Just a day after Caretaker boss Tom O'Connor guided the Ireland women's team to an unsatisfactory 2-0 win over Montenegro, the FAI have appointed leading Dutch manager Vera Pauw as head coach.
Pauw was in attendance at Tallaght Stadium for the win over Montenegro as an observer. She takes up the position with immediate effect.
Puaw has an impressive CV with international coaching experience across the globe. The 89-times capped Dutch international began her management career with Scotland in 1998 before she led the Netherlands to the European Championship Semi-Finals in 2009.
Since then she has managed the national teams in Russia and South Africa and worked as an advisor to the Thailand FA. Pauw also coached the Houston Dash for a season in the United States.
Excited
Speaking to Fai.ie, Vera Pauw said: “I am very excited at the prospect of managing the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team for the remainder of this European Championship campaign and I believe we can achieve very positive results together.
"I was impressed with what I saw versus Montenegro and I want to wish Tom well for his future career and thank him for the excellent job he has done with the Ireland team in recent weeks.”
FAI General Manager Noel Mooney added: “We are delighted to welcome Vera Pauw as our new Senior National Team Manager for what is a crucial period in the women’s game in Ireland. Our objective in making this appointment was very clear – to find the best manager to lead our talented squad to EURO 2021 in England while continuing to build sustainable growth in the high-performance sector of the women’s game.
"We worked extremely hard to find the right coach to give our squad the best opportunity possible to qualify and we have found the right candidate. Vera’s career in her native Netherlands, Scotland, South Africa and in other parts of the world demonstrate her standing as a pioneer of women’s football. We hope Vera will lead our squad to our first major senior championships and will further the growth of the women’s game here in all areas.”
Welcoming the appointment, FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter said: “Vera is a top-class manager who will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our Women’s National Team while contributing to a healthier women’s game in Ireland. I am very much looking forward to working with her.”
