireland, they bowed out after the group stages. He won the Women’s Champions League with FFC Frankfurt in 2015.
Laura Harvey
The Englishwoman manages OL Reign in the NWSL, having previously overseen the USA U20, Utah Royals, Arsenal and Birmingham City. Harvey was previously assistant coach of the US WNT as well as England’s U17, U19 and U23 sides. She retired from playing at 22 after an ACL injury.
Lars Søndergaard
Denmark’s manager at the World Cup, Søndergaard announced he was stepping down after their involvement ended. The Danes bowed out in the round of 16 after a 2-0 defeat to Australia. He previously coached at AaB, Austria Salzburg, SønderjyskE and Red Bull Salzburg, among others.
Casey Stoney
The Englishwoman did a superb job at Manchester United, and is now coaching San Diego Wave in the NWSL. Kyra Carusa recently earned a move to the California club. Would be an incredible coup.
Others
Chelsea’s all-conquering head coach Emma Hayes is another long shot on top of the likes of Stoney and Harvey, while several past FAI targets are in contract elsewhere.
Marieanne Spacey-Cale recently took over as Southampton manager, with former England and Brighton & Hove Albion boss Hope Powell now Women’s Technical Director at Birmingham City.
Shelley Kerr could be an option, having had stints in charge of Scotland and Arsenal. She is currently employed by the FA.
Lisa Fallon is another who could enter the mix, but she is currently on the books of Fifa. Dave Connell or a League of Ireland manager like James O’Callaghan are other outside options.
Plenty more names will be floated in the coming weeks, as a key appointment awaits.
