IN THE END, it was easy.
Ultimately, “there was no decision” this summer, Louise Quinn explains, the Republic of Ireland international happily still at Birmingham City.
Previously in turmoil and relegated from the Women’s Super League last season, there are big aims now; improvements and restructures in motion under the watchful eyes of Darren Carter — “a manager you want to play for” — and experienced assistant Jo Potter, who Quinn played with briefly at Notts County.
“Everything that we have, and even the way that the club look at us as a team, it is a lot more different and a massive improvement,” the Blues captain enthuses, one of five Irish players at the Championship outfit aiming to bounce straight back up, but remaining realistic.
She wasn’t tempted by an individual return to the Women’s Super League, though? “No, not for me. I just went with what felt right and how I wanted to enjoy football, how you want life as well off the pitch. Everything was right for me to be staying in Birmingham. There is a load of Irish there as well. I love Birmingham.”
A real leader for club and for country, Quinn always speaks so well. No time better than when the rock-solid centre-half is discussing her Irish identity.
Disappointed to have missed Irish music festival at the weekend, which had the likes of Finbarr Furey, Sharon Shannon and Imelda May playing at it, the 32-year-old is as close to home as she has ever been, having previously played in Sweden and Italy as well as England.
That strong Irish connection she has at Birmingham is incredibly important.
“For me personally, massively. And it is probably the same for all the Irish girls. It is about trying to find a bit of a home away from home. Obviously, in Sweden and Italy, that was a bit more difficult and struggled there a bit more – at Arsenal, it was feeling at home and the surroundings as well, but that is football, things happen and contracts end and sometimes, you have to move on.
“But for me, Birmingham has that great mix now of a 40-minute flight home, plenty of Irish around the area, and in the team as well, that balance and having that feeling of a home away from home, that comfort. It is always something I always wanted in my career, you want to share everything with your closest people as much as you can. And we don’t get the money that the men get, where they can pick up and go and bring their family. So, you actually have to do your dream job away from your most loved ones, close family and close friends and then link in with them when you can.
“We do well at sticking together and helping each other out when needs be. It’s a very different city but I absolutely love it. They’re mad.
“I know where the Irish centre is. My partner’s parents are Irish, her name is more Irish than me. All of her mates, their Irish parents are off to the west next week and I’m saying ‘You’re in Ireland more than me and you live here’. I can’t keep up but there’s a lovely comfort to that. You’d hear some of the language too, an English accent with Irish words. It’s lovely.”
A home away from home.
Quinn was a regular fixture on our TV screens through Uefa Euro 2022, appearing on RTÉ as a pundit.
She thoroughly enjoyed everything about the tournament, and that shines through with each and every word she utters. She also noticed a massive shift across the water.
“It was just really special,” she smiles. “One of my friends has an Irish pub in Birmingham, and he’d just show the game, and just the comments, it was ‘Beth Mead, she’s…’ it was completely normal. Obviously it is normal, just latching onto these players names, learning it, knowing these stats and facts, ‘Ah yeah, did you see that little turn she did’ and it was just normalised, the whole game of football.
“I think England, yeah sometimes as it’s hard to say, they deserved to win it for football in England, especially being in England, playing football there, but also they just deserved to win it really. It was theirs to have, and the way they handled it, it was excellent, and for us, you could see that the buzz back here.”
It certainly whet the appetite for Quinn and co. to reach a first-ever major tournament, adding fire to the belly ahead of a decisive World Cup qualifying double-header against Finland and Slovakia.
“It’s trying to go and ride the wave of what women’s football is now. And take advantage of it, not let it slow down. Just keep growing it and growing it. It’s massively important, we’ve seen now and teams have set the standard, we’ve set our own standards in Ireland, we’ve set our own standards in Europe.
“You’ve got to go with it and enjoy it. We’ve got an opportunity now to make sure the game keeps growing and growing and that’s what we want to do. We don’t want it to stop really.”
The full focus is on Finland at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night, where a win would secure a coveted play-off spot. Ireland’s first since Euro 2009, when they fell short to Iceland.
A fresh-faced teenager back then, Quinn knows all to well about what lies ahead, a sensible head on her shoulders as she warns not to take Finland for granted after their poor Euros showing.
She’s well aware of the noise and hype which will heighten this week, with a full house due at Tallaght and the qualification dream hitting new heights.
“Yeah, there’s expectations but we all have certain expectations on ourselves,” the Wicklow native concludes. “It’s the main goal but can’t let it be the be all and end all.
“We understand we’ve to get three points to keep progressing and go the direction we want. We have to simplify it and make it as realistic as possible. We’re going in to win but up against a really good team. We’ve had these expectations on ourselves from three years ago and coming into this campaign. Just break it down to simplify it. We want to win the game and that’s it. That’s the expectation of us every time but we’re not going to put this pressure from everyone else on us.
“We’re going through the group as we want to and it feels good. For us, it’s still a normal game. It has to be. It’s a World Cup qualifier and important to us.”
