Ballinasloe’s Heather Payne will be part of the Republic of Ireland squad who’ll begin their Nations League campaign against Northern Ireland in front of over 38,000 people.
The Everton midfielder is one of interim head coach Eileen Gleeson’s 26-players but Killannin’s Niamh Fahey is injured. Kick-off at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (23rd September) is 1pm.
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The first ever game at the Aviva Stadium for the Ireland Women’s National Team is set to be played in front of a record crowd with over 38,000 tickets already sold. The UEFA Nations League opener against Northern Ireland kicks off at 13:00, with the Ireland squad having to go straight to the airport afterwards to fly to Hungary for their second game in Group B1.MATCH DETAILSUEFA Nations LeagueRepublic of Ireland v Northern IrelandSaturday, September 23Aviva StadiumKO 13:00LIVE on RTÉ2MATCH OFFICIALSReferee | Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria)Assistant Referee 1 | Ekaterina Marinova Petkova (Bulgaria)Assistant Referee 2 | Pavleta Rashkova (Bulgaria)Fourth Official | Kristina Georgieva (Bulgaria) TEAM NEWSIreland have a fully fit squad to choose from. QUOTESEileen Gleeson (Interim Head Coach)“It is a privilege for this group of players and staff to be involved in what will be a historic occasion of playing in the Aviva Stadium for the first time as a Women’s National Team and having what will be a record crowd cheering the team on."We understand how important this game is. Preparations are going well. We have a fully fit squad to choose from, which is a credit to players and all staff. "We expect a tough challenge from Northern Ireland, a team with major tournament experience, and of course a new Head coach in place who brings a wealth of experience and expertise, so we won't be taking anything for granted." Ireland WNT SquadGoalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Megan Walsh (West Ham United)Defenders: Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Claire O’Riordan (Standard Liege), Savannah McCarthy (Shamrock Rovers), Éabha O’Mahony (University of Texas), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Glasgow City), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC), Emily Whelan (Glasgow City) IRELAND WNT PLAYER STATSGoalkeepersCourtney Brosnan | DOB 10/11/1995 | 26 caps / 11 clean sheets | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020Grace Moloney | DOB 01/03/1993 | 6 caps / 1 clean sheet | Debut vs Austria 02/03/2016Megan Walsh | DOB 12/11/1994 | 1 cap / 0 clean sheets | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022 DefendersLouise Quinn | DOB 17/06/1990 | 108 caps / 15 goals | Debut vs Poland 02/02/2008Diane Caldwell | DOB 11/09/1988 | 97 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs Denmark 15/03/2006Claire O'Riordan | DOB 12/10/1994 | 19 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Hungary 07/03/2016Chloe Mustaki | DOB 29/07/1995 | 6 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022Savannah McCarthy | DOB 26/03/1997 | 11 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Austria 02/03/2016Hayley Nolan | DOB 07/03/1997 | 3 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Belgium 16/04/2021Éabha O’Mahony | DOB 17/06/2002 | 4 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs USA 04/08/2019Caitlin Hayes | DOB 22/09/1995 | 0 caps / 0 goals MidfieldersKatie McCabe | DOB 21/09/1995 | 76 caps / 21 goals | Debut vs Hungary 04/03/2015Denise O’Sullivan | DOB | 105 caps / 18 goals | Debut vs Wales 17/09/2011Megan Connolly | DOB 07/03/1997 | 45 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs USA 23/02/2016Lucy Quinn | DOB 29/09/1993 | 16 caps / 3 goals | Debut vs Australia 21/09/2021Lily Agg | DOB 17/12/1993 | 10 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Philippines 19/06/2022Jamie Finn | DOB 21/04/1998 | 15 caps / 0 goal | Debut vs Greece 12/11/2019Tyler Toland | DOB 08/08/2001 | 13 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Northern Ireland 19/09/2017Heather Payne | DOB 26/01/2000 | 37 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Scotland 07/07/2017Marissa Sheva | DOB 22/04/1997 | 7 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs China PR 22/02/2023Izzy Atkinson | DOB 17/07/2001 | 8 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Portugal 21/01/2018 ForwardsKyra Carusa | DOB 14/11/1995 | 15 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020Abbie Larkin | DOB 27/04/2005 | 11 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022Amber Barrett | DOB 16/01/1996 | 37 caps / 7 goals | Debut vs Wales 20/08/2016Saoirse Noonan | DOB 13/07/1999 | 4 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Wales 21/08/2016Emily Whelan | DOB 22/08/2002 | 7 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Poland 09/10/2018
