King given full-time role

Liam Mackey

His first task will be to take his squad to Moscow for the opening World Cup 2007 qualifier against Russia tomorrow, a game King admitted will be a tough assignment.

Favourites Germany, along with Scotland and Switzerland, complete the group.

King has been part-time boss of the women's side senior team since 2001 and his full-time appointment to the full-time role is the first step in an ambitious FAI plan to develop the women's game in Ireland.

Niamh O' Donoghue, chairwoman of the Women's Football Association of Ireland, yesterday highlighted the progress that has been made in recent years, including a steep rise in investment from E50,000 just 10 years ago to E750,000 last year and a dramatic improvement in the senior team's rankings, from 66 out of 68 countries in the 1990s to 34 out of 121 today.

But she went on to emphasise that, as part of a four-year development plan, the FAI aims to increase the number of women participating in the sport as players, coaches, referees and administrators.

The FAI has 12,000 registered female players Ms O'Donoghue said they hope to bring that figure up to between 40,000 and 50,000 over the next four to five years. Another part in the plan is to appoint six dedicated

women's football officers.

All of this will cost money, of course, and FAI chief executive John Delaney made it clear the Association hopes to have the support of the Irish Sports Council.

Also present at yesterday's press conference in Dublin were three members of the senior team who, in common with most the majority of the squad, play their football abroad.

Ciara Grant (Arsenal FC), Elaine O'Connor (Long Island Lady Riders) and Denise Thomas (Boston Renegades) welcomed King's appointment of Noel King on a full-time basis, as well as the plan to grow the game in Ireland.

But equally, they acknowledged the problems surrounding the low profile of the women's game, something they felt could be improved by closer links with the Irish men's senior team.

Ciara Grant, who combines playing with her role as women's development officer at Highbury, said she would welcome the chance to play an international at Lansdowne Road on the same day as the men.

Grant said: "We did it last season at Arsenal. We played after the men's game and about 5,000 people stayed behind to watch us. To have that crowd there was brilliant."