Things have really moved to the next level for the Republic of Ireland National Women's Team both on and off the pitch in recent years.
While they have finally been given the same recognition as the men's side, results on the pitch have also improved quite a bit. They now look like favourites to secure a World Cup play-off place in the months ahead, with a first ever appearance at a major tournament a real possibility.
The home game against Finland in September will go a long way to deciding who will get second place in the qualifying group behind Sweden. Many have suggested that this fixture be moved from Tallaght Stadium to the Aviva Stadium as a result in order to get a larger crowd to cheer the team on.
However, not all are convinced that this would be the wisest decision.
Katie McCabe not sold on Aviva Stadium move
Speaking at the launch of Cadbury's campaign to support Irish women's grassroots football, Ireland captain Katie McCabe admitted she would not be in favour of moving such a pivotal fixture to the Lansdowne Road stadium.
If you're asking me should we play (September's World Cup qualifier against) Finland in the Aviva Stadium then I would say no.
That’s just my personal opinion. I haven’t spoken to other players on that or to the manager or anything like that, I don’t see why mid-campaign we’d switch home grounds.
I think especially within the middle of a campaign, there's no need for us to switch home ground. Tallaght is our home, we love playing there.
I think until we start selling that out there’s no need to jump the gun and start playing in the Aviva. I'm not saying we should never play there as the women’s national team, not at all.
I do think going forward, if we want to continue to grow the game - especially in Ireland - Aviva Stadium games would be nice, but let’s crack it off with a friendly against England or the USA or something, not in the middle of a qualifying campaign.
Tallaght Stadium has hosted some large crowds for games featuring Vera Pauw's side, with the fixture against Ukraine in 2019 drawing a record of attendance of 5,328 spectators. The ground has a capacity of 8,000.
McCabe is certainly open to the idea of fixtures in the Aviva Stadium in the future, although she feels selling out Tallaght should be their focus for the remainder of this campaign.
I think for us there is no need to move the Finland game to the Aviva Stadium. The stakes are high in these last three games, obviously two of them are away.
For me it’s all about that timing of when that women’s national team game will be held at the Aviva and answering honestly I don’t think Finland is the right time for me.
Would I love to see future games? Maybe at the start of a new campaign? Absolutely. But we've not sold Tallaght Stadium out yet so that's my opinion on it. Until we start continuously selling out Tallaght Stadium, we can't just start heading to the Aviva. I'd rather play at a packed out Tallaght Stadium than maybe one or two stands full in the Aviva.
But that's my personal opinion. I've not discussed that with the team because it's all hearsay right now.
Ireland will face Georgia in their next qualifier in June, where they will be expected to pick up three points against a side they beat 11-0 earlier in the campaign.
That would set up that crunch clash against Finland, where a victory should be enough to secure a place in the play-offs.
Katie McCabe was speaking after being announced as a brand ambassador to a new Cadbury campaign dedicated to supporting Irish women’s grassroots football, ‘Become a Supporter and a Half’.
SEE ALSO: The Greatest LOI Recap In The World: That's Why Shamrock Rovers Are Favourites
