Northern Ireland, by virtue of their status as the lowest-ranked team at this European Championship by some margin, will not have been booking their hotels for the knockout stages ahead of time.
Kenny Shiels’ side head home after Friday night’s game against England, but captain Marissa Callaghan believes they can be proud of their efforts in Group A.
“We have 13 players from the Irish league who are amateurs,” she said. “We get up in the morning we go to work, we train in the evening, it’s night and day [between us and England].”
This is a squad that only started training full-time together in January and the reception they have received, Callaghan says, “has brought tears to many of the players’ eyes”.
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The real test of the impact they have made will come further down the line. There are now 46 women’s clubs in Northern Ireland – a significant improvement on a decade ago – with an estimated 1,200 adult players (those over the age of 14) and a six-tier system operating between April and September of every year.
Both Stormont and the Irish FA (the governing body of football in Northern Ireland) have faced criticism in the past for under-funding the women’s game, but earlier this year Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey confirmed a £100,000 cash injection to “help promote female sport through football”.
Ahead of the England game, Shiels was asked if he hoped the IFA and Stormont would continue to invest and support women’s football.
“Unlike my father [who was a local councillor] I’m not into politics so I can’t answer that,” he replied. “I’m sure everyone will help us because we’ve done so well to arrive here, the experience the girls have is my priority.”
The next step, now that Northern Ireland’s Euros are over, is turning the Women’s Premiership – its top flight of women’s football – professional, a move which will take place in 2023. Some clubs, including reigning champions Glentoran, had hoped to go pro earlier, with Jessica Foy becoming their first player to sign a full-time deal.
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Yet it is still unclear exactly how that transition will take place, as the Women’s Premiership is run by the Northern Ireland Football League, not the Irish FA. The two organisations have butted heads in the past over funding, promotion and facilities for female players, but it is hoped that the profile of the current senior women’s national team will provide the impetus.
A handful of those who play in the top two flights of English football are professional, while goalkeeper Jackie Burns also turned pro upon signing for BF Hacken.
Sinn Fein MLA Sinead Ennis has been leading calls for equal pay across a number of sports, including football, with Northern Ireland Women only adopting full-time training earlier this year.
That is why Shiels has been hesitant about throwing some of his junior players in at the deep end, despite wanting the whole of his squad to experience playing in front of capacity crowds like the one at St Mary’s.
“We are here for the experience to get better,” he added. “It could have an adverse effect on their career, so we have to be very, very careful.
“Senior players are here to get better and consolidate, and we have to do what is right for Northern Ireland women’s football.”
Shiels has been managing for 30 years, from Kilmarnock to Derry City, but as he hopes to still be in charge if Northern Ireland qualify for the World Cup, this is his most high-profile – and arguably most important – job so far.
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