Northern Ireland Women v England (12/04/2021)

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifier against the Lionesses is massive for several reasons. England are one of the best teams in the world. The game has attracted a record crowd for a home senior women’s international in Northern Ireland. It’s a chance for Northern Ireland to see how far they have come since their 4-0 defeat at Wembley back in the autumn. And, of course, it’s also an opportunity for Shiels’ side to show their mettle before the two nations meet again at the St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton in July. “I think it’s incredible that we have a sell out crowd coming here to our National Stadium tonight. It’s another pivotal moment in women’s football here,” she said. “We can’t wait to hear the noise from the GAWA. It will be an emotional night and we hope that we can put in a performance that everyone can be proud of.” Callaghan is part of the intensive training programme which got under way in January to prepare the Northern Ireland team for the Women’s Euros this summer. But before the Euros kick off in England this summer – when Northern Ireland will face Norway (7 July), Austria (11 July) and England (15 July) in the group stages – there is a huge game against England in Belfast tonight. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifier against the Lionesses is massive for several reasons. England are one of the best teams in the world. The game has attracted a record crowd for a home senior women’s international in Northern Ireland. It’s a chance for Northern Ireland to see how far they have come since their 4-0 defeat at Wembley back in the autumn. And, of course, it’s also an opportunity for Shiels’ side to show their mettle before the two nations meet again at the St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton in July. “I think it’s incredible that we have a sell out crowd coming here to our National Stadium tonight. It’s another pivotal moment in women’s football here,” she said. “We can’t wait to hear the noise from the GAWA. It will be an emotional night and we hope that we can put in a performance that everyone can be proud of.”

Callaghan is part of the intensive training programme which got under way in January to prepare the Northern Ireland team for the Women’s Euros this summer. The creation of the camp by the Irish Football Association means players in Kenny Shiels’ squad who do not play the game professionally in England, Scotland or foreign climes are now full-time players in the run-up to the tournament. A total of 22 Northern Ireland-based players are training under the non-residential programme based at Newforge Sports Complex in south Belfast. “I never thought I would get the opportunity to be a full-time footballer. I am really enjoying it and I know everyone else is, too,” said the Northern Ireland captain, who is usually employed by the Irish FA as a Girls’ Participation Officer. Callaghan, who is originally from west Belfast, started playing football at the age of five. As a youth she played for Newington Girls, a team which evolved into Cliftonville Ladies. She has been with the Reds since 2002, winning a Women’s Irish Cup with the north Belfast club in 2015, and now coaches as well as plays. Capped more than 70 times for Northern Ireland, scoring nine goals, she represented her country at Under-15, U17 and U19 level before making the step up to the seniors just over a decade ago. She loves to watch the game as well as play it. “I don’t have a favourite team. I just love watching football. I love watching Leeds United, Manchester City and Manchester United Women because of their style of play,” she revealed. Her favourite player is Manchester City’s attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, while her favourite manager and coach are Northern Ireland senior women’s team manager Kenny Shiels and his son Dean respectively, whom she says deserve great credit for getting the girls in green and white to believe in themselves and to perform at a higher level.

IRISHFA.COM

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