WNL Focus: The future can be green

What a weekend for Irish women’s football on the international stage. First, the under-19s beat Kazakhstan 7-0 and then the senior side beat Slovakia 2-0. Both results are a signal that Ireland are getting closer to the top table of international women’s football.

The road to the 2015 World Cup in Canada is not straightforward. Ireland’s group - containing Germany, Russia, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia - is one of the tougher ones in the UEFA qualification area.  With only the top team qualifying automatically, Ireland are likely to be fighting it out for a place in the playoffs at best (Germany, ranked second in the world, being the favourites for automatic qualification).

But a strong showing in these qualifiers, even if it doesn’t end in qualification, would be of massive benefit to Irish women’s football. When the underage teams have qualified for tournaments in the past, they have got substantial public attention. The senior team should be able to make good on that and put women’s football on the map.

Even more so than in men’s football, qualification could have a trickle-down effect. If Ireland were to qualify, it is reasonable to assume that at least five players would be playing in the WNL and several more would have played in the WNL in the recent past. Hopefully, the public could see the quality of player that is increasingly making the WNL her home - and the WNL could then benefit from better attendances.

However, the most encouraging thing from this international break will not be the senior team’s result. It is the under 19s convincing 7-0 win over Kazakhstan. Even though the Kazakhs are not in the top tier of international teams, this win should encourage all fans of Irish football.

Much of the debate surrounding the appointment of a new manager for the senior men’s team has surrounded the need to make wholesale changes to Irish football. We need better coaches, they say. We have to get kids playing football on the ground, Irish fans harp on. These things are happening already in women’s football.

The ability of the under-19s to score seven goals has to be put into context. This side consistently racks up big scores, as do many Irish underage women’s teams. How many times have you seen an Irish underage men’s team win 7-0?

Some of the most progressive coaches in the country work in women’s football, and the WNL has been a good arena for giving young talent a chance. Denise O’Sullivan and Louise Quinn are just two players who have moved abroad since excelling in the WNL - and both are more than capable of holding their own at the very highest level.

If it continues along the path of putting youth first and letting our domestic league be the premier venue for those youth, women’s football would soon be leading the way for all football in Ireland after many years in the cold.

Player of the Week: Clare Shine

In a week where there were a few contenders, Clare Shine’s terrific performance against the Kazakhs in Dalymount just wins out. Raheny fans will have been delighted that she paired up so well with Katie McCabe - scorer of two goals herself. Expect Shine to score a few more against the Greeks and Danes before the week ends.