Ireland Women's National Team training camp squad was announced at Circle K headquarters this afternoon.
A group of 27 players will connect in Dublin on Monday, June 12 to continue preparations with the Ireland Women's National Team for FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
Manager Vera Pauw expressed much excitement to work with the selected squad leading up to the International Friendly games against Zambia (June 22), France (July 6) and Colombia (July 14) before their World Cup tournament kicks off on July 20 against co-hosts Australia.
Vera acknowledged that finalising the training squad was not an easy decision: “it is devastating and I am very much aware I have broken dreams and it will have an affect on careers after [...] you have to make choices and I wish I could bring them all.”
WNT squad confirmed for pre-World Cup Training Camp 👊#COYGIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/DitsZp6T77
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 9, 2023
Using periodisation, the training camp schedule will factor in when players finished their respective club seasons - the loads that they can and need to take on plus the recovery times and routines that they require will be taken into account.
This is to ensure the players themselves and their safety will be in line when entering the final stage of preparation. STATSports technology, monitored closely by the team's sport scientist and technical staff, will be used to ensure the players readiness.
The training sessions will consist over a four-week block, split between UCD and the FAI National Training Centre.
Captain Katie McCabe and three US-based players - Denise O'Sullivan, Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva - will link up with the squad after the Zambia game, while defender Aoife Mannion is being monitored after an injury in club training recently. Mannion's place on the team will be confirmed after a knee specialist appointment on Monday.
Vera specified Mannion’s place will be “tight but possible.”
Some more good news 😀 pic.twitter.com/p1toLskbyL
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 7, 2023
Four players from the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division are part of the group, including uncapped Erin McLaughlin who has continued to impress in WNT Home-Based Training Sessions.
A final squad for the World Cup, consisting of 23 players, will be whittled down by June 29 ahead of the send-off game in Tallaght Stadium against France. The squad will then depart for Australia on July 7.
When questioned about her hopes for the World Cup, Vera stated: “We just have to be realistic. We don’t know how we’ll respond to the top countries, I think we’ll respond well. We need to just give everything the best that we can and we’ll see if it’s good enough to get out of the group.”
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Áine O'Gorman (Shamrock Rovers), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Claire O’Riordan (Celtic), Megan Campbell (Liverpool), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Tara O'Hanlon (Peamount United)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Sinead Farrelly (NY/NJ Gotham), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers), Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Amber Barrett (Potsdam Turbine), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC)
