Carla Ward, Ireland's new head coach, doesn't shy away from a challenge and isn't put off by the FAI controversy that emerged just as she was announced to take what she saw as a coveted job.
"Aren't all football clubs and organisations (surrounded by controversy)? I think that’s the nature of football, isn’t it?" Ward laughs, speaking to RTÉ Sport.
"My job is now to look at what I can control and how we win football matches, I can’t get drawn into the controversy, I have to get the players ready for camp.
"If you look at my background, I don't think I have shied away from many challenges. If you look at Birmingham and the whole world said, 'don’t take it’ and I took it and achieved what I wanted to achieve," she added.
The ex-Villa WSL boss joined Birmingham in the 2020-21 season where they heroically escaped relegation.
Ward won't have a dissimilar task ahead taking the helm in Ireland, where the squad are down from failing to qualify for the European Championships this summer, but she isn't concerned about her ability to bring them back up.
"Just be aware there's a bit of a lull (players said)... my job is to pick people up and I like to think I’ve got a good energy and I try to bring people together.
"They love playing for Ireland, so it shouldn’t be too difficult," explains Ward.
The 41-year-old was approached by the FAI 'a few days before Christmas' but explains that it was the job she was gunning for, despite being in conversation with another national team.
"I was in talks with another nation, being really honest... I've been very vocal about it, this was the one that I wanted, because this is the one I felt in my heart that suited and fit with myself and with how I see things." - Carla Ward
"I have worked with Irish players before and this was the one I really wanted. When I got the call to get down to the next stage and then the final stage, I was delighted."
The recruitment process wasn't easy, and Ward describes it being the most gruelling of any she has experienced.
"It was a thorough process, probably the most thorough process that I've been through if I'm really honest. There were so many elements."
The mother of one quit Aston Villa at the end of the 2023-2024 season, her reasons for stepping back have since been well documented.
"She (daughter Hartley) asked me 'are you off?' and I said ‘no, I’m at football’. She said, 'but Mummy, when am I going to spend some time with you?' My heart sank, it was an awful moment.
"We always say everything we do is for our kids, but I wasn’t seeing her or spending time with her, so that was the start of the tipping point... It wasn’t until I stepped away that I realised the time spent with your kids is unrivalled," reflected Ward.
The international job was a draw for Ward, a slightly less intense schedule and more time with family, which she got a taste for as a technical coach for the USA women's team at the Olympics in Paris last summer.
"I found that from working with the US. I think the work-life balance is huge.
"My daughter loves seeing me now more often, I'm doing the school run tomorrow when I get back, she’s got musical theatre, I can take her to swimming, I can take her to dancing, you can be watching games, you can take her with you not a problem."
New Republic of Ireland boss Carla Ward spoke to the press for the first time at the Aviva Stadium today, but a dispute over the nature of the departure of previous assistant Colin Healy loomed large. pic.twitter.com/ZoCy522p3H
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) January 16, 2025
Ward also revealed that Emma Hayes has been a big supporter for her in taking the new role. Hayes reached out to Ward not long after her resignation from Villa and brought her on as a technical coach for the Paris Games and was one of few who knew about the looming Irish role.
"Emma's been an unbelievable mentor and a big assistance for me for quite some time now - somebody I've leaned on in a lot of moments in my career, and she's guided, she's helped me. She was probably the one person that knew throughout the whole process," said Ward.
The experience of being involved with such a calibre team will only be beneficial to Ireland, and Ward agrees she has learnt a lot from the experience.
"I learnt an awful lot because it was very different to club football, the intensity and how you get the message across because you've less time on the pitch.
"Those different moments of getting everything across in classrooms and team meetings will be vitally important."
There was also a smirk on the face of Ward when there is a mention of the possibility of a USA versus Ireland fixture.
"No comment. Of course, I've joked to Emma, asking when are they going to play us."
