IN A WAY it has sunk in.
And yet in a sense it has also truly yet to.
Katie McCabe and her Republic of Ireland women’s team-mates etched their names into history last month by qualifying for next summer’s World Cup.
The dust had hardly settled on the historic play-off win over Scotland at Hampden Park when Vera Pauw’s side were drawn into Group B with Australia, Canada and Nigeria.
Throw in a hectic few weeks with Arsenal, and it’s all been a blur.
“The reality of football is there’s always the next game,” McCabe tells the Irish media from Marbella, where a training camp has kick-started preparations for a friendly against Morocco next Monday.
“It’s very hard to stay on that high, you need to come back down to earth quite quickly, obviously get focused for the next game. Having come in now and met up with the team yesterday, there’s obviously still the excitement, but we know we have to get working now. We need to be ready.”
There have been two real moments where it has hit her, though.
“The draw, seeing our tricolour, being a part of that whole experience,” she smiles, taking her game face off momentarily.
“But we’ve earned the right to be there. We don’t just want to participate and be another team. We’ve worked so hard to get where we are. We want to make sure we’re able to compete now, the hard work starts now. We’ve got a November camp, February, April and then the World Cup, it’s important to stay focused on that.”
✨Privileged to welcome Republic of Ireland captain, Katie McCabe, to TCS today.
— Tallaght Community School (@TCSTallaght) November 7, 2022
Katie is working with The Dove Self Esteem Project. We were so lucky to hear this important message and all of the wonderful football stories told by Katie. ⚽🇮🇪
@Katie_McCabe11 #goygig @Dove pic.twitter.com/AfhORr8N3B
The second moment? Yesterday. McCabe had appearances in Tallaght with the Dove Self Esteem Project, and her first visit home since the Scotland game was a special one.
“I had a meet and greet and the amount of young girls in Ireland kits, in Arsenal kits… just the excitement on their faces, parents congratulating the team for what we have achieved. That was a big moment for me to realise, ‘Wow, this has actually hit a lot of people and brought a lot of joy to a lot of kids.’ It’s giving those kids something to dream about one day.
“From where I came, being the only girl from that area to play in the boys team, to seeing all those girls with Arsenal and Ireland kits on… our Academy structure in Kilnamanagh is booming. It’s incredible and such a nice thing. For us to give those girls something to look up to, potentially taking our places in a few years, is an incredible feeling.”
Rolling back the years to when she started out with the Ireland senior team, and won her first cap in 2015, the 27-year-old “didn’t think it would take as long as it did” to reach a first-ever major tournament.
Everything is on the up — standards, support, interest — and as Ireland prepare to grace the world’s biggest stage, talk is heightening about a big home friendly. That’s an occasion McCabe and co. would certainly relish.
“Our fans have been monumental for us over the course of the campaign. Tallaght Stadium has been rocking every time we’ve played there. We owe it to the fans, and I know the FAI will be working hard to try organise something, to get a home game before we go away.”
What about the draw? Australia, Canada and Nigeria are formidable opposition. The Matildas are co-hosts, ranked 13th in the world. Canada are seventh and Olympic gold medallists, while Nigeria are an extremely strong fourth seed.
“I think, to be honest, we have one of the tougher groups. I don’t think there will be an outright winner as such because I think there are four good quality sides within that will give each other games.
“The big one is that opener against Australia, who we played last September in Tallaght. To be playing the hosts in the opener in Sydney, you couldn’t ask for a better kickstart to our first World Cup.”
She’ll meet Gunners team-mates Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley — “good friends, humble characters and fantastic footballers” — in that opening showdown, with a big Irish contingent expected.
“My brother just moved to Melbourne, literally three weeks ago,” she notes. “I’ve an uncle in New Zealand so he’ll make the journey to Sydney.
“I’ll have to try get [parents] Gary and Sharon over next year. I don’t know how my Mam will handle the flight to Sydney but she’ll have to take one for the team. Lauryn [sister] will make sure to be there as well.
“It’s fantastic to have such Irish support there in Sydney, Melbourne Perth – and we’re in Brisbane too. I’d urge fans to get buy tickets to come support us and I know the FAI is working hard to get that sorted too.”
For now, it’s all about this camp in Marbella and their upcoming fixtures — a behind-closed-door clash against Morocco on Friday, before the full international friendly next week.
Louise Quinn is in line to earn her 100th cap, the defensive stalwart a long-time team-mate of McCabe’s and former clubmate at Arsenal.
“Honestly, Louise has been such a rock for us for as long as I have been in the team and going to Tallaght to see the senior team play, such a massive figure within the team, on and off the field.
