The Republic of Ireland have appointed former Aston Villa manager 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 failing to qualify for this summer’s Euros. A 2-1 aggregate defeat against Wales in the play-off final was enough to send a smoke signal to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), who decided not to renew former head coach Gleeson’s contract.
The former Aston Villa manager has signed a deal that will see her in charge of Ireland until the end of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
90 min breaks down everything you need to know about Ireland’s new manager…
The Carla Ward era has officially begun. 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/XviKPCW1I5
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) January 15, 2025
The Girls in Green will be hoping this one sticks, after saying goodbye to former head coach Gleeson after a 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 following his involvement in a misconduct scandal that occurred during his time with the NWSL’s Houston Dash. In association with a rumored “fallout” with Ireland captain Katie McCabe, the FAI decided not to renew De Pauw’s contract at the end of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Ireland are about to enter a new era as Ward walks through the gates. The 41-year-old comes with a wealth of experience in the women’s game, as well as glowing reviews from her former players.
Before moving to the touchline, Ward was a player who wore the shirt of several English clubs throughout her career. Sheffield FC where he plied his trade for the longest time, surpassing 200 appearances and 100 goals during his time as club captain.
Ward then began her coaching career at Sheffield United, where she was signed as assistant player coach in 2017. In 2018 she was given the role of permanent head coach, having managed the side for two seasons before of his eventual departure in 2020.
The 41-year-old then spent one season in charge of Birmingham City, where the club narrowly escaped relegation from the WSL after an 11th place finish. Despite the low finish, Ward was named in the WSL manager of the season shortlist after a turbulent campaign with the club. Players and staff lodged formal complaints with the club’s board, claiming that the facilities on offer did not allow them to perform to the best of their abilities.
It was in the summer of 2021 that Ward signed for Aston Villa, where he stayed for three seasons. The head coach engineered the Villans to a fifth-placed finish in 2022/23, a campaign that saw star striker Rachel Daly take home the Golden Boot award.
It was at the end of the 2023/24 campaign that Ward announced his departure from the Birmingham club, explaining his eagerness to take a momentary step away from the chaos.
Less than a year later, and Ward is embarking on a new journey with the Republic of Ireland.
The new manager will have high quality hands as former Republic of Ireland international Alan Mahon joins as the new assistant manager. Mahon joins the Ireland ranks after spending the last 10 years with Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) giants Manchester City.
Former Arsenal legend Emma Byrne will also remain as goalkeeping coach after joining the squad upon Gleeson’s arrival.
Ward will make her Ireland coaching debut when the Girls in Green take on Turkey in the UEFA Women’s Nations League on February 21 at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin.
When he left Aston Villa in May 2024, Ward described the decision as one that was made “to prioritize the other important things, like my daughter and the rest of my family life”.
Speaking exclusively to 90 minutes in novemberWard expressed the difficulties of balancing motherhood and full-time training.
“I probably didn’t realize how tired I was of everything and trying to be a single mom while doing this job was almost impossible,” Ward said. 90 minutes
After spending time at the Paris Olympics as a member of Emma Hayes’ USWNT staff, Ward described how the international setup works brilliantly to support motherhood in training. “When you’re in the international setup you pretty much have everything exactly like you would every day,” Ward said.
The manager said 90 minutes that she would “love to get into international coaching”, making her move to Ireland something we should have seen coming. She is not the first manager to make the switch from one club to another, with Emma Hayes, Tanya Oxtoby and Casey Stoney making the move in the past year.
