But more to do
at nearly all age levels now. It’s fantastic progress and makes it more attractive for more young girls to get involved, make friends and enjoy playing.”
With more international caps than hot dinners – and the experience of playing professionally in England – Aine is a role model for any young girl who wants to kick a football. She would like to use her status to give something back when she hangs up her boots and do her bit for the future of the game. She also thinks that an increase in physical education would help the participation levels amongst women in sport.
“At the moment, I’m focused on playing but I really enjoy coaching and occasionally I have done a few sessions at my local club. It’s something I’m passionate about and I’ll definitely have more time for when I retire. I’m not sure at what level yet but I certainly want to give back to the game and the experience I have.
“I think the drop out rate of football and women’s sport is slowly improving but it is still a problem particularly when girls go to secondary school. Personally, I think there should be P.E. every day. It’s a no-brainer for me as the benefits of physical exercise are priceless for health, productivity and concentration levels in the classroom.”
Another way to increase the interest in the sport is to qualify for a major tournament. Just look at Stuttgart ’88 and Italia ’90. Under Colin Bell, the Ireland WNT currently sit in a strong position in their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
“If we qualified for a major tournament the knock-on to participation in Ireland would be massive. You just have to look at people like Katie Taylor who put women’s boxing on the map through her success.
“Things are changing for women in sport which makes it more appealing for girls to play but we still have some catching up to do.
“Campaigns like UEFA have ‘we play strong’ portraying a cool image of girls playing football and more campaigns like this will only increase participation of women in traditionally male dominant sports right across the board.”