Ireland women's national team coach Colin Bell signs new contract to 2021

Republic of Ireland women's national team coach Colin Bell has signed a contract extension that will see him remain in the job until at least the summer of 2021.

 

Bell, who was initially hired through to the end of the 2019 World Cup cycle, will now take charge of the Girls in Green until the end of their involvement in the 2021 European Championships.

 

Ireland currently sit second in their World Cup qualifying group with seven points, unbeaten and only behind leaders – and European champions – the Netherlands on goal difference.

 

Bell, who also oversees the under-17s and Colleges and Universities sides, has put a long-term vision in place to advance elite women's soccer in Ireland from the bottom up.

 

"It is a source of immense pride for me and my family to be the Head Coach of the national team, and I'm incredibly proud of the progress the team has made over the last 11 months,” Bell told the FAI website.

 



"The players are fantastic to work with as they continually put in maximum effort to ensure their own personal progression and the progress of the national team.

 

“We've achieved some fantastic results so far, none more so than the draw against the European Champions, the Netherlands, in November.

 

"That result proves that this team can achieve at the highest level of international football and hopefully our progress over the next few years will lead to our first-ever appearance at a major tournament.

 



"Furthermore, in my role as Head Coach of the Women's Under-17s side, I've been incredibly impressed and excited by the amount of talent in Ireland.

 

“We've recently seen the likes of Tyler Toland, Amy Boyle-Carr, Zara Foley and Eabha O'Mahony receive call-ups to the senior squad and that shows my commitment to progressing the talent we have in this country.

 

"I'm extremely excited about the future for the Women's National Team and I'd like to thank all of the players, staff and the FAI for their support during my time in Ireland so far.”