Carla Ward was ready to take on a huge challenge at the beginning of the year when she was appointed the new Head Coach of the Ireland Women’s National Team.
Taking over the reins from Eileen Gleeson, with a wealth of experience under her belt, both on and off the pitch, the former player hit the ground running.
Carla, who turned her hand to coaching in 2017, is positive about the Irish Women’s football team ahead of this week’s draw for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
Carla Ward sits for an interview with FAI TV as she is announced as the new Republic of Ireland women’s head coach. Pic: SportsfileSpeaking to the Irish Independent ahead of the draw, she said, ‘It’s going to be difficult no matter who we play against, and we always knew that. The Netherlands and France, and no disrespect to Poland, obviously, they’re a good side as well, and they’ve shown that. I think they’ll have a lot to say on that as well.’
Looking forward, she said ‘I think when I came in, I said it was a transition moment. But ultimately, the goal is the World Cu,p and that’s what we all want to achieve. We put ourselves in a better position by being in League A, and the hard work has to continue. I keep saying it. Yes, we’re in League A. We don’t want to make the numbers up, but we have to work extremely hard to earn the right to play against these teams.’
Carla Ward is announced as the new Republic of Ireland women’s head coach. Pic: SportsfileSo, what do we know about Carla? Here’s everything you should know about the new Head Coach of Ireland of Ireland’s Women’s National Team…
Early life
Carla Ward is announced as the new Republic of Ireland women’s head coach. Pic: SportsfilePrior to her stint with the USA, Carla worked with Sheffield United, Birmingham City, and Aston Villa.
She hails from the Isle of Wight but moved to Devon as a child and learned to play football on the streets of Torquay.
‘We grew up on this council estate in Torquay which shaped me, all the boys were climbing over the school fence to use the football pitch and I used to join them and in the middle of the estate… it was jumpers for goal posts and I grew up playing for the boys naturally because it wasn’t really a thing [for girls] back then and yeah I just got a love for it,’ she told Christie Scanlon’s podcast.
Carla’s a mum
Carla Ward and her daughter Hartley. Pic: Carla Ward Instagram Carla is mum to daughter Hartley, who turned five in June 2024 and who became something of a sensation herself when she interrupted her mum during an interview with Sky Sports and stole the show.
Like every mum, Carla, who is separated from Hartley’s mum, has had to juggle her demanding schedule with motherhood and says the ‘hardest decision’ she ever made was to step away from Aston Villa to focus on her family.
Carla recalled: ‘One night my daughter said to me “Mum, I’m off today it’s Saturday” and I said “you are baby, it’s Saturday” and she said “Are you off” and I said “No”. She said “well, when am I going to have a day off with you?” and any mum will know about mum guilt and my heart just dropped… and that was I kind of the start of it.’
Carla Ward and her daughter Hartley. Pic: Carla Ward Instagram ‘She’s at school now, she asking a lot of questions about when she’s going to see me… and when she goes to school and you don’t see her at the weekend, it’s becoming impossible and I think it started to take its toll.’
She continued: ‘I didn’t want to not be around and I say to everybody, my daughter’s my best friend and everything I do is for my daughter, yet I wasn’t spending time with her and I wasn’t watching her grow up because I was always at work.’
Carla Ward and her daughter Hartley and Prince William. Pic: Carla Ward InstagramEVOKE is the Official Media Partner of the League of Ireland and the Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup