As the FAI released their 2026-2029 strategy for Irish football, for women’s football fans, there was one notable omission: any tangible plan for an U23s Ireland WNT.

The gap between the under 19s side and the seniors is well documented and consequential. So lack of a coherent plan for the much anticipated age group has drawn  frustration from those who must now continue to lobby the FAI for its introduction having done so for years now. The gap was crystalised by Aaron Clarke of Lets Talk LOI who pointed out that only five players have made their debut for Ireland since the World Cup in 2023 and none of those had progressed from the U19s.

At this point we’re left with the question, what would an Ireland Under 23s squad look like now? The Halfway Line took on the challenge to assemble that squad of 30 with the aim to demonstrate the amount of talent that is missing out on the opportunity. That same opportunity that is afforded to talents from neighbouring nations like Scotland, England and France. The FAI’s brief foray into the world of women’s U23s was a match played by a development side in a friendly against the U19s in February 2025. Carla Ward watched on with the signs looking positive for change but there has been no word on the development side since, over a year on.

It is important to note that an U23s squad is not a one size fits all solution to all the problems of women’s football in Ireland. However it would be a confident step in the right direction for the FAI, an organisation that all too often stumbles.

In order to best illustrate the importance of implementing an U23s side we’ve set some ground rules for the squad selection:

1. Only players aged 20-23 years old are eligible.
2. Only players who were not involved in the last senior national team camp are eligible.
3. Only players that are too old to be selected for other existing age groups, U17s, U19s are eligible.

So here it is, The Halfway Line’s squad of 30 for Ireland’s first (hypothetical) Under 23s camp.

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The Halfway Line’s Ireland WNT U23s squad

Goalkeepers

Three excellent young goalkeepers make up the ranks to challenge for the number one jersey of new team. Maeve Williams, captain of Waterford FC would be the frontrunner. Williams played for Ireland at U17s and U19s level and made more saves than any other active keeper in the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division last term with 116.  Not far behind her was Sligo Rovers goalkeeper Bonnie McKiernan with 111, McKiernan was also named Sligo Player of the Season last term and she joins Williams between the sticks.

Summer Lawless is the third keeper selected for the inaugural squad. Lawless signed for DLR Waves after leaving Shamrock Rovers at the end of last season. The goalkeeper from Dublin did not take long to impress for her new club, making a number of excellent stops for DLR against Galway United on GW1.

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Defenders

Ireland have no shortage of talented centre backs at every level and the U23s is no exception. Scarlett Herron would likely be in the senior squad right now if not for the depth at the heart of the Girls in Green’s defence. The former Shamrock Rovers defender has impressed since joining Hibernian last year and would be perfect for this age group. Another centre back with bags of talent is Maria Reynolds of Shamrock Rovers. Reynolds received a call up at the end of last year in a non-playing brief, purely to gain experience. An U23s call up would mean she could get that experience while also enjoying time on the pitch. Kayleigh Shine has operated at the centre of defence for the champions of Ireland Athlone Town for the past couple of seasons with great success. Shine would be assured of a place, and she is (theoretically) joined by club team mate Shauna Brennan and Kellie Brennan who would provide width on either side of the defence.

Milltown native Aiobheann Costello joins the defensive charges, she was named in the PFA Ireland Women’s Premier Division Team of the Year for 2025 and has helped Galway United to back to back All-Island Cup victories. Her team mates Eve Dossen and Lucy Grant join her in the full squad to bolster the defensive ranks. Dossen found the net for the development match at Abbotstown in February and is a well thought of prospect. Former Galway United star Therese Kinnevey turned new signing for Shamrock Rovers is a versatile defender equipped to play across the backline. Kinnevey, like many of the squad also represented Ireland at the underage levels. Della Doherty who has helped Peamount United to an impressive start to the season from right back completes the defensive options.

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Midfielders

Despite finishing bottom of the table last term, Cork City’s Eva Mangan had 35 key passes, putting her seventh in the league in that metric. Mangan has shown leadership qualities beyond the pitch vocally outspoken in calling for an U23s Ireland WNT recently, speaking to The Halfway Line. The midfield is the area of the squad with the most senior experience and Glasgow City’s Erin McLaughlin has just that. After moving from Portsmouth she has struggled for game time but scored a long range dipping effort against Partick Thistle just recently.

Jess Ziu is unlike most of the other players in this squad, in all likelihood if Ziu had not suffered successive ACL injuries she would be a regular fixture in the senior squad. Again this is important, it demonstrates that the squad works not only for those getting their chance but for those who’ve had their opportunity hampered by injury and will raise the level of the group. The West Ham midfielder joins Aoibheann Clancy, another player with senior experience even if the Shelbourne ace remains in waiting for her first cap. Clancy made the most passes in the league last term with 905, she keeps things ticking in the middle of the park for her side. Her Shels team mate Aoife Kelly scored an excellent goal on her debut last weekend and joins Clancy in this hypothetical U23s squad.

