Izzy Atkinson has had a significant year playing for the Irish Women’s National Football team (WNT).
Ahead of the Ireland-Albania game, the 22 year old who plays for the Women’s Super League (WSL) side West Ham United, addressed a pre-match media conference on Monday. Having been called up to the 2023 FIFA World Cup squad, she participated in the international tournament in Australia, a life changing moment for any footballer.
WNT set for next games in UEFA Nations League against Albania.
All tickets SOLD OUT for home game 🙌#COYGIG | #WeAreOne | 🇮🇪🇦🇱 pic.twitter.com/qF6cjnmEOZ— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) October 18, 2023
“It still doesn’t feel normal still, I’m still living a dream even just being in here, every camp, I’m just grateful to be here”, says Atkinson on adjusting to life after the World Cup.
Since their first World Cup appearance in July, the Irish women’s team have had to contend with a variety of changes to their squad. This most notably came in the form of the departure of coach Vera Pauw in August, who handed the reins to now interim head Eileen Gleeson.
On Gleeson’s coaching Izzy Atkinson says, “Yeah she's funny, but she’s good, means business, gives us freedom, gives us confidence so it’s really nice to be back under her.”
Although the World Cup may have not gone as planned for the WNT, the commencement of the Nations League Window showcased Ireland’s raw talent as a team.
The Irish women’s team currently sits on top of the Nations League B.
“We love scoring and we love winning like everyone does so, and especially Ireland as a nation, we’re not really known to score goals but yeah I just think it’s good for us to be scoring and winning and that just builds confidence for us all really, Atkinson said addressing the Ireland’s current trajectory in the Nations League.
“We always play the top teams and we always don’t want to be broken down, don’t want to concede, but that would still remain against not the lower teams but the lower ranked teams, but then you want to score as well, not concede you know, just confidence building really.”
The Nations League is not just a set of friendly games between countries, but a larger stepping stone for a country to qualify for the Euros, one of the biggest competitions in international football.
As the standard rule goes, the top two teams in Nations League B go on to Nations League A. In turn, this would mean a play-off against one of the third place teams in League A. When Euro 2025 comes around in a few years, the top two teams in each of the four groups in League A would qualify for the finals tournament that decides who makes it to the continental competition.
Atkinson shared her thoughts on the possibility of the Irish team making it to the Euros. “Obviously we’re top of the group now, of group b and if we go up to a it’s and we top that i think for top two we can qualify for euros."
"These aren’t just friendlies for us - Obviously we’re thinking of 2025 right now .”
Outside of life as an Ireland international, Atkinson has also been making waves in the WSL at West Ham United. On October 11 she was responsible for her side’s win when she scored against Charlton. Despite only having been at the club for a year, Atkinson has made her mark.
The winger drives into space and then unleashes a powerful strike beyond Rogers! https://t.co/EXAsmzaW7m
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) October 11, 2023
“I’m getting as many minutes as i can so I want to be starting, we all want to start but I’m just going to keep fighting and making the most of the minutes I do get”, she said regarding her effort on the pitch.
Along with 18 year old Abbie Larkin and 21 year old Emily Whelan, being one of the younger players on the Irish side at 22, Atkinson would undoubtedly look up to veteran players on the team such as captain Katie McCabe. Izzy Atkinson currently plays on the left wing, a position also associated with McCabe.
“Yeah I mean I hope so but yeah it’s Katie unbelievable, probably one of the best players that has ever played. That’s what I'm up against but yeah, she said in her admiration for her captain.”
She added, “She’s always in my ear yeah but yeah I look up to her always, I always have, since I first came into camp when I was 16 and I've always looked up to her so yeah.”
The Nations League table looks to be in Ireland’s favour with them dominating over league B.
In an effort to hopefully continue their winning streak, the team is set to face off against Albania in Tallaght on Friday.
