Irish Daily Star - Inside Sport
I don’t want it to be the only thing that I am remembered for
THE STOVE is lit, the TV on and Amber Barrett is on the couch beside her mum.
Bliss.
It’s Christmas time — midseason break in the FrauenBundesliga — and Barrett has retreated to her family home in Milford, north county Donegal.
The previous two months have been a “haze”, a “whirlwind”; the adulation and attention taking Barrett and her teammates into uncharted territory.
But in Milford it all just melts away.
“There was a wee bit of back-slapping,” she says of her first time back in Donegal since her unforgettable World
Cup play-off winner in Hampden Park.
Opportunity
“But not too much of it, because my brother was getting fed up with all the congratulations.
“He was bringing me back down to earth at every opportunity he got.”
Ireland’s win against
Scotland last October turned a blinding spotlight on Barrett and her teammates.
Sure, the progression made under Vera Pauw had brought increasing numbers to Tallaght Stadium. New sponsors were coming on board and media attention was growing.
But the events of October 11, 2022 changed everything. Suddenly Barrett and her teammates were in demand. Requests for interviews went through the roof, companies came calling, looking for players to endorse products.
This chance to talk to Barrett, indeed, came thanks to the 27-yearold signing up as a brand ambassador for AYA vitamins and supplements. Meanwhile, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when a bunch of her teammates closed out the Late Late Toy Show by surprising one young fan with a trip to this summer’s finals in Australia and NZ.
Closing out the Toy Show? That’s as close to royalty as you can get in modern Ireland.
“For me, at the start,” Barrett says,“I don’t want to say it was uncomfortable, but when you are in a new environment, with new experiences, you don’t really know how to deal with it.
Deal
“Some people deal with it really well, really quickly. But I think it did take me a little while to get used to it.”
Slowly, she adapted to her new status.
“You speak to other people and you find that their experiences help, you share little tips with everybody,”she says.
“I think the rest of the girls are all in the same boat as well. They are grateful for the opportunity, but also the priority is football.
“So these things, as good as they are, we have to keep our eye on the pitch.”
Her Christmas trip to Donegal provided a welcome and necessary opportunity to decompress from everything that was happening both on and off the pitch.
“I think haze is probably the best way to put what went on after the Scotland game,” says Barrett.
“In a positive way it was very overwhelming — what’s happening, what’s going on?
“But it was great to have the opportunity to go home at Christmas, because my family were there and they were just absolutely delighted to see me.
Great
“It was great to see different people who had sent messages after the goal, and to relive it through their experiences as well.
“But I suppose haze is the best way to describe how it was up to then, it was a whirlwind.
“Getting back to my family and friends was great. And my cousin got married, so I had a family wedding to look forward to, which was brilliant.”
Of course, it wasn’t just her goal that cemented Barrett’s name in Irish footballing folklore; her celebration, pointing
AMBER: WE WANT TO TAKE THE WORLD BY STORM
to the black armband on her sleeve, was seen all around the world.
The Scotland game came just days after an explosion in the nearby town of Creeslough, killing 10 people, including two children.
“I spent most of my childhood there. My granny and granda were there and I loved, loved going down to see them,” she said last week on the Late Late.
Barrett knows that she will be known forever for that goal, the one that confirmed Ireland’s first ever qualification for the Women’s World Cup.
Moment
But her story, she says, cannot end with her history-making contribution at Hampden Park last October.
“I think it’s still surreal in many ways, to be associated with that moment,”she says.
“But personally, with the week and everything that happened with Creeslough, it wasn’t just about the goal, it was much more than that.
“Of course, having my name attached to it is something I am very proud of and it’s something my family are very proud of as well. It’s great to have
“But I suppose for me it’s a motivation, because I don’t want that to be the only thing that I am remembered for in terms of football.”
And that’s where this summer’s World Cup comes into play. “I think every player in the squad or around the squad has their eye on the World Cup,” says Barrett.
Fact
“It’s something you really do dream of and the fact that we have that opportunity in the summer to go to a World Cup is something that we are all extremely grateful for.
“But between now and then, everybody is going to have to really push themselves and give themselves the best opportunity to be selected.
“After that, we’ll see what happens, see where it goes and be ready for that challenge.”
She adds: “Going home to Donegal for Christmas definitely helped, because I hadn’t seen a lot of my family since the Scotland game.
“Then, since January, my focus has shifted back to getting myself prepared and everything.
“I’m just taking it camp by camp, but of course you have the World Cup at the back of your mind.
“But I think I have definitely come to terms with everything much better recently than before Christmas.”
And what was the highlight of her time at home?
“Honestly? I was sitting on my ass, on the couch, in front of the TV and the stove was on in the background.
“My mum was sitting beside me and it was a very happy place for me to be.”
‘In a positive way it was very overwhelming — what’s happening, what’s going on?’