Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward says the FAI's next chief football officer (CFO) must be "a wholehearted football person" committed to supporting the women's game.
Marc Canham will leave the role in the next few weeks after three years at the association.
He was a key figure in appointing Ward back in January, and masterminded the 'Football Pathways Plan', which seeks to implement an aligned calendar at all levels of the game.
Canham suffered criticism during his reign, most notably after the protracted, messy process that eventually saw Heimir Hallgrimsson appointed men's boss, while the Englishman admitted himself he had regrets over the handling of Colin Healy's removal as assistant manager of the women's team.
However, Ward praised the backing she's received from Canham since she took over the Girls in Green, and aired her hope the next CFO shows similar enthusiasm for the women's team.
"It has to be someone with top-level experience, international experience, because if not, we might find ourselves in a place we don't want to be."
"People probably don’t see how much he’s pushed changes for the women and I think it’s going to be really important that whoever comes in has the same mindset towards the women’s team because he has pushed for change and probably got more for the women’s team," said Ward.
"I’d like to see the next person have that same ambition for the women.
"It needs to be a football person. I know it sounds stupid but it needs to be a wholehearted football person, somebody that understands the game, somebody that has great knowledge of the game, somebody that has experience of the highest level.
"I think it has to be the best person for the game, and that’s a cliched answer, right, and great if that’s Irish because I am one of those if you can find an Irish person at that level, then 100%. But it has to be the best person for the job for sure, it has to be someone with top-level experience, international experience, because if not, we might find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be.
"It has to be someone who will continue the relationship and is invested in the women’s game, which sounds crazy, right, but we have seen many times when it is not.
"The organisation needs to be made up of various people, but for me, selfishly as manager, a football person is important to me."
In six days' time, Ward will name her squad for the Nations League clashes against Turkey and Slovenia.
Katie McCabe will be a late arrival into camp - she's currently preparing for the biggest game of her club career as Arsenal do battle with Barcelona in the Champions League final in Lisbon. A number of the Irish players will travel to Portugal to watch that game before linking up with Ireland in Turkey.
However, anyone based in SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division - including Shamrock Rovers' Ruesha Littlejohn - has a problem, because there's All-Island Cup fixtures that clash directly with the big decider.
Littlejohn questioned the scheduling on the Life's A Pitch podcast, with Ireland team-mate Lucy Quinn, complaining: "Don't get me started on who thought, 'we'll plan these fixtures in the League of Ireland because that will be great and we'll play the league all through the summer when the Euros are on, when the Champions League is on'."
When asked if the domestic games should have been switched, Ward said: "100%. You've got one of Ireland’s most decorated footballers in the probably the biggest worldwide game.
"There’ll be young girls looking up to Katie that will play on the day and could be sat watching the best team in the world, Barcelona, against Arsenal.
"For young girls not to be able to watch that game is disappointing."
As for McCabe, Ward was fulsome in her praise for the 29-year-old.
"The staff will be in Turkey. I’m gutted, actually. We would have loved to have gone. I think a lot of the players are going because a lot of the players are flying from Lisbon straight into Turkey in the morning.
"If Katie comes in with a winner’s medal halfway through the week, we’ll be delighted.
"Katie is somebody I always say is like a street footballer, she loves the game, she breathes the game, she’s made such a huge impact.
"I would argue she’s one of the best left-backs in the world. If she’s English, everyone is talking about her as the best left-back in the world. But they don’t talk about her as the best left-back in the world because she’s Irish, where I think when Katie McCabe is on her day, I don’t think you’ll find a better left-back, I really don’t."
Ward also had her say on the FA's recent announcement that transgender women will not be permitted to play in women's football at all levels in England from 1 June.
"It’s a tough one, isn’t it?" she added. "There’s talk about sport for all and we don’t want to take that away. It becomes very dangerous that a young trans player now knows there’s no route in the sport, what does that say to them mentally?
"I think that’s a really dangerous place to be and I don’t quite understand it, to be honest."
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