THE NEWS THAT Athlone Town would meet North Macedonian champions ŽFK Skopje 2014 in the first qualifying round of the 2026/27 UEFA Women’s Champions League was not even an hour old when Lily Agg came in on crutches to greet media and club officials on what is officially the first day of her tenure as manager of the reigning league champions.
Capped 22 times for Ireland and recalled to the international squad by Carla Ward before she ruptured her Achilles earlier this year, Agg opened the door to the possibility of new recruits to the Athlone Town side in advance of that fixture, scheduled for 22 July.
“The draw today is really exciting, so it would be quite naive to sit here and say, you know, everything’s great and we’re good to go,” she said.
“The girls are doing a fantastic job already, they’re in a great position in the league, and some of the football’s been played that’s been brilliant, I’ve been really impressed.
“From coming over to watch my first game in the stands (versus Galway United last month), of course there’s things that can, in my opinion, be improved on. And in terms of squad depth and things like that, that’s something that we’re actively looking into already.
“The phone’s been going non-stop and we’re seeing how we can strengthen, I think that’s normal in any team, especially with Champions League coming up.”
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Agg’s appointment was particularly eye-catching for a club that saw club stalwart Colin Fortune depart the women’s managerial role less than a year ago, while his replacement, John O’Sullivan, left after just one game of the 2026 league season.
“In football you hear stories and rumours, but I will always go off how I feel, and how I felt welcome, and the environment here. I couldn’t fault the process, getting me over here, the ambitions of the club, the support.
“The initial conversations took me from a point of being at my lowest point that I’ve probably ever been at, to then thinking ‘oh, that really excites me’.”
New Athlone Town head coach Lily Agg. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The 32-year-old, who last played club football with Birmingham City, didn’t rule out a return to playing, saying that she plans to continue her rehab alongside her work with Athlone Town – but that this was a direction that she always felt her career would follow.
“I’d just been called up by Carla to go back with the team after a horrid 15 months of rehab, which was a really lonely time, I had to do a majority of that alone.
“So from being in that position, I was at a really low point, but I truly believe that things happen for a reason.
“I’m completely focused now on this role I’m in, this is something that I’ve wanted to do for an awful long time, once I retire from playing football,” she continued.
“I’m out for a year, so do I just sit at home, rehab, or do I throw myself into something that I’m obviously very passionate about and feel that I can add a lot of value to?
“So for me, I’m focused on that. The rehab will coincide with that, and it’s one day at a time in this sort of situation, I’m not even walking yet. So to think about (going back playing) is still quite far away, but I’m not ruling anything out.”
It’s a baptism of fire for the new manager and her charges, with Shamrock Rovers set to visit Athlone this Saturday evening (6pm KO), hoping to leapfrog Athlone and move into second place.
“The difficulty when you’re coming into a team mid-season is I don’t have the luxury of a pre-season to really implement a playing style. It’s about understanding how much can you change because the club’s not in a bad place where it’s at, the girls are doing a fantastic job,” she replied.
“People will have seen me as a player, my style and what I’m passionate about and the way I want my team to play is exactly the same.
“Hopefully that and the non-negotiables of your hard work, your passion and what you leave out there is something that I believe will be instilled straight away, and I’m sure the girls will show that on Saturday.”
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'The phone's been going non-stop': New Athlone boss Agg balancing recruitment and rehab
THE NEWS THAT Athlone Town would meet North Macedonian champions ŽFK Skopje 2014 in the first qualifying round of the 2026/27 UEFA Women’s Champions League was not even an hour old when Lily Agg came in on crutches to greet media and club officials on what is officially the first day of her tenure as manager of the reigning league champions.
Capped 22 times for Ireland and recalled to the international squad by Carla Ward before she ruptured her Achilles earlier this year, Agg opened the door to the possibility of new recruits to the Athlone Town side in advance of that fixture, scheduled for 22 July.
“The draw today is really exciting, so it would be quite naive to sit here and say, you know, everything’s great and we’re good to go,” she said.
“The girls are doing a fantastic job already, they’re in a great position in the league, and some of the football’s been played that’s been brilliant, I’ve been really impressed.
“From coming over to watch my first game in the stands (versus Galway United last month), of course there’s things that can, in my opinion, be improved on. And in terms of squad depth and things like that, that’s something that we’re actively looking into already.
Agg’s appointment was particularly eye-catching for a club that saw club stalwart Colin Fortune depart the women’s managerial role less than a year ago, while his replacement, John O’Sullivan, left after just one game of the 2026 league season.
“In football you hear stories and rumours, but I will always go off how I feel, and how I felt welcome, and the environment here. I couldn’t fault the process, getting me over here, the ambitions of the club, the support.
“The initial conversations took me from a point of being at my lowest point that I’ve probably ever been at, to then thinking ‘oh, that really excites me’.”
The 32-year-old, who last played club football with Birmingham City, didn’t rule out a return to playing, saying that she plans to continue her rehab alongside her work with Athlone Town – but that this was a direction that she always felt her career would follow.
“I’d just been called up by Carla to go back with the team after a horrid 15 months of rehab, which was a really lonely time, I had to do a majority of that alone.
“I’m completely focused now on this role I’m in, this is something that I’ve wanted to do for an awful long time, once I retire from playing football,” she continued.
“I’m out for a year, so do I just sit at home, rehab, or do I throw myself into something that I’m obviously very passionate about and feel that I can add a lot of value to?
“So for me, I’m focused on that. The rehab will coincide with that, and it’s one day at a time in this sort of situation, I’m not even walking yet. So to think about (going back playing) is still quite far away, but I’m not ruling anything out.”
It’s a baptism of fire for the new manager and her charges, with Shamrock Rovers set to visit Athlone this Saturday evening (6pm KO), hoping to leapfrog Athlone and move into second place.
“The difficulty when you’re coming into a team mid-season is I don’t have the luxury of a pre-season to really implement a playing style. It’s about understanding how much can you change because the club’s not in a bad place where it’s at, the girls are doing a fantastic job,” she replied.
“People will have seen me as a player, my style and what I’m passionate about and the way I want my team to play is exactly the same.
“Hopefully that and the non-negotiables of your hard work, your passion and what you leave out there is something that I believe will be instilled straight away, and I’m sure the girls will show that on Saturday.”
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Athlone Town meet the manager Soccer