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The Northern Ireland Senior Women’s International team recently completed their first ever World Cup campaign.

The following is a brief summary of the campaign and relevant points to improve for future campaigns:

Played 6, Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 3, Goals For 7, Goals Against 11.

Our best two performances were in our first two games away to Romania losing 3-2 and our first ever home game winning 2-1 against Slovakia at Ballymena on 10^th November 2005. 

After our first two matches there then was a four month gap before our next fixture.  Through this period we had a two day residential at Christmas and a number of training sessions and games against boys’ sides.  Some girls took part in sessions with 7am starts two times a week.  During this period our own domestic league had finished so bar the training and games that the IFA was providing, no other football was being played by the girls.

The game away to Slovakia was disappointing losing 2-0 – the only game in which we did not score, from which we concluded 4 possible causes: Travel timetable to Slovakia; Poor food in Slovakia; No competitive football for four months; ‘Americans’ also out of season.

After that game we played our final three matches, one per month. Against Kazakhstan at home we won 1-0, keeping a clean sheet for the first time in the two years that the Senior team has been relaunched.  

Our next game against Romania at home was our heaviest defeat, although the scoreline did not reflect the game.

The final game in Kazakhstan was a 1-1 draw; our first away point. This trip was possibly the most rewarding of the three. Travel time was better with a stop-over in Frankfurt during the World Cup. This helped create a relaxed atmosphere which carried on throughout the trip. With the extra day everyone was better prepared. Our match, played at 30° C in a 26,000 stadium, gave the girls a chance to prove that their level of fitness had improved.

As more players come into the Senior squad through the U19’s (at present 10 of the squad are from last years U19) competition will grow and there will be a higher level of fitness.  For most squads our average age was 21 years old.  A total of 29 players were involved in the squads with 22 actually having played.  For various reasons a total of 5 goalkeepers were included in the squads with only one ever playing.

I believe the tournament and its experiences were a success for the Women’s game in Northern Ireland with higher media coverage; and an opportunity for our players to play against top players from across Europe.

It is now pleasing to see that girls are now keen to be involved and that any player who has been involved is disappointed to be omitted.

A strict Code of Conduct was followed by the girls and at no time was there ever an issue regarding discipline. All the players involved were a credit to football in Northern Ireland and in particular the Women’s Game.