Katie McCabe says it’s time to show the next generation of Irish footballing hopefuls - including her little sister Lauryn - that they can dream of playing at a World Cup.
The Girls in Green are potentially 90 minutes away from World Cup qualification in Glasgow on Tuesday night when they face Scotland in their play-off decider.
A win would either send them straight to next summer’s finals - or to an intercontinental play-off next February in New Zealand.
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That depends on the outcome of two earlier kick-offs on Tuesday evening, where the Irish are hoping for a defeat for either Switzerland against Wales or Iceland in Portugal.
Getting the win against the Scots is crucial, however, and Arsenal ace McCabe wants to send a message to young girls across the country.
“For us it’s about, obviously going to that first major tournament in our history and what it would do for football in Ireland would be massive,” she said.
“We want to achieve that goal but we want to also inspire young girls in Ireland, making sure they can dream and hopefully play for Ireland too.
“I’ve got my little sister (Lauryn) who is representing the Under-16s at the minute.
“We want to put ourselves in that limelight to show that they can achieve and play professional football, and make major tournaments.
“Obviously the focus will be on winning the game but if we win it, the knock-on effect of that would be massive.”
McCabe (27) spoke of her pride at skippering Ireland at Hampden Park on Tuesday night.
It’s a role she has had since the age of 21 and she said: “Ever since I got the captaincy… as a young kid I’ve always wanted to represent Ireland.
“To do it as captain, it fills me with pride each and every single time. It’s something I’ll never take for granted, leading the girls out.
“It will be an absolute pleasure to do it tomorrow night here at Hampden as well.”
Ireland boss Vera Pauw echoed her captain’s comments, saying: “The ultimate goal of elite football, of international football, is to inspire the next generation.
“That’s why we put so much money into a few players, but that is because of developing the whole game all over the world.
“It gives a massive future for girls. If we succeed, it would change lives.”
Pauw acknowledged the size of the task facing Ireland on Tuesday night.
“This would be a first, that Ireland might qualify for a World Cup. Scotland has been there in 2017 (euros) and 2019 World Cup,” she said.
“They have the experience of being there and getting through the play-offs. And that is the key difference between them and us.
“That they have the experience of knowing how to get it over the line.
“Then again, we saw how they lost it in the final seconds (against Australia in their last World Cup group game). They have learned from these experiences and bring that with them.
“They have some fantastic players in the squad who can make a difference, with a core group who have learned from 2017 and 2019.
“So they are really on a high and we need to put something against that.”
Scotland’s win over Austria last Thursday was all the more impressive given Austria’s run to the quarter-finals of the recent European Championships.
“By far the best team won on the night,” said Pauw. “I have huge respect for what they have achieved.
“It was not an easy game but they were the deserved winners, with a lot of dynamics and mobilities in the team, special qualities.”
Injuries have robbed Pauw of a number of key players, including Megan Connolly, Leanne Kiernan and Ruesha Littlejohn.
And West Ham’s Jess Ziu received the devastating news yesterday that she suffered an ACL tear.
“It’s a long list unfortunately but we’ll be making sure we have them with us tomorrow,” said Pauw.
“It’s not just the XI on the pitch, or those on the bench but also those who got us through the entire campaign.”
Pauw reiterated that the decision to stagger kick-off times went against fair play and sporting integrity - even if Ireland could be the ones to benefit from it.
With the Swiss and Iceland games kicking off two hours earlier, Ireland will know by kick-off if a win would guarantee an automatic World Cup spot.
“The other teams will not be happy,” said Pauw. “When I said it (last week), I said it regarding sports development; fair play and fair competition. That was my remark.
“That we're now on the positive side does not take my remarks away, because I still find that those games should have been started at the same time.”
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