Ireland WNT set to make Aviva Stadium debut against Northern Ireland in September
- Andrew Dempsey
- Mon, May 22 2023
Vera Pauw’s Ireland are set to make their debut at the Aviva Stadium in September when they play Northern Ireland in the Uefa Nations League.
The clash has been pencilled in for Saturday September 23rd at the Lansdowne Road venue following talks between Uefa, the FAI and the IFA after the fixture was originally down for Friday 22nd September.
The game will take place at 1pm that day.
After being drawn into Group B1 in League B with Northern Ireland, Hungary and Albania, the Girls in Green were originally set to start the new competition on September 22nd.
“We are extremely proud to be able to announce the first-ever Ireland Women’s National Team game at the Aviva Stadium,” FAI chief Jonathan Hill said.
“Football for women and girls has clearly moved a significant way forward in the last three years, much of it driven by the inspirational performance by Vera Pauw and the team.
“But it is also on the back of our equal pay agreement in 2021 and the hard work of thousands of coaches and volunteers across the length and breadth of the country who are inspiring women’s football to new highs.
“We are all very excited that another glass ceiling has been removed.”
Ireland manager Pauw added: “It is fantastic to know that our players will get to play in such an iconic stadium.
“Playing in the national stadium is another big jump forward for our team and we encourage our supporters to come out to get behind the team.
“We have had outstanding support in recent years in Tallaght Stadium - who we remain extremely grateful to - but we always said that if the right opportunity to play in the Aviva Stadium came along then we would look at it.
“This is the right opportunity and we want to have a record attendance to cheer the team on in their first game after the World Cup.”
Moving the fixture from the original Friday date to Saturday and from Tallaght Stadium to the Aviva, avoids a clash with a full round of men's Premier Division and First Division fixtures.
It also avoids any potential Shamrock Rovers European group stage game should they qualify for Europa League or Conference League group stages (match day 1 is Thursday 21 September).
