Carla Ward makes worrying remarks about conditions, player welfare in US defeat
Ireland head coach Carla Ward has claimed that conditions were 'dangerous' and that players were 'almost begging' to be taken off during Sunday's 4-0 defeat to the USA in Cincinnati.
The match was played in 31-degree heat, and with high humidity that made things feel even hotter at pitch level inside the TQL Stadium.
Ward revealed that during the first of two water breaks, midway through the first-half, players were asking at that stage to be subbed off.
She waited until half-time to make any changes, with three players - Chloe Mustaki, Abbie Larkin and Emily Murphy - coming off and some of them feeling unwell.
'On 22 minutes there were a couple of players asking to come off, we couldn't make those changes,' Ward told RTÉ's Tony O'Donoghue after the game.
'Then at half-time we had sadly three forced changes, physically, the fatigue, a couple of them were, it's safe to say, unwell at half-time. So we had to make those changes.
'Again, even through the second-half, players were almost begging to come off and we couldn't do anything about it. Look, they've left everything out there and been sensational.'
When quizzed about the value of that game and the player welfare side of competing in such conditions, Ward replied: 'I've talked about it a lot with yourself this week and throughout my entire managerial career.
"I think the camp itself, we've learned an awful lot, there has been a lot to take away.
"We can't do anything about the heat, but I think you (O'Donoghue) know, you are here, it's dangerous, it has been quite dangerously hot out here today, and with humidity at 94 I don't think I've ever felt anything like it.
'We have to take the positives and the positives from the overall camp, and our job now is to try and get these girls safely home.'
As for the Irish performance, Ward added: 'It's difficult, right, because you are playing against the best in the world.
'But I think overall as a camp it has been a powerful one in terms of learning and educating in various ways.
'But tonight, whilst I think the performance was better, they've left everything out there and you can see there are some really, how do I put it politically correct on TV, some tired bodies, shall I say.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Euro 2025: Predictions and the players to watch
Later this week, Euro 2025 will kick off in Switzerland and every match will be live to watch across RTÉ platforms. Ahead of Wednesday's big kick-off, former Republic of Ireland team-mates Rachel Graham and Méabh De Búrca joined the RTÉ Soccer Podcast to preview the 16-team tournament - which the Girls in Green narrowly missed out on via the play-offs - on a group-by-group and discussed some of the leading lights that are likely to take the championships by storm. As for which nation will emerge triumphant after the final in Basel on 27 July, both De Búrca and Graham felt the reigning World Cup holders still stand above all others right now. "Spain, it's hard to look past them to be honest," said ex-Ireland international De Búrca. "They're going well and the confidence after the World Cup, I think all expectation will be on them. "I wouldn't expect England to be too far behind but France as well I think are probably due a big tournament and I always like to watch the French team play." Shelbourne midfielder Graham was in agreement about the three likeliest contenders. "I don't think there are any other three that you would say," she said. "I just think Spain are just so strong. It's very hard to see past them. I think England and France are the ones that are going to put it up most to them. "So I'll go for a Spain win, but it would great to see Spain-England or Spain-France in the final." When it comes to players to watch across the 16 teams on show in Switzerland, beyond the stars of Spain like double Ballon d'Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, Graham pointed to youngsters capable of making a mark. "Even in England, there's Aggie Beever-Jones, who's currently at Chelsea, 21, and has come in recently enough into the English squad and has done really well," she said. "Then they've young Michelle Agyemang who's only 19. She came on a couple of weeks ago and scored with near enough her first touch, on her debut, and definitely has shone at the underage level in England and she's definitely a young player I'd be excited to look at. "And then there's a couple of good wingers. There's Esmee Brugts, who plays for Barcelona. She's on the Netherlands (squad) and an exciting winger. It's a good mix in this tournament. There are some really well known players that we're looking forward to but there's definitely some good young talent as well in a lot of the squads." De Búrca also picked a mix of experience and youth among her players to keep an eye on. "(Alessia) Russo I think for England, she was more of a game-changer or a sub in the last tournament. I'd expect her to be starting now," she said of the Arsenal striker, while also spotlighting her team-mate Lauren James of Chelsea and tipping Vivianne Miedema to give the Netherlands a much-needed edge. "The likes of Grace Clinton as well, another young player for England too, that I think is due a big tournament. "In terms of young players, maybe one that will stand out in the Spanish team is Vicky Lopez. She's only 18, a winger as well, and her along with (Salma) Paralluelo who already lit up our screens at the World Cup, she's only young as well and along with Claudia Pina, who's 23 which is still relatively young."
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Rookie Anna Foster finding form ahead of Irish Open
Anna Foster always felt she could compete at the level required to be a Ladies European Tour player. That ability was evident over the weekend as she tied for fourth at the German Masters, the best finish so far of her professional career. Foster shot four-under at The Golf and Country Club Seddiner See, five shots behind winner Shannon Tan. 'The golf course we played in Germany was quite tough,' Pinergy ambassador Foster, ranked 436th in the world, explained on Monday morning. 'I just allowed myself to make mistakes and just kind of move on straight away, stay really patient throughout the week. My main goal is to try and hang around, just kind of be there or thereabouts. The Sunday was tough, so I was really happy with how I managed to kind of stick in and climb a good bit up the leaderboard.' The Dublin golfer took the step up from amateur level before last year's Women's Irish Open and is now 10 months into her professional career. She earned a tour card at Q School in December at the same time as fellow Irish golfers Sara Byrne and Annabel Wilson. 'We've got to travel to some really cool places and it's a great way to see the world,' she said about her rookie season on tour. 'I was lucky enough to get through Q School and get my full card, which has given me the freedom to plan my year up to a certain point and affords me to take weeks off here and there, which is definitely needed.' The transition from college golf - she played at the Alabama-based Auburn University - has been relatively easy for Foster. It's the off-course factors, like getting the right team around her, which have required adjustment. 'This is now my business and career compared to it being a hobby, even though amateur golf is now basically semi-professional at this point anyway,' she said. 'Golf-wise, there wasn't a huge step up or transition. 'The first half of the year was quite travel heavy, being outside of Europe, in Australia and South Africa and Korea. Now that we're back in Europe, it feels so much easier.' The presence of plenty of familiar faces like Byrne and Wilson, along with Olivia Mehaffey, Lauren Walsh, and Canice Screene has also made the transition easier. 'There's a nice group of Irish girls out on tour as well, so that makes a huge difference in the small things throughout the week, like sharing accommodation and just always having a smiling face in the players' lounge,' said Foster. 'We've known each other almost 10 years. To be able to come up through the amateur and college system and come out the other end, we all get each other. There's also a healthy level of competition as well between us. We want each other to do well. We also want to beat each other as well.' At this week's Women's Irish Open, which like last year is being played at Carton House, there will be a record 16 Irish competitors - seven professional and nine amateur. Earlier this year, Foster's home club Elm Park held a fundraiser to ease her into the professional ranks. It took off some pressure to perform in those early months. Now she's also easing that pressure. "I have a bit more freedom finishing fourth last week, Order of Merit wise," she said. "I'm comfortable now for the next while so I can go out and just try and do my best for the next few weeks. It's exciting. 'It's a good place to be in. If someone had said it to me at the start of the year that I'd be in this position now, I would have definitely taken it.'
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Irish bookmaker to become West Ham shirt sponsor in £13m deal
Irish bookmaker BoyleSports is due to be unveiled as the new shirt sponsor for West Ham football club on Tuesday, as it launches a big push into the UK market. The sponsorship deal, which cost up to £13m (€15.1m), coincides with a rebrand of BoyleSports, and with talk of the company investing £100m on opening 200 new shops in Britain. Rival bookmakers, such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, have been closing their shops there and focusing on the US and on online platforms. BoyleSports, the largest independently owned bookmaking brand in Ireland, will only have a year to activate their full West Ham sponsorship, because a ban on bookies putting their names on the front of shirts comes into effect next summer for Premier League clubs. At that point, the Irish company's name will switch to the shirt sleeves. Founded by John Boyle, the chain opened its first shop in Markethill, Co Armagh in 1982. The company now has a total of 390 outlets, with 70 of them in Britain. Vlad Kaltenieks, the Lativan law graduate who was appointed chief executive in December 2022, has said that the planned UK expansion will be funded by shareholders. Because of the exodus of other bookie chains, he believes the UK is an under-appreciated market. 'As a family-owned, independent business, we've built a loyal customer base in Ireland by focusing on trust, service and a seamless experience and now we're rolling that approach out even more widely across the UK,' he told the Sunday Times last weekend. Although he had a track record of building online platforms at other gambling companies before he joined BoyleSports, Mr Kaltenieks has previously described himself as a 'strong believer in retail'. BoyleSports has previously had sponsorship deals with other English football clubs, including partnerships with teams in the midlands and north-east of the country such as Newcastle, Sunderland and Birmingham. However, this will be the first time its name will appear on the shirt of a Premier League outfit. The culture of bookie shops in England is quite dingy The tie-up with West Ham has come as a surprise, as BoyleSports does not have a significant presence in the east of London. It was also thought that the company was pulling back from football. 'The culture of bookie shops in England is quite dingy, so BoyleSports is looking to improve the experience,' an industry source said. 'There's talk about having one 'super shop' in London, in the style of Nike or Apple, rather than a series of kiosks.' Two years ago, amid talk of a legal ban, Premier League clubs agreed voluntarily to take the names of bookies' firms off the front of shirts, and this takes effect at the end of the 2025/26 season. Were West Ham to be relegated from the Premier League next season, BoyleSports could seek to put their name on the front of the jersey again, as the voluntary ban does not extend to the Championship.
