Carla Ward delights in ‘proper Irish performance' against Poland - The Halfway Line Carla Ward has said that she was 'delighted' by a ‘proper Irish performance’ on Saturday after Ireland secured a 1-0 victory over Poland.

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 ‘𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞’ 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝

🗣️ Ward was speaking after Ireland sealed back to back victories over Poland.

#COYGIG ☘️
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/20/c...

Kyra Carusa lauds ‘enjoyable’ strike partnership with Emily Murphy - The Halfway Line Kyra Carusa has said that playing up front with Emily Murphy has been ‘enjoyable’ and that ‘you can’t ask for more than that’.

𝐊𝐲𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐬 ‘𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞’ 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲

🗣️Carusa was speaking after helping Ireland to back to back victories over Poland.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/20/k...

Katie McCabe hails Ireland squad 'in a really good place' - The Halfway Line Katie McCabe has praised the 'development' of the Ireland WNT under Carla Ward stating that the team is 'in a really good place'.

𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 ‘𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞’ 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡

🗣️ The Ireland captain was full of praise for Ireland's 'development' as a squad under Carla Ward.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/18/k...

Carla Ward says 'the World Cup is a far better place' with Ireland - The Halfway Line Carla Ward has said that 'the World Cup is a far better place' when Ireland qualify but knows 'there is still work to do' for Ireland.

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 ‘𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞’ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭

🗣️The Ireland head coach is under no illusions and says ‘there is still work to do’ to make that happen.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/18/c...

Player ratings as Marissa Sheva fires Ireland past Poland - The Halfway Line In front of a crowd of 18,267 at the Aviva Stadium Ireland beat Poland 1-0 thanks to a first half strike from Marissa Sheva.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚

FT 🇮🇪 Ireland 1-0 Poland 🇵🇱

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/18/p...

Denise O'Sullivan says this Ireland squad have 'something special' - The Halfway Line Denise O'Sullivan says she feels Ireland have 'something special' and that Carla Ward, the staff and the team have given her 'belief'.

𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐎’𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 ‘𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥’

🗣️O'Sullivan was speaking after her 131st cap for her country where she helped Ireland to a crucial 1-0 victory over Poland.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/18/d...

Katie McCabe insists Ireland 'need to be ready' for 'quality' Pajor - The Halfway Line Katie McCabe has said that she has 'a lot of respect' for Ewa Pajor and that Ireland 'need to be ready' at the AVIVA Stadium.

𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 ‘𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲’ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 ‘𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲’ 𝐏𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫

🗣️ The Ireland captain was speaking ahead of a massive game at the Aviva Stadium against Poland tomorrow afternoon.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/17/k...

Kyra Carusa is 'sensational' in an Ireland shirt lauds Carla Ward - The Halfway Line Carla Ward has lauded 'sensational' Kyra Carusa after she confirmed the striker was fit and available for the match against Poland tomorrow.

𝐊𝐲𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐚 𝐢𝐬 '𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥' 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝

🗣️Ward was speaking ahead of Ireland's second match this week against Poland at the AVIVA on Saturday.
#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/17/k...

Player ratings as Ireland secure priceless away win in Poland - The Halfway Line Ireland secured a massive 3-2 victory in FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying against Poland in Gdańsk on Tuesday night.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝

FT: 🇵🇱 Poland 2-3 Ireland 🇮🇪

The Halfway Line reports on an epic battle in Gdańsk on Tuesday night.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/14/p...

Ireland vs Poland: World Cup qualifying double header preview - The Halfway Line This week Ireland and Poland will face each other home and away in crucial FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying matches.

𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

Ireland face Poland in Gdańsk tonight before the return tie in Dublin. The Halfway Line has everything you need to know pre match.
#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/14/i...

Ireland vs Poland: World Cup qualifying double header preview - The Halfway Line This week Ireland and Poland will face each other home and away in crucial FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying matches.

Delighted to collab with the Polish & European women's football expert @libertysimons.bsky.social for this bumper preview of Poland and Ireland's WCQ double header this week.

The time for talking is almost up... 🇮🇪 🇵🇱

#COYGIG

🇦🇸 vs 🇵🇬

KO is at 1am UK & Irish time, have a look on the link below if you can keep your eyes open!

www.plus.fifa.com/en/content/p...

Who can qualify for the Women's World Cup in Brazil this month? - The Halfway Line The FIFA Women's World Cup is closer than you think and The Halfway Line is here to take a look at who could book their spot this month.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡? 🇧🇷

An international break packed with drama awaits with a huge amount on the line this month alone, read more below:

#WWC27
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/10/w...

American Samoa’s Women’s World Cup fairytale takes them from ‘underdog to dark horse’ Alma Mana’o, the captain, reflects on their journey from a 21-0 defeat in 1998 to a place in the final round of qualification The American Samoa women’s team has lived through a scarcely believable tale littered with upsets, and their story is still unfolding. At the end of last year, they entered a World Cup qualification tournament containing the lowest-ranked teams in the smallest federation, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). At 153rd in the world rankings, American Samoa ranked the lowest of the low. With an estimated population of 45,319, the island’s entire population would not sell out even the smallest stadium hosting Fifa’s showpiece event next year. The national team’s captain, Alma Mana’o, talks of American Samoan culture as being “family is above all”. Multiple sets of sisters represent the team, something Mana’o relishes. “This is a family, we have got to get together, hold our sisters accountable and push each other,” she says. The Mana’o family hold the record for most family members to participate in Fifa events – “If we can’t win, we’re going to have the most kids!” Alma declares with a laugh – and American Samoa are out to prove there can be success in the family business. This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday. Continue reading...

