Everything you need to know about Republic of Ireland’s new head coach

The Republic of Ireland have appointed former Aston Villa coach Carla Ward as their new head coach after the country failed to qualify for Euro 2025.

The appointment follows a turbulent period for Ireland after they failed to qualify for this summer’s European Championships. A 2-1 aggregate defeat by Wales in the play-off final was enough to send a smoke signal to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), who decided against extending former head coach Gleeson’s contract.

The former Aston Villa coach has signed a contract that will see her coach Ireland until the end of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

90min breaks down everything you need to know about the new Ireland manager…

The Girls in Green will be hoping that continues after bidding farewell to former head coach Gleeson after just one year in charge. Gleeson took over after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when former head coach Vera de Pauw was relieved of her duties.

Controversy surrounded de Pauw after she was reportedly involved in a misconduct scandal that occurred during her time with NWSL team Houston Dash. Due to a rumored “dispute” with Irish captain Katie McCabe, the FAI decided against extending de Pauw’s contract following the conclusion of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Ireland now faces the start of a whole new era as Ward walks through the door. The 41-year-old comes with a wealth of experience in women’s football and rave reviews from her former players.

Before she hit the sidelines, Ward was a player who wore the jerseys of several English clubs throughout her career. She practiced her craft for the longest time at Sheffield FC, scoring more than 200 appearances and 100 goals during her time as club captain.

Ward then began her coaching career at Sheffield United, where she joined as a player assistant coach in 2017. She was given the permanent position as head coach in 2018 and led the team for two seasons before finally leaving in 2020.

The 41-year-old then spent a season as coach of Birmingham City, where the club narrowly avoided relegation from the WSL with an eleventh-place finish. Despite the poor placing, Ward was shortlisted for the WSL Manager of the Season after a tumultuous season with the club. Players and staff lodged formal complaints with the club’s board, alleging that the facilities provided did not enable them to perform at their best.

In the summer of 2021, Ward signed for Aston Villa, where she stayed for three seasons. The head coach led the Villans to fifth place in the 2022/23 season – a season in which star striker Rachel Daly took home the Golden Boot.

At the end of the 2023/24 season, Ward announced her departure from the Birmingham club, explaining her desire to escape the chaos for a moment.

Less than a year later, Ward will embark on an entirely new journey with the Republic of Ireland.

The new coach will receive some quality helping hands as former Republic of Ireland international Alan Mahon is brought in as the new assistant coach. Mahon joins the Irish ranks after spending the last 10 years with Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) giants Manchester City.

Former Arsenal legend Emma Byrne also remains goalkeeping coach after joining the team following Gleeson’s arrival.

Ward will make her coaching debut for Ireland when the Girls in Green face Turkey in the UEFA Women’s Nations League at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin on February 21.

Following her departure from Aston Villa in May 2024, Ward described the decision as one made to “prioritize the other important things – like my daughter and the rest of my family life”.

I only speak with 90min In November, Ward expressed the difficulties of balancing motherhood and full-time coaching.

“I probably didn’t realize how exhausted I was from all of this and how being a single mom trying to do this job was nearly impossible,” Ward said 90min.

After a stint at the Paris Olympics as a member of Emma Hayes’ USWNT backroom team, Ward described how the international structure works brilliantly to support motherhood in coaching. “When you play on the international team, you have almost everything exactly as you would have it every day,” Ward said.

The manager told 90min that she would “love to get into international coaching,” making her move to Ireland something we could have expected. She is not the first female coach to make the move from a club to the country; Emma Hayes, Tanya Oxtoby and Casey Stoney all made the move last year.

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