The FAI confirmed on Monday afternoon that Eileen Gleeson will continue as Ireland WNT head coach on a permanent basis.
Gleeson stepped into the role on an interim basis for the Nations League campaign in the back half of 2023, after the departure of Vera Pauw following Ireland's World Cup group-stage exit in Australia.
In a statement released by the FAI on Monday, Gleeson said she was proud to have been entrusted with the job on a permanent basis and gave a rallying cry to the players to push for "consistent" qualification for major tournaments.
For me, there is nothing greater than being Irish. To have the opportunity to lead my country on the highest stage internationally and be entrusted with the responsibility of maximising the potential of this exciting team and future Ireland players is the proudest and most humbling moment of my life to date.
Fresh from the experience of working with our fantastic players and staff during our recent UEFA Nations League campaign, and seeing all of our talented young players at underage level, there is huge potential for us to build on and to ensure consistent regular qualification for and progression in major tournaments.
I look forward to an exciting and busy 2024 on the road to qualification for the UEFA Women’s European Championships in 2025.
Gleeson was the outstanding candidate as soon as she was announced as interim boss back in August - even if she herself was initially wary of being considered for the role. In recent weeks, however, she had begun to move away from publicly ruling herself out of the running.
The 51-year-old will hope to lead Ireland to EURO 2025, off the back of their qualification for a first-ever international tournament. We've got five facts you have to know about the new Ireland WNT manager.
READ HERE: Everton Stand-In Skipper Gives Unprompted Seamus Coleman Adulation
READ HERE: Brendan Rodgers Interview Answer Doesn't Bode Well For Celtic's Season
Eileen Gleeson confirmed as permanent Ireland WNT head coach
5 December 2023; Katie McCabe of Republic of Ireland, right, and Republic of Ireland interim head coach Eileen Gleeson after the UEFA Women's Nations League B match between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Eileen Gleeson's managerial record is excellent
This will not be Gleeson's first time taking charge of a team, and she has enjoyed major success both in Ireland and abroad during her coaching career.
She won two Women's National League titles, two WNL Cups and an FAI Cup during her eight-year spell in charge of Peamount United, before turning around the fortunes of UCD Waves and bringing them to the top end of the WNL table during a three-year spell in charge.
After initially serving as an assistant to Vera Pauw when the Dutch coach arrived as manager of Ireland in 2019, Gleeson then moved to take charge of Glasgow City. Her team finished second and then won the league in her two seasons in charge, a period during which they also reached two cup finals.
She has a PhD related to women's football
Intriguingly, Eileen Gleeson spent much of the past six years working on a PhD in UCD. The study focused on decision-making in elite women's football, and followed a previous MSc in Coaching and Exercise Science.
Her decision to depart her role as UCD Waves manager in 2017 was partly due to a desire to focus more on her PhD studies.
She played a crucial role in Stephanie Roche's Puskas nomination
One of the most famous goals in recent Irish footballing memory was of course the remarkable volley which saw Peamount United's Stephanie Roche nominated for the Puskas Award in 2014.
Roche's goal came for Peamount against Wexford Youths in the WNL. Not only was Gleeson manager of Peamount at the time, but she was in fact the person who first uploaded footage of the goal to YouTube, in an attempt to bring wider attention to the wonder strike and the women's game as a whole.
Gleeson said at the time that the reaction to the video had "surpassed any attention women’s football has ever got in this country." In the video, Gleeson can be seen ecstatically reacting to the goal.
Players clearly have a special connection with her
One of the common themes throughout any press duties conducted by Ireland players during Eileen Gleeson's time in charge during the Women's Nations League earlier this year has been their affection for the interim manager.
She has been praised by various members of the playing squad for encouraging them to be more expressive on the pitch, and the more attacking playing style she has implemented has gone down a treat with players.
Perhaps most telling was Katie McCabe's response earlier this month when asked if she wanted Gleeson to stay on. The Ireland captain and Ballon d'Or nominee said that she had thoroughly enjoyed working with Gleeson, and suggested that she hoped to see her stay on permanently.
View this post on Instagram
She has played a crucial role in the promotion of women's football in Ireland
Above all else, Eileen Gleeson has proven herself more than capable of taking charge of this Ireland team on the pitch, with six wins from six and 20 goals scored across the Nations League campaign she oversaw.
She has also played a crucial role in the growth of women's football. As a member of Vera Pauw's coaching team, she was part of the setup which built an Ireland side which reached a major tournament for the first time. Since leaving Glasgow in late 2022, she has also served as Head of Women's and Girls' football in the FAI.
Her previous work in charge of Peamount saw the club grow into a genuine force at domestic level, and contend for qualification for European competition, and her push for the footage of Stephanie Roche's goal to reach a wider audience exemplifies her desire to help grow women's football.
It's hard to think of a better ambassador for Irish women's football and, with results backing her up further, it was hard to see anyone other than Eileen Gleeson landing the Ireland WNT job.
Featured image: Sportsfile
SEE ALSO: Roy Keane Tears Into 'Arrogant' Virgil Van Dijk For Manchester United Comments
