VERA PAUW spoke in detail at her press conference on Friday about some of the challenges facing Irish women’s football in the coming years.
The women’s game was a key part of the recent strategic document presented by the Football Association of Ireland.
The targets up to 2025 included that Pauw’s women’s team qualify for either the 2023 World Cup or 2025 Euros, the implementation of a second-tier Women’s National League and a sold-out Tallaght Stadium for the FAI Cup final.
75% attendance at women’s senior matches and a peak TV audience of 750,000 or more also are among the goals, as is a consistent top-30 place in the Fifa world rankings.
The FAI have also set an ambitious target of 300,000 registered players by the end of 2025, which would mean an increase of 50,000 female players.
Pauw says she was pleased with the prominent place of women’s football in the document.
“The structure of women’s football is complicated. We are added to a history of over 100 years of male football. That means we need to find our way in the best structure for women from six years old to the national team.
“The focus on the WNL and creating the second league is fantastic. Now every single girl has something to aspire to. The fact that it is such a dominant place in the strategic plan gives us the boost to take the next step in all areas.”
One of the main areas of concern is the Women’s National League. Players still do not get paid and resources are limited, meaning the top Irish footballers will inevitably move abroad if the opportunity arises to further their career and play at a professional level.
“Recently we have lost out of the WNL nine or 10 players who would be in the squad. We are really trying to do everything to build the game. The fact because of Brexit Irish players can be taken so easily is fantastic for the development of the individual players but at this moment I’m a bit worried about the development of the WNL and so we need to discuss that with the coaches and clubs next time we are together. We need to focus outside the national team on developing the team and the effect of Brexit doesn’t hurt so much our development domestically.
“Aine O’Gorman had an interview just before Christmas and she painted a very clear, good picture, the only way that you can take steps up, in not losing players, is by paying players. Abroad they can play full-time and here they need to work. That’s a simple fact, that we are losing so many players at this moment, because of Brexit.
“We are discussing it a lot with the managers, this Wednesday we used a whole day to discuss especially this issue, of how to bring in players, what are the steps, who are the key players, to try to fill that gap these players leave when they leave. We need to stick together and keep going the way we are going, seeing it as a compliment that they are leaving but also being ready for the fact that they leave those gaps in the clubs. Look at [new Ireland call-up] Abbie Larkin, she has benefited from the fact that Saoirse Noonan has gone [to Durham].”
Pauw wants to ensure the right pathways are in place to fit the needs of different individuals, whether it is someone with aspirations to play professionally or simply recreationally.
“The biggest aim for us is that when a girl starts football at six years old, she gets to a place that suits her age, her level, and ambition. At six years old, that is for all the girls the same. When she grows older, she goes into different streams. You have players that want to be able to develop their talents and players who just want to play with friends at a level that for them is okay.
“At 10-12, when it starts to divide, our task is to find a structure that suits each player’s place.
“The most talented players will keep playing with boys, it’s the best place for her to develop, that she can stay there. We need to do something with regulations on this.
“The players at 12-14 in the girls-only league, we need to make sure that league is set up, we have different streams and we adapt to the ambitions of age and level of player.
“The way to test is that we ask ourselves: does she play the game? Is there a 50-50 chance that they can win or lose? If that’s not the case, it’s our responsibility as an association to open up opportunities so that she gets that 50:50 [scenario].
“The second question: Is she still learning? In 15-0, no one is learning.
“If she plays with boys and cannot handle the pressure, then she’s not learning either. But if she plays in a girls team where she’s the very best and there’s no one around her, then she will not learn either.
“Then the third question: Is she enjoying the level where she’s playing? If she doesn’t feel comfortable, you try to find another place. Boys usually have the choice to find it themselves. With the girls, we need to take care of that.
“We have to create a structure where every player finds her level and is learning and enjoying the game at that level.
“The greatest concern is that we find blocks, because of the current structure we cannot create a pathway for every player.”
One of the biggest issues currently, not just in Ireland, but across Europe, is the growing disparity between the top teams and the rest.
The Women’s National League was very competitive last season at the top, with Shelbourne pipping Peamount to the title by one point, while FAI Cup winners Wexford Youths finished six points adrift of the champions.
Earning a spot in the Champions League group stages would be a major financial boost for an Irish side, though Pauw is concerned with the consequences for other teams in the league and feels its competitiveness could be impacted.
“There is a lot of money available and goes to the clubs in the Champions League. But they need to take care of second-tier [clubs]. It’s so important for the growth of the game. We hope a (WNL) team will enter the group phase, but at the same time, I’m frightened because that team will receive €400,000, and it will grow. Imagine what happens here in the league if one team has a bank account with €400,000… We will have no league anymore.
“I’ve discussed this with Uefa. I heard [Uefa president Aleksander] Ceferin making a comment, so proud that it did come to the next level. He said in women’s football, we need to take care of second-tier clubs, but now it’s about action, to make sure places like Ireland have the chance to grow and to fill the gap at the top, instead of the top getting more and more money
“I always say we want equal opportunities [in structures] as men’s football – we don’t want to be equal.
“What we do now is that we grow and grow to the situation that people want to say women’s football equals men’s football in structures. But we have fewer players, [without] a history, another cultural background, so we need to be aware of what is best for the women’s game. It doesn’t mean to be the same as the men.”