“She’s not just a fantastic player but an unbelievable person. We used to kill each other playing for Raheny against Peamount – but at Arsenal I saw another side to Louise, how she’d do anything for you, put her body on the line for whoever she’s representing.
“She’s been phenomenal, for me off the pitch too. When I got the captaincy, at the time I was quite young and I really looked up to Louise to support me in that role, I still do to this day, and I will always be grateful for that.”
McCabe, named Ireland captain at the age of 21, recently skippered the Gunners amidst injury absentees.
“To briefly captain a club like Arsenal is an unbelievable feeling. I’ve been at the club for so long. I’d much rather Kim Little being out there as well and our vice-captain Leah Williamson. But for the brief moment that Jordan [Nobbs] went off it was a massive honour. Arsenal is a massive club and it’s an absolute privilege to wear it for the last 20 minutes of the game.”
This guy is completely overratted
@jay bernard: don’t know how he warrants a contract of that size given his achievements in the game. He needs to start scoring regularly especially if the Wissam Ben Yedder rumours are true. WBY is a real fox in the box, Deschamps really rates him.
Best goal tally for 21 and under in the EPL, La Liga & Seria A in what was a shocking season under two different managers. 200k going to 300k based on incentives. Manchester born and bred. He’ll turn out to be some player yet
An absolute joke.
It’s 200k a week max as per Simon Stone – reliable United journo
@Brian: and you think that even £200,000 is acceptable for a player that scored 10 league goals last season. He’s English!!! He has been overhyped and overrated since they Day he broke into the first team by the British press, £200,000 per week for a very average player that would be more suited to playing for a team like Newcastle, Everton or Southampton. Mid table player at best, that shouldn’t be earning anything over 100,000 never mind 200,000 or 300,000.
@Devilsavocado: And eventually he will be destroyed by the British press too, I wish Utd would sell him on now
Beans Beans Beans
@Alan Brazil: is all you eat. Stand well back!
The club is a circus. Run by clowns who aren’t football men
@munsterman: and if you look at the nonsense that ich bin Brendan has been scribbling up there, it seems they are supported by a few clowns as well…..
@Devilsavocado: haha! G!mp
@Ich bin brendan: come on,, seriously mate, you really don’t believe the nonsense that you were writing in your previous posts do you?? There isn’t a club that finished in the top 5 above Utd that the lad would get into as a first team player. Not a single club that will be in the champions league next year had a bit of interest in buying him, he’s at best a bench player for Utd, but a 200,000 a week bench player??? WTF is going on at Utd that they offered that much money to him?? Where else was he going to go, they easily could have halved that and even then he should still consider himself lucky to be wearing the Utd jersey,, come on, I can’t be the only one who sees this….
@Devilsavocado: quit looking for validation. I’ll correct myself in that he didn’t score v pool in their 3-1 spanking but everything stated is fact inc. turning the best rb inside out and scoring in every debut. Barcelona were being touted as making an official approach, how much of that is being true is as truthful to say not a single team were, it would take a team of that stature to pull a local lad away from his local team. Apart from Kane for Spurs there isn’t a top 5 team that would produce an academy player like him. 200,000K is daft money but that’s the state of the club atm, not many want the Glazers there but that’s what they’re working with. I’m delighted he’s there for another 4 yrs, he’s got the wage now it’s upto him to start earning it, I believe he will.
@Ich bin brendan: ok fair enough, you have your opinion on the matter and people that actually know a bit about football have there’s. Let’s be honest here, I doesn’t matter that your opinion is obviously that of a delusional fan that can’t look at things without your fan glasses on but that’s ok,, we will leave it there and I’ll let you get back to your colouring book and crayons, there’s a good boy,, don’t stay up to late… :) validate myself, ha ha ha ha ha..
@Devilsavocado: “that actually know a bit about football” you have me stumped, you’ve trouble validating your opinionated drivel. “Ha ha ha” like I said before, G!mp
He’s got to start delivering on his promise . A lot of cash for a man still not scoring regularly but he does have the potential to be an absolute world class player I just hope he does start getting 30 odd goals a season .
On his debut he’s scored 2 in the EPL, same in his Europa, 1 Champions league and on his derby debut. Also turned the best rb in the country inside out to score against their biggest rivals, with the golden glove winner in goal!
@Ich bin brendan: can throw in his debut in the EFL & FA Cup as well. So every cup comp available to him. Calling him over rated is being bias, he’s proven he’s capable, needs consistency with age.
Reminds me of Ian Rush
His nose is offside
Even as a man utd fan, I think he doesn’t deserve this, prove your worth then get the money, he didn’t prove anything last season to deserve half this money.