Olivia O’Toole: ‘The bed sheets were covered in blood and I slept in my clothes’

Olivia O’Toole was part of the Republic of Ireland senior women’s team between 1991 and 2009. Winning more than 130 caps, she remains the team’s record goalscorer having netted 54 times. Born and bred in Dublin’s north inner-city, she remains embedded in the local community and works as a recreation officer with Dublin City Council.

Q: How did you become obsessed with football?

A: My father got me into it. He sat me down one day. I had lemonade, he had a few drinks, we had popcorn and we watched Match of the Day. I was four-years-old and George Best was playing. It was about 1973. My Da has passed away now but I still do that. I go out all day on Saturday but make a point of not knowing any of the scores because I’ll watch Match of the Day that night.