Former Banyana Banyana coach Vera Pauw has been appointed as the new manager of the Republic of Ireland Women’s national team.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced the appointment of the highly respected coach as the new manager of the national team as they look to qualify for the European Championships for the first time.
Pauw attended the Uefa Women’s Euro 2021 qualifier win against Montenegro in an observer’s role and takes up her new position with immediate effect after Tom O’Connor took charge of the opening game in Tallaght Stadium.
Capped 89 times by the Netherlands, Pauw was the first Dutch woman to play professionally outside the country when she signed for Italian side Modena in 1988. A renowned coach who is an instructor with Fifa and Uefa, the 56-year-old Pauw 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.
Speaking to Fai.ie, 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.’
