‘I thought it’d be fun to let fans have a bit of insight – maybe it can help grow the game’
‘They want to see what the girls are up to...what the personalities are like’
AS WE build up to Ireland’s first appearance at a Women’s World Cup and lose ourselves in a welter of excitement over what Denise O’Sullivan and Katie McCabe might do on the global stage, it is easy to be convinced that all is well with the women’s game, that its extraordinary growth over the last few years has been issue-free. But of course, that’s very far from the truth.
This week was a reminder that women’s football is still developing and a long way from catching up with its male counterpart.
Canada are in Ireland’s World Cup group. They are the defending Olympic champions, one of the best teams in the world who will feel they can win the whole thing in Australia & New Zealand.
Earlier this week, they took a stand with their governing body over equal pay — the same thing that the FAI, to their credit, implemented a couple of years ago.
Despite the fact that Canada have genuine claims to win the World Cup, while the men’s side — though they performed admirably — didn’t get out of their group in Qatar, the national federation spent twice as much on the men as the women last year. The optics aren’t great.
And then there was the controversy over the WSL game between Chelsea and Liverpool which went ahead on a frozen pitch a cou‘A ple of weeks ago before referee Neil Hair saw sense six minutes in and called it off. Megan Campbell was one of the players trying to get a grip on the rock-solid surface and she spoke of the dangers to players and her hope that something like that will never happen again. So, for all the positivity around the women’s game, there are plenty of issues to iron out. But that shouldn’t dampen the excitement as Ireland look forward to their first ever appearance at a women’s World Cup. And in a nod to the likes of former Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster in the men’s game, Ruesha Littlejohn has thought of a novel way of giving supporters a little more insight in what players are feeling and thinking by chronicling it all on a YouTube vlog, the Rue Tubes. Foster has become a bit of a star on the platform with his own unique take on life in the Premier League bubble, but despite the increased profile of the women’s game, few female footballers have followed suit.
However, a conversation with her twin sister, Shebahn Aherne, who is a sports broadcaster and journalist, prompted Littlejohn to spot this gap in the market. So, she has started to tell her story this way and is enjoying it.
‘It has been good,’ the Aston Villa midfielder said this week as she was back at Ireland camp following the fractured foot that caused her to miss the historic play-off win over Scotland.
‘When you play football, you have to look to see what’s next and I think it’s important to be open to other opportunities. My sister said why don’t you give it a go. There are not many females doing it. YouTube is a big platform and I thought in the lead-up to the World Cup, it could be fun to let fans have a bit of insight.
‘There is a big fan base in women’s football now and you are going to get a few people watching to see what’s going on. I will keep pushing it and see where it takes me.
‘The fans always want to see what the girls are up to, what their personalities are like and it is a good way of showing people that. We are all human and normal people. Maybe it can help to grow the game.’
Littlejohn was in the stands in Hampden Park to watch her Irish teammates make history, but she is just glad to be back on the pitch, ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against China. And in this latest training camp in Marbella, the World Cup has started to feel very real for the players.
A few of us went for coffee the other day and we were just saying, “we are actually going to the World Cup”. Obviously, you are not there until you are there. The seat on the plane won’t be finalised until June or July, so we are a while away yet.
‘But it is amazing what an achievement it is, given how long it has taken us to get here. It has been years, a long process, so we are absolutely delighted. It is still a long way away, but everyone is working together and hopefully everyone stays fit and healthy, and we can all make that plane.’
Littlejohn has struggled with injuries this year, tearing her calf after coming back from a broken foot, and she has had to be content with a place on Aston Villa’s substitutes bench for the past couple of WSL games. But she is determined to get back into a side that now includes England stars Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Staniforth.
‘The World Cup is always in the back of your mind, because that is what we are all working towards. But you can’t think about it every day, you have to crack on with club football and focus on each week and every game at the end of the week.
‘A couple of months down the line, when the World Cup is getting closer, it will be in your mind more, obviously with the pressure of wanting to make the squad and hoping to stay fit and healthy. But you can’t stress about it. It is an exciting time, You just have to try and be relaxed and look on it as a journey. I think all the girls are thinking the same,’ Littlejohn says.
Starting with Wednesday’s friendly against China, the journey is entering its most exciting phase. And Littlejohn will be chronicling it all on her Youtube channel.