Ahead of competing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Ireland Women’s National Team captain Katie McCabe boldly stated: “We don’t just want to create history, we want to leave a legacy.”

With more women and girls involved in football than ever before in Ireland, that legacy is certainly underway following the performances of the WNT at the World Cup in Australia – and their subsequent promotion-winning UEFA Nations League campaign.

There are more girls playing football at Grassroots level, more female coaches earning UEFA qualifications, more fans attending League of Ireland and WNT games, more female Referees than ever before and more women returning to football at amateur and recreation level through programmes like Cadbury Kick Fit.

The influence of WNT sponsors has also been significant with Sky Ireland bringing national and international visibility of the WNT, Cadbury Ireland making a difference in communities with their ‘Grounds For Change’ initiative and Circle K supporting the FAI Club Mark programme.

FAI Director of Football Marc Canham praised the impact of hard work across all levels of the game. “It is brilliant to see the progress being made on women and girls’ football, especially in what has been a truly special year for our Ireland Women’s National Team and also a significant step forward made in terms of governance with the FAI Board set to reach an equal gender balance following an agreement by our General Assembly.

“We are making steady progress on the targets set out in our 2022-2025 FAI Strategy but there remains a lot of work to do. In order to achieve our goals, we need to maintain a consistent level of cooperation with clubs, leagues, Sport Ireland, Government, UEFA, FIFA, our sponsors and key stakeholders to ensure that we fulfil the full potential of women and girls’ football."

FAI Grassroots Director Ger McDermott echoed those sentiments by highlighting the hard work done throughout the year. “I’d like to acknowledge the fantastic work that the FAI staff does on a daily basis to drive the development of Irish football forward. When we can recognise the clear progress being made, like we are doing here with women and girls’ football, it is a reflection on what our staff contributes to their local communities, towns, cities and counties to continually develop football and change lives for the better.

"It is also important to note the impact that female volunteers continue to have on the development of women and girls' football at all levels. We have seen an increase in volunteers in this area in 2023, which is very encouraging as they will help to drive our game forward."

Below are some key statistics to highlight the growth of Women and Girls’ football in 2023:

GRASSROOTS
- 51 per cent increase in women trained on Referee Beginner Courses.

- 107 girls took part in an Underage Club Futsal Programme in Gormanston, Meath.

- 210 per cent increase on girls who were in the UEFA Disney Playmakers with over 250 coaches fully trained up to deliver the programme.

- 610 women were regularly involved in the Cadbury Kick Fit programme at 32 clubs around the country.

- 3,020 players and coaches took part in a new AVIVA Soccer Sisters programme that included 53 workshops, practical sessions and regional blitzes.

FOOTBALL PATHWAYS
- 4 games as Assistant Referee for Michelle O’Neill at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, along with the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final.

- 20% female representation across our UEFA Licence coaching courses, with a huge increase on women under 30 getting involved since the World Cup.

- 24 players participated in the first ever FAI / Fingal Girls’ Transition Course.

- 68 goals scored, 16 wins and 9 clean sheets collectively recorded by the Ireland Women's Under-19, Under-17 and Under-16 teams.

- 550 players took part in the Girls’ Centre of Excellence this year in 11 different Centres around the country.

FOOTBALL FOR ALL
- 2 female players were part of the Ireland Powerchair squad who competed in this year’s FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup in Australia.

- 4th place finish for the Ireland Women’s Homeless World Cup Team at this year’s tournament in Sacramento, USA.

- 5th place finish for the Ireland Deaf Women’s Futsal Team at this year’s World Cup in Brazil.

- 733 per cent increase on female participation in Cerebral Palsy Football with the Ireland Women’s CP Team winning their first ever Nations League.

LEAGUE OF IRELAND
- 2 players from Shamrock Rovers featured for Ireland WNT in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with nine other former League players in the squad.

- 11 clubs in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division were able to offer professional contracts to players for the first time.

- 12 live televised games across TG4 and RTÉ - which is a new record - covering both the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division and the Sports Direct Women's FAI Cup Final.

- 20 different clubs competed in the EA SPORTS LOI Academy Programme, which is a record number on the back of three new clubs joining in 2023.

- 41.5 per cent increase on attendances in the Women’s Premier Division with a new single-game record set on four different occasions.

- 50 per cent gender balance on the National League Committee (NLC).

- 130+ games live-streamed on LOITV across all competitions, plus added focus on the League from TG4's 'Underdog' series.

- 2023 saw two new competitions introduced with the President’s Cup and the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup.

IRELAND WNT
- 2 players (Denise O’Sullivan and Diane Caldwell) entered the Centurion Club after reaching over 100 appearances – making it seven in total for Ireland WNT.

- 6 competitive wins in a row was a new record set by the Ireland WNT in their successful UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign.

- 22nd place became the highest position that Ireland WNT have reached in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.

- 35,499 fans set a new Ireland WNT home attendance record in the team’s first ever game at Aviva Stadium.

- 61,793 fans attended Ireland WNT home games across five games in 2023 (with a first ever WNT Season Ticket package introduced).

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
- 1,000 different Watch Parties took place around the country during each of Ireland WNT’s three games at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

- 75,784 was the attendance for Ireland WNT’s opening game of the World Cup against Australia in Sydney – the seventh highest in women’s football history.

- 300,000 copies of a WNT Activity Book were distributed for free to local libraries and at FAI Football Camps.

- 500,000 euro committed by the Government in a fund earmarked for Grassroots girls’ programmes at a pre-World Cup ceremony.

- 659,000 people tuned into RTÉ2 for the Ireland WNT versus Canada game at its peak, thus making it the most watched WNT game ever.

50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
- 1 reunion of players and officials from first ever Ireland WNT from 1973.

- 2 events held to present 50-Year Commemorative Caps to over 300 players.

- 3 Women’s FAI Cup Finals (1972, 1973, 1974) officially recognised with records updated.

- 40 administrators invited to Ireland WNT v Hungary game to recognise their impact on women and girls’ football.

- 250+ women who represented Ireland WNT, from 1973 to 2023, attended the UEFA Nations League game against Northern Ireland in Aviva Stadium.