The underdogs of Euro 2022! Northern Ireland squad taking part in the contest for the first time ever includes a FUNERAL director and a PhD student
- Northern Ireland squad are to play in their first Euros, with first match tonight
- The underdogs are the lowest-ranked nation to have reached the showpiece
- They have been placed in a group alongside Norway, Austria and giants England
- The team includes group of part-time players – including a funeral director
The Northern Irish squad are set to take part in the Euros for the first time ever this evening – with many considering the team the underdogs of the whole competition.
The team, who are the lowest FIFA-ranked nation to qualify at number 47, have the slogan ‘Getting Better Never Stops.’
It is perhaps an appropriate phrase for a team of part-time players, which includes a funeral director and a B&Q worker, who appear defiant to show off their best football during the contest.
The majority of the team have been balancing full-time jobs with training twice a week in the evening.
Some players had been working in hospitals and shops while others were still in education. All that changed when 22 players entered a full-time training camp in January.
Speaking to Belfast Telegraph, striker Simone Magill said: ‘Our whole lives we’ve been tipped as underdogs and if anything, that gives you more fire in the belly to go and show everything what you’re about.’
The Northern Irish squad are set to take part in the Euros for the first time ever later today – with many considering the team the underdogs of the whole competition (pictured, player Abbie Magee)
Defender Abbie will be taking to the pitch tonight as the Northern Irish squad take on their first ever Euros game
Meanwhile Simone Magill, who recently celebrated her one year anniversary with husband Mark (left), has said being ‘tipped as the underdogs’ has given the squad ‘a fire in their belly’
Lauren Wade, who won a scholarship to the US to play professionally, is among those who has a job to support her football dream – when she’s not playing, she works as a funeral director
JACKIE BURNS
Position: Goalkeeper
Jackie Burns, 25, is a Northern Ireland’s number one keeper, and currently plays for a team in Sweden.
Growing up, she was an all-rounder when it came to sport, playing both netball and hockey at an international level as a teenager.
Having played football since she was eight alongside the boys at Cookstown Youth, she began playing for Northern Ireland at 16-years-old.
Jackie Burns, 25, is a Northern Ireland’s number one keeper, and currently plays for a team in Sweden
Having played football since she was eight alongside the boys at Cookstown Youth, she began playing for Northern Ireland at 16-years-old
The glamorous blonde studied exercise science in Tennessee and said moving to the US helped to ‘focus her mind’ on football
Jackie has since gone on to win 26 more caps for her country.
She spent four years with the Cookstown-based women’s team before gaining a scholarship to the US.
She majored in exercise science at Carson Newman University in Tennessee, where she also won team and individual honours on the football pitch.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, she said the move helped to focus her mind on football, explaining: ‘For me personally moving to America and focusing on football after being in with the team, I think that helped me and got me to where I am.’
She is a dog lover who listens to podcasts and enjoys jigsaw puzzles to unwind.
ABBIE MAGEE
Position: Defender
Abbie, 21, has said she hopes to use the opportunity to inspire future generations by showing that ‘anything is possible’
The 21-year-old, who has amassed a modest following of 1,500 on Instagram, regularly shares snaps from nights out and partying with friends on her page
When not playing herself, she coaches with the Rangers Academy in Northern Ireland (pictured, chasing Lauren Hemp of England)
Abbie Magee, 21, comes from the same village in County Down as record goalscorer David Healy.
A keen tennis fan, she grew up playing football and dreamed of playing on an international level like her sporting idol Rafa Nadal.
She played at Linfield alongside her colleagues Megan Bell and Kelsie Burrows before representing the country in the Women’s Euro 2022 qualifier.
In March 2021, her involvement in the contest was threatened after she attained a cruciate ligament injury.
However after 12 months, she returned to start in the April World Cup qualifiers.
When not playing herself, she coaches with the Rangers Academy in Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile she has said she hopes to use the opportunity to inspire future generations by showing that ‘anything is possible’.
Speaking to the Independent, she revealed: ”It’s been a bit of a surreal time for us. We had our suits and looked the part when we went to the airport. The cameras were there too, which we’re not used to.’
The 21-year-old, who has amassed a modest following of 1,500 on Instagram, regularly shares snaps from nights out and partying with friends on her page.
LAUREN WADE
Position: Forward
Lauren Wade is among the players who has juggled working with training for the squad. The 28-year-old works for her family’s funeral business when she’s not playing
While hip surgery as a teenager threatened to put a stop to her sporting career, she was able to take up a university scholarship in the USA (pictured left and right, exploring the US)
Lauren Wade, 28, was a track runner at school but football always came first.