American Samoa’s Women’s World Cup fairytale takes them from ‘underdog to dark horse’

American Samoa’s Women’s World Cup fairytale takes them from ‘underdog to dark horse’ Alma Mana’o, the captain, reflects on their journey from a 21-0 defeat in 1998 to a place in the final round of qualification

"The American Samoa women’s team has lived through a scarcely believable tale littered with upsets, and their story is still unfolding"

American Samoa’s Women’s World Cup fairytale takes them from ‘underdog to dark horse’ Alma Mana’o, the captain, reflects on their journey from a 21-0 defeat in 1998 to a place in the final round of qualification

Enjoyed this on the rise of American Samoa, from underdog to dark horse for next year’s Women’s World Cup. By Tom Maher for @sport.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Thanks Andrew!!

Delighted to say that I have been published in The Guardian! I wrote the most recent Moving the Goalposts newsletter on the compelling story of the ultimate underdogs, American Samoa!

Hope you enjoy it!

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Sonia Bompastor says standard of refereeing is 'not good enough' - The Halfway Line Sonia Bompastor has criticised the standard of refereeing after she was sent off for protesting an egregious decision against her team.

𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 ‘𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡’

🗣️Bompastor was speaking after her Chelsea side beat Arsenal 1-0 on the night but were eliminated from the #UWCL on aggregate.

#CFCW
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/02/s...

Renée Slegers says Katie McCabe hair pull was not deliberate - The Halfway Line Renée Slegers said that she does not believe that Katie McCabe meant to pull Alyssa Thompson's hair in the UWCL last night.

𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞́𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞

🗣️Slegers was speaking after her Arsenal side advanced to the #UWCL semi finals despite defeat on the night to Chelsea.

#AWFC
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/02/r...

Player ratings as Arsenal advance despite Chelsea fightback - The Halfway Line Arenal advanced to the semi final of the UEFA Women's Champions League despite a 1-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐖𝐂𝐋 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤

Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (agg: 2-3)

#UWCL #CHEARS
thehalfwayline.com/2026/04/01/p...

Player ratings as goal ravenous Russo helps Arsenal stun Spurs - The Halfway Line An Alessia Russo hat-trick ensured Arsenal climbed to second in the WSL table after an emphatic 5-2 victory over rivals Spurs.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬

FT: Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Alessia Russo scored a hat-trick as Arsenal climbed to second in the WSL with derby day victory.

thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/28/p...

𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥.

The new Ireland WNT rugby captain spoke to me ahead of the 6 nations.

Against Scotland, King will become the first Irish women’s rugby captain to lead the side out at the AVIVA Stadium in a competitive match.

𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫. ☘️

What would an Ireland WNT U23s squad look like? - The Halfway Line What would an Ireland WNT U23s squad look like? The Halfway Line has assembled a squad to answer that very question.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐍𝐓 𝐔𝟐𝟑𝐬 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?

The Halfway Line has assembled this hypothetical squad to help demonstrate why the implementation of an Ireland WNT Under 23s squad is so critical.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/23/w...

What would an Ireland WNT U23s squad look like? - The Halfway Line What would an Ireland WNT U23s squad look like? The Halfway Line has assembled a squad to answer that very question.

Take a read of the full article below: thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/23/w...

For @thehalfwayline.bsky.social I did my best to compose what an U23 Ireland WNT side could look like.

While a fun exercise, the goal is to illustrate just how important it is that the FAI makes the team a reality and gives players at a pivotal developmental age the opportunity.

#COYGIG ☘️

Amber Cosgrove lauds DLR squad 'working really hard' to improve - The Halfway Line Amber Cosgrove spoke exclusively to The Halfway Line about team bonding, her versatility and DLR Waves biggest four legged fan...

𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐬 𝐃𝐋𝐑 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐝 ‘𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝’ 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞

🗣️ The DLR Waves star spoke exclusively to The Halfway Line about team bonding, her versatility and DLR's biggest four legged fan…

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/20/a...

Katie Malone will 'cherish' memories of Palestine match 'forever' - The Halfway Line Katie Malone spoke to The Halfway Line about her goalscoring inspiration, making her injury comeback and solidarity with Palestine.

𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 '𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡' 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 '𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫'

🗣️The Bohemians number 10 talked all things her goalscoring inspiration, her injury comeback and solidarity with Palestine.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/12/k...

Eva Mangan calls for the FAI to create an Ireland Under 23s team - The Halfway Line Eva Mangan spoke to The Halfway Line about her love of football, her first international call up and the season ahead for Cork City.

𝐄𝐯𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦

🗣️Cork City captain Eva Mangan spoke exclusively to The Halfway Line recently including about the Irish development pathways.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/10/e...

Carla Ward says window demonstrated 'very clear improvement' - The Halfway Line Carla Ward has lauded this international window as 'one of the most powerful windows' she's had as Ireland head coach.

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 '𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭' 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝

🗣️Ward was speaking after Ireland's narrow loss to Netherlands in Utrecht.

#COYGIG
thehalfwayline.com/2026/03/09/c...