Katie McCarn is no stranger to a screamer, nabbing just that in the FAI Cup final for Bohemians last term, she makes the squad after her move to Wexford FC. Kate Thompson of Galway United is rewarded for consistency from the centre of the park. And finally highly thought of Shamrock Rovers midfielder Jaime Thompson completes the midfield line up.

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Forwards

Those in the know in Irish women’s football point to Joy Ralph as one of it’s next big stars, a player who will grace the senior national team for many years to come. The striker has performed at every level of the Irish national team so far and is impressing for Sheffield United since moving from Shamrock Rovers last year. Ralph would be a figure to build the U23s side around such is her talent and age profile. Glasgow City striker Emily Whelan is a player who could benefit from the consistency that an U23s side could provide. In and out of the Glasgow City team, she is currently struggling to score goals but plays consistently at a higher level than many of the players she would be facing on the U23s international scene.

Another player that makes the squad plying their trade in Scotland is Jenna Slattery. Slattery is perhaps the most on form player to make the 30, since August last year Slattery has 15 goal involvements for Hearts. The former Galway United winger is thriving as a key part of a side leading the chasing pack to win the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

Emma Doherty scored the most goals of any player still playing in Ireland’s top flight last term with 13 and is assured a place in this squad. She was followed closely in that metric by Emily Corbit who had 12 and joins her in this squad. Ellen Molloy and Becky Watkins were both in the top five for most successful dribbles in the league last term. Watkins signed for Shelbourne in the summer and hit the ground running with a goal and an assist on matchday one. Molloy also managed 17 goal involvements last term, with Emma Doherty just above her on 18. Molloy has been in and out of the national team set up, the consistency an under 23s side would provide could give her the stability she needs to reach her full potential.

Former Shelbourne forward Rebecca Cooke is unique in the squad as the only player plying their trade outside of Europe. Cooke plays for Brooklyn FC in the USL and has nine goal involvements since September which includes a goal and an assist against Tampa Bay Sun FC last Wednesday. Rola Olusola of Treaty United rounds out the squad, the exciting youngster is part of one of the most talented front lines in Ireland and is one to watch this season since joining the Limerick based outfit from Galway United.

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Potential Ireland WNT U23s starting XI

IRL U23s: Williams; S. Brennan, Reynolds, Herron, Costello; Clancy, McLaughlin, Ziu (c); Molloy, Slattery, Ralph

Head Coach Stephanie Zambra

Stephanie Zambra is currently head coach of the Ireland U17s team, and despite being only a year or so out from retirement, Zambra has already shown her coaching credentials. In her short spell in charge of Shamrock Rovers, she helped get the best out of a number of young stars. She was unlucky not to be hired as head coach on a full time basis, and the Ireland WNT U23s job is one that would suit her. Zambra has a wide variety of experience to draw upon having played in Ireland, France, England, Italy and the USA. Of course, Zambra was famously nominated for the FIFA Puskás award for best goal in world football in 2014.

That type of experience would be invaluable for players finding themselves at a critical juncture in their career. Often Irish women’s players stop playing the sport after the age of 19, when they no longer have the option of international football at underage level. Zambra has the qualities to be a perfect sounding board at the international level they would otherwise be missing. Rovers midfielder Mia Dodd recently spoke to The Halfway Line about Zambra, who contacted her after she left Bohemians last year offering her a deal at Rovers, where she has since rediscovered both her form and love of football. Zambra is the type of manager best equipped to get the best out of a team trying to find their place in the footballing landscape. It would also provide Zambra with the opportunity to hone her tactical nous against top sides from Europe. Zambra was involved when the FAI organised a match between the development group and the U19s last year.

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Why does Ireland WNT need a U23s squad?

The aim of this article was simple: to prove that Ireland need an U23s WNT squad. The answer of how to evidence this came to me before I had penned a word of the article. When assembling the squad there sheer depth of talent in the age group for Ireland is astonishingly heartening. The real challenge was to narrow this squad down to 23, which, by my own self imposed rules was extended to 26… and then 30. This is a golden opportunity the FAI can’t afford to miss but they are threatening to. To allow so many to continue slip through the cracks of a system not equipped to catch them and give them a fighting chance would be more than a crying shame.

