Rep of Irl WNT

“We’re trying to build the talent pool,” explains Gleeson, “develop the domestic game and cater for the players who play domestically and look at Under-23s.

“We’re trying to build capacity within clubs around the level of the game but also scout and exhaust the talent pool to have a bigger pool to select from.

“The key in development areas is between 16 and 23. We have to capture that area and have a pathway that allows them to get international games, exposed to that environment, and then we have them in with the senior team.

“We need a 23s and I think that will be something that will happen down the line and that will be the mechanism to capture the players that are not quite ready.

“I’ve said throughout my career as a club coach, outside of this role and head of women’s and girls’ football, there is a cliff drop at Under-19s.

“It’s tough for U-19s player, unless they are exceptional, to go straight into the senior team, so we need a mechanism to develop them and the 23s is a potential answer, helping us build their experience in a more intense environment.”

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/why-ireland-need-to-cast-the-net-wide-to-bolster-ageing-defence-this-is-where-englands-anna-patten-comes-in/a2872146.html