Leading the line for generations to follow
THE decision by RTÉ to broadcast the women’s Champions League final last Sunday evening was another sign that the exposure of the women’s game is growing with each season.
Lyon’s 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg attracted record viewing figures in France and Germany and the sense is that the numbers were healthy in this country, too.
And those who tuned in out of curiosity might have been pleasantly surprised by the talent within the Lyon ranks, such as the gifted Delphine Cascarino. At the very least, the increased profile of the women’s game means their achievement in winning five European Cups in a row hasn’t taken place off-Broadway.
When Áine O’Gorman was growing up, she reckons that the only women’s football match on television was the FA Cup final.
‘And that was on BBC 2, I can’t even remember if it was live,’ she recalls.
‘But the increased exposure in the game has been great, it’s great for young girls who want to aspire to play football at the highest level, that they can watch a team like Lyon on RTÉ, that’s brilliant. It really does lift the profile of the game.’
O’Gorman was part of the RTÉ panel last Sunday evening, casting her eye over the wonderful French side. It followed on from her impressive debut as a pundit during the national broadcaster’s coverage of last year’s Women’s World Cup.
‘It’s something I enjoy, it was a bit of a challenge at the start, but the crew in RTÉ are great and they make you feel very relaxed. And it’s nice to play a part in raising the profile of the game, too.’
One wonders where O’Gorman finds the time for the punditry work, though. The Enniskerry native remains a key part of the Peamount United side and after retiring from international football in September 2018 having amassed 100 caps, she was coaxed back by Vera Pauw to be involved in this current Euro 2021 campaign, which may result in qualification for Ireland’s first major championship.
On top of all that, O’Gorman works as a personal trainer to pay the bills and at present, she has a fairly extensive client list. It means early mornings, often heading for the gym before six.
‘Depending on how busy I am that particular day, but some days, I could be in the gym, working with people at six or half-six in the morning. So, yeah, bright and early and you have to be as bright as a button too, because you are instructing.’
O’Gorman feels that her background in strength and conditioning has certainly benefited her football career, but it does make for long days.
‘I try to get home in the early afternoon, do whatever jobs need doing around the house and then, get a nap in. That’s important, especially if I am training with Peamount that evening.
‘We don’t train until eight, so if you are up from before six, that’s a long day. So you need your power hour, at the very least.’
O’Gorman spent two seasons in the Women’s Super League with Doncaster Belles but has mostly plied her trade in Ireland, and last year skippered Peamount to their first league title since the Women’s National League’s inaugural year in 2012.
It was her performances for the club that saw Pauw come calling and coaxing her out of retirement and O’Gorman is enjoying every moment of her second coming as an international footballer.
‘It is a really great set-up now, great to be a part of,’ says O’Gorman, who was actually booked to be in the RTÉ studio for the last qualifier against Greece before Pauw asked her into the squad.
‘It is so different now to when I first came into the squad in 2006. All of our games are on television, there is a big profile. I think for my first Ireland game in Richmond Park, there were only family, friends and media there.’
Her debut happened to be against Germany, one of the powerhouses of the game. And in a couple of weeks, Ireland will go into battle against the mighty Germans as leaders of their qualifying group. She remarks: ‘It is going to be a test on September 17, no doubt about that. But these are the sort of games you want to play in, and when we are underdogs, we thrive in that situation. So, we are going in there with nothing to lose.
‘And there is real momentum behind the team now, with so many of the girls playing aboard professionally. There’s a real feelgood factor there and we want it to continue.’
That feelgood factor isn’t simply confined to the Ireland team, it seems to extend to the wider women’s game. Áine O’Gorman is just grateful to be playing some part.
“It’s great for
young girls... it lifts the profile”