Northern Ireland senior women’s manager, Michael McArdle, believes his first three months in charge have provided a strong foundation as preparations continue for October’s UEFA Women’s Nations League promotion play-off against Portugal.
Since taking the reins, McArdle has overseen two international camps, spent time watching domestic football across Northern Ireland and continued to build relationships with players, staff and clubs as he shapes the next phase of the senior women’s programme.
Reflecting on his opening months in the role, McArdle said: “The first three months have flown by. It has been a brilliant experience so far. It’s been great from an information gathering perspective but also about the ambition of the team and its potential.
“Most importantly it’s been about getting to know one another. That’s not just about myself and the players, but the wider backroom staff as well as colleagues right across the association. I’m learning about the NIFL clubs, and the players in the league. Off the pitch, generally, the experience has been really positive.”
McArdle has been a regular presence at matches across the country as he continues to strengthen his understanding of the women’s game in Northern Ireland.
“Being visible at games in Northern Ireland is fundamental to my role. It’s the lifeblood of the game and I have already spent a lot of time at matches. I was at the Cup final recently and, of course, the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship, which was a brilliant way to keep an eye on the pathway that will ultimately help shape our future.
“I have used these opportunities to get to know people too, which is really important.”
On the pitch, Northern Ireland opened McArdle’s tenure with back-to-back victories over Malta before facing sterner tests against Turkey and Switzerland in June.
While the results did not go their way in the second camp, the manager believes the experience has accelerated the squad’s development.
“The second camp in particular showed us how to be agile against strong opponents. We experienced narrow defeats in challenging circumstances. We also learned a lot about ourselves as a group.
“There were 10 goals scored across the games with new players getting on the scoresheet. The girls have been great in trying to impose a brave style of play and not being afraid to try different things for different situations. A huge amount of learning has taken place.”
Attention now turns to October’s two-legged promotion play-off against Portugal, with a place in League A of the UEFA Women’s Nations League at stake.
McArdle acknowledges the size of the challenge but is excited by the opportunity to test his side against one of Europe’s emerging forces.
“In Portugal we have undoubtedly drawn the hardest of the ties. We are looking forward to testing ourselves against a nation who are possession dominant. We’ve studied their style and system. They have emerged as a strong nation particularly in recent years and we acknowledge the trajectory of their recent rise, qualifying for 4 of the last 5 major tournaments and regarded widely as a top footballing nation.
“We will be looking to do well in the duels, hold on to the ball effectively and control the game when we don’t have it. There’ll be different styles across the two games and our work in trying different things in the recent fixtures can only help stand us in good stead.”
