Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward has admitted "outside noise" around the FAI has been a source of frustration since she took the reins last January.
Ward walked into a storm not of her own making when she succeeded Eileen Gleeson, having to field questions about a much-publicised dispute between the FAI and Gleeson's assistant Colin Healy. Healy insisted he had been given assurances about his future before the Euro 2025 play-off against Wales in December 2024. Ireland lost, with Gleeson and Healy both released in the aftermath.
In August, it emerged that Gleeson had filed a case in the Circuit Court accusing the FAI of treating her and her team unfairly because of their gender, alleging that while the women's team benefited from an equal-pay agreement, they were not afforded the same travel, security, medical and performance support arrangements as the men.
The FAI has said it will mount "a strong legal defence" against any allegations of discrimination.
On Monday, ahead of the Girls in Green's Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium, Ward was asked whether she is happy with the environment and support structure around her.
"I'll always make the best out of any situation. So, in short, yes," she replied.
"Every environment can improve. I say this all the time. When I came in, I knew there was work to be done. I think it goes back to my whole career. I've been at places where I've had to bang down doors and kick down doors.
"I can be quite annoying because I can constantly ask for more and try and get better standards, better facilities, better everything for players. Yes, of course, there's challenges. But yes, are we consistently working towards improving everything we do?"
When asked whether she believed the women's team were given the same resources as the men's, Ward said: "Resources, yes."
Pushed on how satisfied she is with the resources at her disposal, she continued: "I think it depends what we call resources is what I would say. There are conversations on what the realities are and where we're at and what is being spent on what.
"There are conversations currently ongoing and paused for this camp. Because it's important that we focus on this camp. And those conversations will continue after, around what that actually looks like.
"We've had a lot of internal conversations. I've spoken to players. I understand everybody's side of it.
"I've been in conversation with everybody, including Eileen [who remains an FAI employee], including the players, including the board. Like I said, I like to communicate. But no, this week's about camp. We spoke about it this morning. I think the players will say the same. I don't think anybody wants to talk about anything but Belgium."
"The more we can focus on football, the better. And the quicker we can talk about football, the better."
Ward did admit that issues around the association have impacted her ability to solely focus on football, saying "since I've come into the job, 80% hasn't been football".
When it was put to her that such issues have been an unwelcome distraction, Ward said: "I'll tell you what impairs my ability to get results: the lack of talking about football. And maybe the noise that isn't football.
"The more we can focus on football, the better. And the quicker we can talk about football, the better.
"Yeah, you have to bang down doors to change, of course. I've been at clubs where resources aren't quite adequate. When I came in here, there's no secret, I think I said after the second press conference that there were things that needed to change, and we needed to change. We have those conversations.
"David (Courell, the FAI CEO) has been receptive to things that I've gone to him with. There's been areas that I think we need to improve. And they are constant conversations. So it's very different. Am I happy? Yes. Am I happy with everything? No. Things can always be better."
"The bigger piece is how do we improve standards across the board as an organisation? How do we make sure that our focus is football? That is critical. Because I would say, since I've come into the job, 80% hasn't been football. So you have to then refocus everything back to football.
"When I say outside noise, everything that's going on around the FAI, around all the bits and pieces."
Ward also addressed the debate around equitable managerial payment in the women's and men's game, adding: "International football, I think, more so. At club football, it's a completely different kettle of fish. We're talking about hundreds and hundreds, we're talking about players on five, six hundred thousand pounds a week now.
"It's a completely different game. You know, they're selling out stadiums. The market for me, club football is different.
"International football, yeah, you could argue that that's something that should be considered."
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Watch Republic of Ireland v Belgium in the UEFA Women's Nations League play-offs on Friday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live radio commentary on an extended Game On with 2fm.
