Having taken on the role of manager of the Northern Ireland Senior Women’s International team last year, Kenny Shiels has been on a mission to push his squad to reach their full potential.
The team started their 2021 Euros qualifying campaign in August of last year, having taken on Norway and Wales with their next qualifying match against Belarus, which has been postponed to October and November 2020 (away and at home) due to disruption to sporting schedules during the Coronavirus outbreak.
We are shining a light on Kenny and looking back on his last year in charge.
Kenny Shiels looks back on his time in charge of the NI Senior Women’s Team
1) What have been your highlights since taking over the team?
I don’t really see highlights as a single event so the most satisfying highlight for me has been watching the team spirit grow and grow over the past few months. I look forward to every session with the team and that is because I can see the hard work and dedication that the women put in and their progress keeps gathering pace. You can really feel the chemistry at training and there has been a real cultural change since we began training last June to where we are now, it’s been brilliant to be a part of.
2) What do you think has worked well within the squad and what hasn't?
In terms of what has worked well I would say was the realisation for the team that we needed to change, and I think the players knew their role within that had to be the most significant. We have continually made steps as a team in a very committed way, obviously not everything has been perfect, but we learn from that. The pulse of our work has to be the players’ responses to their coaching and the finer details of what’s being asked of them, something that the team are buying into extremely well. When it comes to what hasn’t worked particularly well, the consistency of our progress has fluctuated as we have ventured through the last ten months. But they have had to take on a lot of information which can sometimes lead to a standstill before moving forward, a bit like life I suppose.
3) Has anything surprised you during your time in charge so far?
Not so much of a surprise but the squad’s professionalism and desire to do well has really impressed me. I love when players are conscientious and that diligence is something that radiates out from this the team. The women on the current senior team didn’t have the benefit of the Game Changers pathway made possible by Electric Ireland’s support, which is now in place. That pathway sees girls as young as 4 being able to start playing the game and learning the discipline around it, something that will stand the local game well in the future.
4) With the current situation how are you keeping in touch with the players during lockdown?
I am limiting contact with the players at the moment. Obviously, our training programme is constrained considerably because of restrictions to movement and government embargoes on training facilities. However, we are making sure that they stay active and keep up their fitness at home.
One of our Senior players Marissa Callaghan, who is also a coach for the Electric Ireland Shooting Stars programme and a few of the others from the team have been making sure that everyone else stays active too with social videos for anyone trying to keep up their skills at home, it’s great to see everyone coming together during this uncertain time.
5) Finally, do you have a team ethos or mantra that you can share with us?
Quite simply our ethos is to play a game so that it is entertaining and educational for the players.
The revised fixtures for the Northern Ireland Senior Women’s team can be found here.
Missing football during this time? Head to our blog to check out Home Workouts to Keep Up Your Fitness and Football Skills, Game Changing Women’s Football Films to Watch at Home and How to Keep your Football Mad Kids Entertained at Home.
Follow the conversation on our social channels #GameChangersNI and take part in our Game Face and Shooting Stars challenges for your chance to win £50 JD vouchers.