As a proud sponsor of the UEFA Women’s Under 19 Championship 2017 taking place from 8 – 20 August, and as part of a wider campaign to support #GameChangers within women’s football in Northern Ireland, we caught up with the Northern Ireland Women’s U19 and Senior Manager, Alfie Wylie, to find out more about the progress being made with women’s football here in Northern Ireland.
“We’ve an exceptionally good, clear player pathway. There’s the excellence programme and a skills development centre now for girls of 9 and 10, and after that they can go into our regional excellence programme, that’s based over four regions throughout Northern Ireland. Girls are in this from 11 years of age up to 16,” explains Alfie Wylie.
This clear pathway is great for women’s football locally, and Electric Ireland are delighted to be supporting the development of women’s football in Northern Ireland, and working with the IFA and numerous coaches, can hopefully create game changers that can help shape the women’s game for years to come.
When asked about Electric Ireland’s support of women’s football in Northern Ireland, Wylie added, “Electric Ireland is great for the support of women’s football, supporting at all levels, supporting our grassroots, supporting our excellence programme and supporting our international programme, so they’re supporting women at every level, making sure everybody is catered for.”
How big is the UEFA Women’s Under 19 Championship for Northern Ireland?
As the proud sponsor of the UEFA Women’s under 19 Championship 2017 in Northern Ireland, Electric Ireland are looking forward to seeing the Northern Ireland under 19 women’s team test themselves against the top women’s teams from across Europe, and Alfie is excited by the prospect of taking on some of Europe’s finest.
“It’s (UEFA Women’s Under 19 Championship) a tremendous opportunity to show how much we’ve progressed. A great opportunity to show how well we’ve come on and an opportunity to learn off others. In our group, we’ve 3 teams (Germany, Scotland and Spain) whose senior national side have just taken part in the full women’s championship (UEFA Women’s Championship).” This highlights the level at which the girls will be testing themselves against, and with a record crowd of 4,200 attending the opening game against Spain, it’s fair to say the tournament has caught the eye of local football fans.
Developments in women’s football in Northern Ireland
Having been involved in coaching women’s football in Northern Ireland for over 10 years, there are very few people better placed than Alfie to talk about the progress made in the local game, and the opportunities available for young girls looking to get into football for the first time.
“We’ve a very good league now run by NIWFA. There are a lot of good structures (in place), and we now have youth leagues, at U13, U15 and U17. As well as this, we’ve just launched the IFA Performance Academy at Ulster University. The IFA are investing in players and committing a lot of money to each of their fees each year, and as well as their education we’ll be doing football coaching and fitness training that they take full advantage of.
There is a great opportunity now for girls to develop at the highest level here, rather than go out of the country, and from that we hope they’ll develop and maybe get a chance at a full-time career (as a footballer or coach),” says Wylie.
When asked about the advice he would have for young girls considering trying out football for the first time, Wylie added, “Come in to enjoy it. They’re (Northern Ireland U19 team) young girls who enjoy playing football. Come in and enjoy it. Express yourself, learn, and come in with an open mind. Always test yourself. Never be satisfied with what you've got. Work harder. We (IFA) provide a great, clear player pathway, but if you don’t want that there’s the social aspect of it. Meeting friends for life, it’s a healthy sport and you’ll make new contacts. It’s a great life experience playing girls football.”
This is a key message here from Wylie, as for many of us playing football across Northern Ireland, it should be something to enjoy, and is a great way to make friends for life.
What makes a game changer?
Electric Ireland is committed to supporting participation and health and wellbeing in sport by championing women’s football and the important role it plays here in Northern Ireland, and we will be championing local game changers along the way. Alfie is a real role model in local football and a true game changer in helping the local women’s game make great strides in recent years, both on and off the field, so we asked Alfie to share some of the traits he feels are needed to be a game changer.
“Proper attitude, dedication, a willingness to learn and a willingness to work hard and take the setbacks. We can all be a game changer,” explains Wylie.
How can people get involved and become a game changer with their local club?
Women’s football in Northern Ireland continues to go from strength to strength, and the UEFA Women’s under 19 Championship will help put the local game in the spotlight for the next 12 days. But how can you help make a difference and become a game changer for your club? Alfie had some helpful advice here; “there are roles for everyone. We need people to stay in the game and develop their clubs and have roles in them. We need women to take up coaching positions. There are opportunities for anyone at any level to come in, and with the Electric Ireland sponsorship, there is a great opportunity now to build on it.”
The future of women’s football in Northern Ireland
Here at Electric Ireland, we are proud to be the partner of Women’s Grassroots football in Northern Ireland, and the proud sponsor of both the Electric Ireland Women’s Schools’ Cup, and the Electric Ireland Women’s Challenge Cup. We are on the lookout for local #GameChangers and helping to inspire the next generation of female footballers in Northern Ireland. So, what does Alfie think lies ahead for the women’s game locally over the coming years?
“Now, women’s football in Northern Ireland, the IFA have supported tremendously what we’ve done, and now with fantastic support from Electric Ireland, there’s no excuses for anyone. We can put together programmes so that everyone will be #GameChangers,” expresses Wylie.
Wylie added, “when someone within the country is taken from a local club and signs pro in England, what a day that will be.”
We can see that with people like Alfie Wylie involved in the women’s game in Northern Ireland, the future of the game certainly looks bright, and with the UEFA Women’s under 19 Championship attracting large crowds to cheer on the Northern Ireland team, let’s hope we can start to create #GameChangers who can really bring the game to the next level.
Share your local #GameChangers with us
Have you any personal #GameChangers who have helped you in football, sport or anything else that made a real difference in your life? Share your story with us on the Electric Ireland NI Facebook or Twitter page using the hashtag #GameChangers.
Through our Club Game Changers scheme you can support your local football club when you switch to Electric Ireland. Your selected club will get £25 and you save up to £50 when you switch. Find out more here.