'There's a pathway now for girls coming through'

Rachel O’Hanlon is only 25, but she already occupies several roles across Irish football; coaching young players in the CMUL Academy, coaching Dundalk’s U17 team as well as travelling on international camps as assistant kit and equipment manager with the Ireland women’s national team. All the while Rachel is also a dedicated childminder for Lakeview Afterschool in Cavan. Nicole McDermott spoke to the Ballyhaise native about her journey into football, what it’s like inside the Ireland setup, and why it matters for the next generation of girls coming through the game.

Anglo-Celt: You’re on your way to the next international match with the Irish squad against Poland. How do you juggle this with regular work and coaching commitments?

Rachel O’Hanlon: I’m lucky with my work. My boss is brilliant. The camps are usually around 13 days long and we’d have about five a year. The dates are planned well in advance.

AC: You travel a bit for your various coaching commitments.

Rachel: Yeah, I travel up to Dundalk for training with the U17s and I still coach the CMUL U13s. It’s been great because you see the girls progressing all the time.

AC: Have many players moved on from those teams to higher levels?

Rachel: Quite a few. There are girls who’ve gone on to play with different national league clubs. Off the top of my head there’d be about five playing with Longford at the minute, and another six involved with Dundalk between their Women’s Development League team and the Under-17s. Then players like Muireann Daly with Athlone, Sarah McCaffrey with Shelbourne, Bonnie McKiernan with Sligo and of course Leanne Kiernan. It’s brilliant to see them making that jump and getting opportunities to progress.

AC: The women’s game has grown massively in recent years. Are you seeing that at grassroots level?

Rachel: Definitely. The girls’ leagues only really started around 2019 and the growth since then has been outstanding. Even locally now you’re seeing new teams starting up.

AC: Recently a new team in Ballyjamesduff and Clones...

Rachel: ...and Newtown Celtic have just entered a women’s team as well. It’s fantastic because it gives more opportunities for girls to keep playing right up into senior football. It’s not only for girls coming through the underage system. There are women who might have played when they were younger, stopped for a while, and now they can come back and start again. I’ve spoken to a few who said the last time they played was when they were teenagers and now they’re delighted to be back involved. It’s great for meeting people as well as playing the sport.

AC: How did you get involved with the Ireland setup?

Rachel: I studied Sport and Recreation in Cavan Institute and I’ve done my UEFA C coaching licence. I saw a volunteer role advertised with the Ireland Women’s Under-19s for a camp. To be honest, I didn’t expect to hear anything back.

AC: But you did...

Rachel: I ended up getting the role. It was brilliant because I had the support of John Crudden, who’s the men’s Under-21 kit manager. He gave me loads of advice about how everything works. Then last September the job with the senior women’s team came up. I applied and was lucky enough to get it.

AC: It’s not just hanging up the jerseys up an hour before the match. What all does it involve?

Rachel: There’s a lot going on behind the scenes. It’s everything from making sure all the training equipment is ready, getting the kit prepared, making sure that the players have always got the right gear, and the gear is turned around in time and ready for them to train the next day, make sure everyone’s happy and comfortable and ready to play. But being there also lets you see the whole environment up close.

AC: Is that something you can benefit from as a coach? What stands out for you?

Rachel: For me personally, I’ve grown up as a football fan, so that’s huge. For me it’s seeing all the different people involved in keeping things running. Being able to get the exposure of being at training sessions, being in team meetings, being able to see how they operate. You have physios constantly working with players to deal with knocks and injuries, nutritionists making sure everything is right with food and recovery, analysts preparing clips for team meetings. When you’re watching from the outside you don’t really see all that day-to-day work that goes into it. But also then, from a coach’s perspective, where I’m able to watch and take that information back - the way they are setting up, the structure of their sessions, the recovery. You’re really shown what an elite environment is like and bring that knowledge back.

AC: Some the CMUL players went to the AVIVA to watch the women play France. How important is it for young girls to experience watching women play at this level?

Rachel: It’s huge. When I first started coaching with Ballyhaise we used to bring girls to Ireland women’s games just so they could see it for themselves. A lot of young players grow up only seeing men’s football on TV. It’s important that they see these women are professional athletes who are excelling at their sport.

AC: And seeing someone they know involved in the setup probably helps as well...

Rachel: I think so. A lot of the girls I coach have known me for years – from when they first started playing in blitz days. So when they see someone they know involved in the national team environment it shows them there’s a pathway there. Whether it’s as a player, a coach or part of the backroom staff, there are opportunities.

AC: When you’re standing pitchside during an international match, how badly do you want to run on yourself?

Rachel (laughs): Do I even need to answer that? I will say, after watching them train, I’m absolutely nowhere near that level. But hearing the national anthem, standing there with everyone singing and the crowd behind you – it’s still a special feeling. Every now and again you do think: just give me five minutes.

AC: At 25 you still have a long future in the game.

Rachel: Hopefully, yeah. So far, it’s been brilliant. I’ve loved every minute of it.