It is as big a game in Irish Women’s Football as the play off against Scotland that got us to a first World Cup Finals, and it is on home soil.
Over 27,000 tickets have already been sold for the Republic of Ireland against Wales in the Aviva Stadium tonight and that number could yet rise with walk ups as the importance of the game is played out across all media today.
The 1-1 draw in Cardiff on Friday sets up the game as a winner takes all with extra time and penalties both among the potential elements of drama.
At place is a ticket to the Euro 2025 European Championship Finals in Switzerland and a build up to match that from two years ago when the team had earned their passage to Australia.
With impeccable timing the FAI released a fact sheet on the advances which have been made in the Women’s game, echoing what we heard last week at the Sport for Business Women and Sport Conference from Hannah Dingley, the Head of Women’s and Girls Football.
The growth of women and girls’ football shows no sign of slowing down in Ireland.
- 95 women have started their journey to becoming referees by completing Referee Beginners courses
- 608 female players are accessing flexible, inclusive and accessible playing opportunities through FAI Football For All programmes
- 848 women are currently engaging in the FAI Coach Education pathway
- 1,500 coaches have attended an In Her Boots workshop learning about how to best support female players
- 2,500 women over 18 have started playing recreational football through the Cadbury FAI Kick Fit programme
- 5,000 girls (Under-5 – Under-8) have taken their first kick as part of the UEFA Disney Playmakers programme
- 7,000 girls have enjoyed taking part in FAI Football Camps
- 26,572 girls took part in FAI Schools Primary 5s (5-a-side competition)
- 45,000 women and girls are registered on FAI Connect as playing regular competitive football
- These statistics also showcase the continued growth that soared on the back of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with over more girls starting out in football, more clubs setting up girls’ teams for the first time and over 1,000 females coaching at different clubs.
There is also an increased level of diversity with 93 different countries represented from female players registered through FAI Connect.
This year has seen a number of new initiatives and programmes launched to support this continued development of women and girls’ football, including:
- Hannah Dingley appointed as FAI Head of Women & Girls’ Football
- In Her Boots, in partnership with Aviva, is a football programme set up to provide parents & coaches with key insights to the training & development of girls
- Player to Coach Programme launched with Áine O’Gorman, Stephanie Zambra & Rianna Jarrett involved with Ireland female underage teams
- Change Makers Programme started to help develop future female leaders within Irish Football
- Ireland Girls’ Under-16s won the UEFA Development Tournament for a second year in a row
- Ireland Women’s Under-19s qualified for a second UEFA WU19 European Championships
- Ireland WNT attendances continued to rise with a new record home crowd (8,745) at Tallaght Stadium and a first ever WNT Season Ticket package with 1,700 tickets sold
- First WNT game held in Páirc Uí Chaoimh with an attendance of 18,399 for the EURO 2025 Qualifying win over France
- Impressive TV viewership of WNT games – 363,000 peak audience for Ireland v England, 326,000 peak audience for France v Ireland, 280,000 peak audience for Ireland v France
- Increased national TV coverage with RTÉ and TG4 broadcasting 14 live games across the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division, Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup and Avenir Sports All-Island Cup
- Average TV viewership for the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division rose 70% on TG4 with the average peak audience jumping from 24,009 to 33,608 this season
- SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division attendances rose by 5% this year – new League record of 2,861 watched Galway United v DLR Waves in Eamonn Deacy Park in May
- Waterford FC granted licence to compete in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division for the 2025 season.
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Massive increases in TV rights and commercial income for the Barclays WSL in England is helping a rise in the global game. Similar investment in the US is narrowing the gap between the genders in a sport where the stakes are higher and the potential greater than in any other.
The FAI, and the IFA in Northern Ireland, have been all-in committed to the Women’s game for years and the boost of another major competition for the international side here, just as it was in the North ahead of the last Euros in England cannot be overstated.
The strategy will roll on regardless of the result tonight but if it is a positive one then the acceleration of demand and execution will be much faster, just as it deserves to be.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
It is December and it is chilly but if you have the opportunity to bring along the next generation of fans tonight, do so. It is the kind of moment that they will remember forever. Kick off is at 7:30, Tickets are available here. If you can’t then please tune in to the match coverage on RTÉ2. This really is a big one.
The Sport for Business Membership comprises nearly 300 organisations, including all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies.