When Katie McCabe leads the Republic of Ireland out at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon against Northern Ireland, it will mark a huge moment in Irish footballing history.
Just over two months on from the emotional scenes down under when Amhrán na bhFiann rang around Stadium Australia in Sydney for the opening of the World Cup, it will ring around Lansdowne Road for the first ever women's international in the national stadium.
McCabe and her teammates became national heroes during their campaign to reach their first World Cup down under, and a crowd of upwards of 38,000 is expected in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon as women's football continues to grow in this country.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Friday, however, McCabe and interim head coach Eileen Gleeson remembered the difficult road that has been weathered en route to this point.
It is only six years ago that McCabe and her WNT teammates went on strike to protest the conditions under which they were expected to play, and the turnaround since has been nothing short of astonishing.
Katie McCabe and Eileen Gleeson were keen to remember all those who had contributed to bringing women's football to this stage, and stressed that Saturday's game is for everyone who has helped along the way, not just the current senior squad.
READ HERE: The Eclectic Bunch Of Irish Players To Play In The Champions League Since 2010
READ HERE: Ireland Defender Says Team Were Hindered, Not Helped, By Vera Pauw
READ HERE: The Reaction To James McClean Interview On Sky Sports Has Been Sadly Predictable
Ireland WNT: Katie McCabe sums up weight of Saturday's huge game v Northern Ireland
22 September 2023; Katie McCabe poses for a portrait after a Republic of Ireland women press conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Speaking to the Irish media on Friday, Katie McCabe spoke passionately on all those who had fought over the years to bring women's football to the stage it currently finds itself at, and encouraged fans and media alike to continue to get behind the team.
McCabe revealed that the generations past had been a talking point in the Ireland squad's preparation for the opening round of Nations League fixtures, and said that Saturday's game was for "every single person who's played their part in women's football":
Eileen made a great point to us during the week in terms of the occasion. It's not just about the squad tomorrow walking out - it's about everyone who's played their part over the course of the last few years. The last 20-30 years since you [Gleeson] have been in women's football.
It's the volunteers at your local clubs, it's the grassroots coaches that come out, it's the referees when you're ten years old. It's everyone, it's mams and dads coming to drive their kids an hour to go training two or three times a week.
It's not just about us tomorrow, it's about every single person who's played their part in women's football the last 20-30 years.
It's you guys, the media, writing and talking about it, it's about all of that together. We're just the lucky ones that will be able to play on the pitch tomorrow.
That's what is so important for us as players to remember tomorrow. As I said, it's not just about the 11 players going out tomorrow, it's everybody who's played their part over the last few years. We'll hold that incredibly proud tomorrow.
Gleeson echoed McCabe's comments, and thanked everyone who had worked so hard to help women's football in Ireland get the representation it deserved.
22 September 2023; Interim head coach Eileen Gleeson during a Republic of Ireland women press conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The interim head coach has been involved in football in Ireland for over 30 years, whether as a player or a coach, and fought many of the toughest battles to raise standards in the women's game in the country.
She said on Friday that the game in Lansdowne Road would feel like a just representation of how far the game had come in Ireland:
There is a thank you to everybody that did everything in the past, when nobody wanted to know anything but there were people who wanted to continue to push women's football.
If you ask anyone in media you either love me or you hate me - I've had a row with everybody in Ireland about pushing for standards. We didn't have the same pitches...it was always to drive standards, and to have in place for the girls what we wanted to have.
I think people have stood up and responded to that. The FAI, the media, and it's all come together at this moment. It's all going to be in action in the Aviva Stadium. That will be representation of the progress we've made.
Saturday afternoon's game will be an immense occasion - but Katie McCabe and Eileen Gleeson were both keen to impress that it should only be the beginning of a new era for the Ireland national team.
McCabe said that she wanted to ensure that Ireland would be back in the Aviva Stadium again, and hoped that Ireland would be back at the "pinnacle" once again:
It'll be a good day out. Of course for my family, but for everyone's family and friends, and the fans.
We don't want this to be a once-off thing. Yes, we love Tallaght, we've created a lot of special memories in Tallaght, we have great engagement with our fans in Tallaght. But this is the pinnacle, playing in your national stadium.
I'm hoping maybe we might see this going in the future...put a bit of pressure on the FAI! It's a fantastic thing. Honestly, as Eileen said, we cannot wait. It's going to be a spectacular day.
2023 has already been a year to remember in Irish football's history books, after the exploits of the Girls in Green in Australia, and it will have another seminal moment on Saturday when the women's team take to the Aviva Stadium pitch for the first time - hopefully of many.
Featured image: Sportsfile
SEE ALSO: Report: Manchester United Players Starting To Question Erik Ten Hag's Tactics
