“Being the only girl in a boys team was intimidating”

Katie McCabe recalls the first time she saw the Republic of Ireland women’s football team play. She was 10 and there were only a few dozen spectators at the side of the pitch at St Patrick’s Athletic Grounds in Inchicore.

“I remember going down to the edge of the pitch and having my ticket signed by Emma Byrne, Yvonne Tracy, Ciara Grant. I remember how it made me feel, how important it was,” she says.

Sixteen years later, now captain of Ireland, McCabe is determined to keep this remarkable relationship between fans and the women’s team alive. The team still spends a good deal of its time after the game greeting, signing and talking with young fans, boys and girls. The interactions, McCabe hopes, will lead to future stars playing for Ireland.

“I think young people can see their role models, meet their role models, get the signatures, it’s amazing,” she said on Zoom, ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifier against China. Sweden on Tuesday.

“As a team, our fans are so important to us, they are the 12th player, they help us push the limits and obviously push us when we need them.”

“Last year’s equal pay deal was huge. It wasn’t really about the money. It was more about parity, equal opportunities and a level playing field that we deserve as footballers.

The Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team (WNT), with McCabe at the helm, is the new feel-good story in Irish sports, especially women’s sports. According to an annual review of admired teams and athletes, Ireland WNT were the fourth most popular team in Ireland in 2021.

The incredible World Cup qualifier against Georgia last November, which scored 11 goals, the most ever by an Irish team, men or women, contributed to the team’s growing popularity. McCabe added two herself that night.

Georgia, anchored at the bottom of the table, had little to offer against Finland or Sweden, Ireland’s two main rivals for qualification in the group. While many on social media wondered if the Irish team should have held back – a criticism never before advanced in men’s football – fans that night got a taste of how Irish football should be played and chanted more goals throughout the 90 minutes.

Born in Kilnamanagh in Dublin, McCabe is one of 11 children, seven girls and four boys. Football fans know his older brother Gary McCabe, who played in the League of Ireland Premier Division, most notably for Shamrock Rovers in their Europa League group stages in 2011. McCabe and his siblings have played a lot of football growing up, but without girls. ‘ Nearby, she played with younger boys, at Kilnamanagh AFC and Crumlin United FC.

At the age of 10, she found a girls’ team at Templeogue, followed by a stint at St Joseph’s. It was around this time that she attended that first Republic of Ireland women’s match, after the FAI offered free tickets to the club.

After that, the spark had been lit at McCabe. She transferred to Raheny United when she was a teenager, but league rules did not allow her to officially sign with them until she was 16. Over the next three seasons, she won two league titles and three consecutive FAI Women’s Cups with the club. She also played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

In 2015 she turned professional and signed with Arsenal, and after two years of drifting in and out of the starting XI due to injuries and a loan spell at Glasgow, she finally found her footing as a left-winger. attacking under Joe Montemurro, where she has since remained and continues to dominate, winning championships and domestic cups in 2018 and 2019.

Throughout her career, McCabe has seen women’s football grow on and off the pitch, and she knows the privilege of following in the footsteps of those who have made it bigger. Former Republic of Ireland and Arsenal goalkeeper Emma Byrne, along with many other members of the current squad, have fought for equality on and off the pitch. Byrne was one of three Irish members of the Arsenal squad to win six trophies in a season, a feat matched only by the FC Barcelona men’s side.

“Being the only girl playing in a boys’ team was pretty intimidating. You have other boys looking at you thinking, ‘Who is this girl who comes here thinking she’s better than us?’

Byrne was also captain of the Irish team that fought for equal treatment from the FAI in 2017, highlighting how they were forced to change in the toilets and share tracksuits with teams of underage boys.

Those days are over. The Irish WNT have two stand-alone sponsors in Sky and Cadbury, and now enjoy equal pay to the Irish men’s team in terms of training and matchday expenses and fees. McCabe knows how lucky she is to be a professional footballer in all aspects of her career.

“I’ve seen incredibly brave female footballers in our Ireland team, we really stand up for what we deserve. I came into the Ireland team back then [of the 2017 protest], and I saw incredible leaders calling for change and equality. The bravery of the whole team at that time was incredible, it’s something that stuck with me.

“I make sure the players coming in now understand where we were and where we are now, and that journey. Last year’s equal pay deal was huge. It wasn’t really about the money. It was more about parity, equal opportunities and a level playing field that we deserve as footballers.”

Part of McCabe’s philosophy is to be a role model for future generations. She talks openly about how she copes with life as a professional footballer, encouraging boys and girls to try as hard as they can and believe in themselves. Along with her younger sister Lauryn, McCabe is currently an ambassador for skincare brand Dove, spearheading their new self-esteem project to promote confidence and a positive body image among young people.

“It wasn’t always easy growing up,” she says, speaking of her own experience with trust issues as a teenager. “Being the only girl to play on a men’s team was pretty daunting. You have other boys looking at you and thinking, ‘Who is this girl who shows up here thinking she’s better than us? Then all of a sudden I have a ball in my feet, and I’m able to score goals and help the team win and earn their respect.

“I love football. It’s always my release. When I have a bad day off the pitch, as soon as you step onto the pitch and practice, you just forget about it. That’s what it’s all about. was for me growing up too, it was my release from any stress, bad feelings or bad thoughts that I had.

She says she learned valuable life skills on the court, from how to lose (“win or learn” is her motto), to working with others, to timing and resilience. She worries that other young people will take advantage of the opportunity to learn the same life skills through extracurricular activities.

Sweden beat Ireland in October with a 39th-minute own goal, the Republic of Ireland’s only loss in four qualifiers so far

She points to a survey of 405 10-17 year olds for the Dove campaign, which found that 70% of girls and 62% of boys in Ireland did not participate in extra-curricular activities because of their appearance. “I think that’s amazing, and something we have to look to change.”

And McCabe is doing what she can. It sounds cliché, but watching the Ireland team play, the connection between the players and the fans is really noticeable. Tickets are usually priced with families or large groups in mind, and the FAI has expanded for clubs to pick up youngsters.

And, as McCabe says, under the guidance of Vera Pauw, a renowned legend in the Netherlands in women’s football, the football is excellent attacking football.

The Republic of Ireland women’s team have played four games in their qualifying group, one less than Sweden, who currently top the table with 15 points. Ireland are second with seven points, while Finland are one point behind Ireland with six points, meaning a place in the playoffs is still a real possibility for the 2023 FIFA World Cup. in Australia and New Zealand. If Ireland qualify, it will be their first appearance at a major tournament. The stakes are high.

Under the previous management of Colin Bell, the team was defensive, but with Pauw now in charge, they are working on their offense.

“Vera, with the way she likes to play, is brave with the ball. We have the quality within our team to be on the ball and show the opposition our strengths and create chances,” McCabe said.

“Obviously we can defend, but we’re looking to improve in attack and try to win these games now.”

Going into Tuesday’s game against Sweden in Gothenburg, McCabe will be hoping his side can get the better of the second-best team in the world. Sweden beat Ireland in Tallaght in October with a 39th-minute own goal, the Republic of Ireland’s only defeat in four qualifiers so far.

“It’s going to be a really, really tough game. We know what’s at stake, what we need to focus on are our strengths. We saw first hand at Tallaght Stadium that they are dangerous and they are not second in the world for no reason. It will be a really exciting game that we will be ready for.