“We are at the top table of women’s football now, and we want to stay there.” – David Courell, FAI chief executive, November 26th, 2024
Following failure to cement the legacy of a groundbreaking Republic of Ireland women’s team, the focus switches from the European Championships in Switzerland next summer to Eileen Gleeson’s contract negotiations.
Whereas many players did not relish the coaching methods of Gleeson’s predecessor Vera Pauw, the playing group approve of the way Gleeson works, although concerns have been raised elsewhere about her management style.
This is Gleeson’s second stint as a professional head coach after a brief period with Glasgow City in 2022. She returned home before taking an administrative position in the FAI as head of women’s and girls’ football.
In April that position was filled by Hannah Dingley, an English coach who previously oversaw the Forest Green and Burton Albion academies. The FAI refused to clarify whether Gleeson’s contract allows her to revert to that position in the event of Ireland not qualifying for the Euros.
That day has come and gone; Dingley will unveil the latest strategy for the female game in early 2025.
An analysis of Gleeson’s performance since replacing Pauw after the 2023 World Cup will be undertaken by Marc Canham, the association’s recently promoted chief football officer.
There is a distinct difference between how Canham filled the men’s and women’s managerial positions this past year. For 10 months, between Stephen Kenny being cut loose in November 2023 and Heimir Hallgrímsson’s rushed arrival in September, John O’Shea was interim Ireland boss.
When push came to shove, Canham went for Hallgrímsson’s experience and proven tactical nous.
Gleeson held the same title as O’Shea during last year’s Nations League B campaign. Six wins and promotion to League A prompted Canham to back Gleeson, with her first home match as the contracted head coach being a 2-0 defeat to Wales on February 27th.
Rhian Wilkinson was a spectator in Tallaght that evening, having been named Welsh boss the day before.
“The team has gone from strength to strength in the last few years and I aim to build on that with our mission to qualify for next summer’s Euros and beyond,” said Wilkinson at the time.
Mission accomplished. The Welsh FA, much like the FAI when it came to their senior men’s team, appointed a proven operator.
Now Canham either doubles down on Gleeson or the FAI board loosens the purse strings to hire someone they consider more likely to guide Ireland to the Brazil World Cup in 2027.
Three world-class players are expected to still be around; Denise O’Sullivan is 30, and Katie McCabe and Courtney Brosnan are both 29. Also, Anna Patten has been a revelation in defence, while the injured Ellen Molloy and Jess Ziu were sorely missed.
In the meantime, Switzerland 2025 will be an excruciating watch for an Irish group in their prime.
“Yeah it will,” said Jessie Stapleton. “But you know I’m still young, hopefully I can help the team in many ways going forward and use this experience to help me and the team to get to a major tournament.”
After the crushing 2-1 loss to Wales in front of 25,832 fans at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, the 19-year-old was left to field questions about Gleeson’s future.
“I don’t know anything about that,” Stapleton replied. “Eilo is the gaffer for now and she’s got us to where we are and I think she’s been incredible, she put a lot of trust in me and I feel like I’ve developed a lot under her. I’d love to see her stay in the role and I don’t think one result should define her. We’ve come on a lot as a team under Eilo. I’d back her as a manager.”
At the same time, Ruesha Littlejohn’s appraisal on RTÉ about the lack of technical coaching for young girls explained why Ireland had just failed to reach another major tournament.
“If I’m being honest, we really need to go into the grassroots here, we need to change our game, change our style,” said Littlejohn. “When you look at the best teams, they’re all so comfortable on the ball, they want the ball, they want to play.
“That’s the journey we’re on now, I think it’s going to start with the young ones coming through, everybody has to get better on the ball. Yes, we can be hard, we can be resilient, we put our bodies on the line, we’ve got Megan’s [Campbell] throw, we’ve got big girls who come in with headers, but we need more if we want to consistently go to these tournaments.”
Vague plans of additional coaching for 14-18-year-olds are promised, but Littlejohn’s honesty highlights the folly of the FAI decision to discontinue home-based-player sessions, which had provided a valued link between League of Ireland clubs and national coaches. Talk of an under-23 squad have also been shelved.
“Is that going to happen immediately? No,” Courell said. “Financial is certainly a barrier.”
The IRFU spent €8.3 million on woman’s rugby in 2023 despite losses of €18.4 million. The FAI has been asked to supply a comparable figure but the true cost of non-decisions will be felt next summer when 16 countries gather for a football feast in Zurich, Geneva and Basle.
Essentially, Ireland needed to white-knuckle their way to Euro 2025 but three world-class players and a wealth of supporting talent proved insufficient ingredients for Gleeson to keep them at the top table. Accounts and accountability come next.