While hip surgery as a teenager threatened to put a stop to her sporting career, she was able to take up a university scholarship in the USA.
She went on to play professionally in America before making the move to Scotland to play for Glasgow City.
Lauren was previously working as a funeral director for her family’s firm, Hugh Wade and Son, which her grandfather Hugh is the manager of.
She recently described playing in the Euros as ‘a dream’, adding she was ‘honoured and proud to be selected’ for the team’s first major tournament (pictured on the pitch in October last year)
Last June, she told the Belfast Telegraph: ‘I have always done a bit of work in the business, so I know a lot of what is involved.
‘I think you have to have a certain personality as a funeral director.
‘You have to be a natural really and I think that I have the personality and the empathy to help people in very difficult circumstances.’
She previously revealed: ‘It was a tough job before having to train in the evenings but it was something I never questioned.
‘The full-time environment is something a lot of us have never experienced so we just thought it was the norm to go to work, go and train, sleep and repeat.
‘We’ve really seen the differences and the benefits that training full-time has had.’
Despite the difficulties of her job, she regularly shares snaps from her training and exotic holidays abroad on her Instagram page with her 2,500 followers.
She recently described playing in the Euros as ‘a dream’, adding she was ‘honoured and proud to be selected for our first major tournament.’
She posted: ‘Dreams really do come true. What a journey this has been. Past players, current game changers and to the future generation, this is for you!’
KIRSTY MCGUINNESS
Position: Winger
Kirsty McGuinness says she was kicking a ball as soon as she could walk, and has been pursuing her dream of being a footballer professionally ever since
For years, she has juggled playing football internationally with studying psychology along with history and sociology at Belfast Met and working at B&Q
For Kirsty McGuinness, football is a family business – with her younger sister Caitlin playing on the same squad.
She says she was kicking a ball as soon as she could walk, and has been pursuing her dream of being a footballer professionally ever since.
Kirsty started her career at her local club St Oliver Plunkett when she was just eight-years-old, before signing for Linfield in 2008.
She made her debut in 2010 when she was just 15-years-old, but representing Northern Ireland in the under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels.
For years, she has juggled playing football internationally with studying psychology along with history and sociology at Belfast Met and working at B&Q.
She said: ‘I was lucky I worked mornings. They knew I played football and my boss was really understanding.
‘Most players were working full-time during the day and then going to training at night. Now we’re in here first thing in the morning. It’s class that we’re here and this is our full-time job now until the Euros.’
Meanwhile she has become prolific on the pitch – scoring nine times during her 45 appearances for her country.
SIMONE MAGILL
Unlike many of her teammates, who maintain a low profile on social media and tend to keeping their personal lives private, Simone Magill, 27, is often sharing snaps of her husband Mark and their pug dog
Simone Magill, 27, balanced her football career with her school education.
She previously told Belfast Live: ‘I started playing football when I was four. My older brother was always a keen footballer who went to matches every Saturday.
‘One day I just decided to go along with him, I enjoyed it and my interest in the playing has never waned.’
At the age of 10, she joined Cookstown Youth Boys because there wasn’t a girls team, becoming the first female to ever join the club.
She said: ‘When I first walked in to training all the boys just looked at me with puzzled faces but It wasn’t long until I was just one of the guys, they never treated me any differently because I was a girl so I was very fortunate in that I played with such a great team even in my early years.’
She is now studying for her PhD, and is also an ambassador for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice
She made history when she was just 18-years-old after becoming the first female Northern Ireland player to turn professional when she signed to Everton
She made history when she was just 18-years-old after becoming the first female Northern Ireland player to turn professional when she signed to Everton.
As well as playing for the Merseyside team, she earned a first class degree in coach education from Edge Hill University.
She is now studying for her PhD, and is an ambassador for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.
Unlike many of her teammates, who maintain a low profile on social media and tend to keeping their personal lives private, Simone is often sharing snaps of her husband Mark and their pug dog.
He popped the question on a sunny evening in Paris in 2019, with Simone later calling it ‘a magical moment.’
The couple ended up tying-the-knot in June 2021, with the footballer going on to share a number of snaps on her Instagram page.
Since then, she has remained focused on her football and has spoken of her determination in the Euros.
She previously told Belfast Telegraph: ‘Everyone wrote us off and we overcame that and qualified. We’re here and we deserve to be here.
‘We’re not going to go to these games just to make up numbers. We’re going to go and we really want to compete.
‘Yes, they’re world class teams but we have every right to be there, just as much as they do.’
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