There were a number of players who could have easily found a place in the squad and in all likelihood, would have if the team had been created in years gone by. A brief and by no means exhaustive list of those eligible who were not picked are below:

Freya DeMange (Wexford FC), Melissa O’Kane (Athlone Town), Katie Lovely (Bohemians), Nia Hannon (Shelbourne), Aine Walsh (Treaty United), Mel Fillis (Sassuolo), Michelle Doonan (DLR Waves), Muireann Devaney (Sligo Rovers), Mia Lenihan (Waterford), Sarah Power (Bohemians), Jess Lawler (Waterford), Cara Griffin (Treaty United), Heidi Mackin (Cork City), Amber Cosgrove (DLR Waves), Caitlin St Leger (Shamrock Rovers) and Alix Mendez (Halifax FC).

One riposte to the necessity of an U23s side is that not all European teams have an U23s team. To that I would reply that this then an even bigger opportunity for Ireland, a chance to get ahead of the inevitable curve and become a top women’s footballing nation.

Take Scotland for example, though their U23s side have lost a number of matches recently they have come up against elite opposition. Despite eventually failing to progress in their U23s qualifying campaign, they had a highlight reel result in a competitive fixture in October where they defeated Italy 3-1. Exciting talents like Eilidh Adams of Hibernian and Maria McAneny of Celtic found the scoresheet, neither of which would have been eligible for the Scotland U19s. Michaela McAlonie, the third goal scorer that day enjoyed her last experience of international football in that camp after turning 24 in December. If McAlonie was Irish, her final experience before a potential senior call up would have come in 2020.

The FAI have set a target for the women’s side to be inside the world’s top 15 by 2029. In order to achieve that, Ireland will have to overtake national teams like Scotland, Australia, Iceland, Belgium and Portugal all of whom have active U23s teams. While that is possible with the likes of Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan in the squad, it is not guaranteed that Ireland will produce players of that standard again.

Even with the talent that Ireland undeniably have at the ages of 20-23 right now, each will be reliant on external forces to reach their potential. McCabe signed for Arsenal when she was 20 and moved to Glasgow City on loan when she was 22. Those are two moves which have shaped her career and from which Ireland have massively benefited from. When O’Sullivan would have been eligible for a U23s side she was making her name at Glasgow City too before heading stateside to Houston Dash at the age of 22. The U23s side would provide more opportunities for Irish players to showcase their talents to professional setups abroad. The League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division is a league Ireland should take pride in, but until it becomes fully professional we cannot expect elite talent to grow to their fullest potential in Ireland alone.

The introduction of an U23s team won’t simply benefit Irish players, it will also give opportunities to Irish coaches. Since England introduced their U23s team in 2021 following a restructure of their age groups a number of coaches have gained valuable experience. Coaches like Mo Marley, Fara Williams, Remi Allen, Anita Asante, Gemma Davies, Emma Coates, Lauren Smith, Izzy Christiansen and Geraint Twose have had the chance with England. That has led to further opportunities for some, only last month former Young Lionesses head coach Emma Coates took over NWSL club Bay FC with Lydia Bedford appointed to replace her as U23s head coach just recently. Bay FC have since signed multiple former England U23 players, opportunity begets opportunity.

Since the World Cup in 2023, in the same period that Ireland have seen no players progress from the underage groups to the senior team, England have had 11 make the jump:

Anouk Denton, Ruby Mace, Aggie Beever-Jones, Grace Clinton, Michelle Agyemang Missy Bo Kearns, Khiara Keating, Poppy Pattinson, Laura Blinkilde-Brown, Jess Naz, Lucia Kendall.

Scotland have had 7 since the World Cup in 2023:

Charlotte Newsham, Emma Lawton, Kathleen McGovern, Maria McAneny, Mia McAulay, Eilidh Adams, Georgia Brown 

Undoubtedly there does need to be an onus on the senior side to blood these young players earlier but an Ireland WNT U23s squad would help bridge that gap. It would ensure that the jump would not be so high as to set up Irish youngsters to fail on the biggest stage for their nation.

Ireland have in head coach in Carla Ward one of the most promising young managers in world football. Part of her job is to introduce young players into the setup, yes. However the FAI will not extend her contract beyond 2027 on that basis alone, she will be judged on whether Ireland qualify for the World Cup next year. Quite understandably then, Ward’s first concern must be for this current campaign. The FAI is an organisation that often prioritises the short term. Yet Ward is a head coach primed to help Ireland usher in a new era. A new structure to the national underage set up, one inclusive of a Ireland WNT U23s side would only benefit her short term goals and provide more solid base for long term goals.

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Verdict

There’s a saying in the Irish language that reads ‘cuir lasóg ar an tine’, or in English, ‘to put a little light to the fire.’ Women’s football in Ireland is ready to spark, but it needs the best possible conditions to catch a light. Cork City midfielder Eva Mangan said it best,

“If the FAI are serious about really developing women’s football in Ireland and wanting Ireland to be in the front stage at Euros, at World Cups, they have to bring the 23s team in.”