In just ten days' time, the Irish national women’s team take to the field to face tournament hosts Australia in the Republic’s first-ever women’s world cup. Star players like Katie McCabe and Sinead Farrelly led the Girls in Green to the remarkable achievement and will look to do their country proud in Australia.
However, despite gaining a lot more attention and popularity in recent years, women’s football in Ireland has a long history with many players serving as trailblazers in their time and inspiring Vera Pauw’s team today.
One such example is the story of Anne O’Brien who was the first Irish female to play professional football outside of Ireland before going on to have a successful career both as a player and a coach.
Having been born in Inchicore, Dublin in 1956, Anne moved to the French side Stade de Reims at the age of just 17 after they toured Dublin. After winning three league titles with the side, she moved to Italy in 1976 joining Lazio in Rome.
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Anne enjoyed enormous success in Italy, particularly with Lazio but also with others such as Trani, Napoli and Milan, she managed to lift six league titles and two Italian Women's Cups.
Football writers at the time described her as an “elegant midfield playmaker,” with excellent intelligence and passing. In 2014, the Italian football great, Carolina Morace, named O'Brien as one of the best players in the world and said she served as an inspiration.
Despite her domestic success in France and Italy, she only played four times for Ireland due to the FAI's reluctance to call up players based abroad. Due to travel and accommodation costs, she was only selected for Ireland’s most important fixtures.
After retiring from professional football in 1994, Anne remained in Rome. She served as Lazio's manager in the mid-2000s and later worked for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as a coach. After a short illness, she died in Rome on the 29th of August 2016.
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Anne’s extraordinary life and career have been remembered recently in a piece by Dublin Canvas, who paint and colour electrical boxes around the city. There is now one of Anne O’Brien on Bulfin Road in Inchicore, right beside the Richmond Road ground.
With the buzz of excitement around the Irish women’s team at the moment, it is the perfect time to reflect on those who have come before the current crop of stars. Players like Anne O’Brien have helped to drive the popularity and respect of the women's game and can serve as a massive inspiration to the Girls in Green as they take on the world’s best in the World Cup.
Conor Paterson