Women's World Cup

‘I quit my job to come here’: Ireland fans in Perth disappointed but full of praise for players

Atmosphere was terrific as supporters made Australian city a home from home for Irish players but Canada ended the Republic’s hopes

Jenny McGreal and Megan Carter in Perth for the Republic of Ireland's clash with Canada. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Kate McDonald
Wed Jul 26 2023 - 19:58

A diehard Ireland football fan who quit her job to come to Australia for the Women’s World Cup was really hoping for a result against Canada.

Meghan Carter, from Co Wexford, bought four tickets for every match, even though no one had committed to coming across the world with her, as soon as the Republic qualified. She wouldn’t let that, nor her job as a financial analyst, get in her way.

“I quit in April and my last day was July 10th. I flew here on July 16th,” she said.

Looking around a packed pub in Perth, full of Irish fans singing the Fields of Athenry before kick off, Carter was confident that she made the right decision.

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“I love soccer and I love the World Cup . . . When Ireland made it, and it was their first World Cup, how can you say no?”

[ Ireland v Canada: Live updates from World Cup Group ]

Despite Katie McCabe’s opening goal, Ireland lost 2-1 to Canada, ending their hopes of progressing into the knock-out stages.

Luckily for American-born Carter, she also supports the US and will throw her full support behind the reigning champions before travelling around Australia and southeast Asia after the tournament.

The weather for the occasion will have made the Girls in Green feel like they were at home, with rain lashing down on the predominantly Irish crowd that attended the 20,000-capacity Perth Rectangular Stadium.

Some of the fans streaming out of the stadium in ponchos and rain jackets afterwards were not really in the mood for talking. With bowed heads, most were trying to get home during a brief break in the rain.

Despite the bitter disappointment of Ireland’s hopes of progressing being over, fans were full of praise for McCabe’s early goal.

“What a cracker, unbelievable,” said Laura Flemming, who lives in Perth but is originally from Tallaght, just around the corner from McCabe. “How can you score from the corner like that? It was unreal.”

Olivia Duffy, originally from Galway and a former Perth Rose, said the atmosphere and performance by the Irish side were top notch, but the result was a major disappointment.

“It was very moving, you could hear the support. It was like being at home, which was wonderful, it was great for everyone here”.

Bernadette Chesnutt, originally from Co Derry, but a Perth resident for 55 years, expects the team to come back stronger. Wearing her tricolour and having her Australian-Irish granddaughter by her side, in a crowd of Irish people, was something she would never forget.

“The atmosphere was magic, absolute magic, singing the Fields of Athenry, it was first class,” Chesnutt said.

[ Women’s World Cup: Before Ireland v Canada, it’s time to settle the clash of the songs ]

Given the weather, the fanzone in Perth was pretty flat for a match day. Among those inside were Ireland player Abbie Larkin’s parents, Ethyl and Robert, and her uncle, Martin. They didn’t stay long before heading off to a pre-match party at an Irish pub, but had a major tournament memory banked even before kick-off.

Talking about her daughter’s World Cup debut against Australia, Ethyl said Abbie was “absolutely amazing, just amazing”.

“I didn’t even realise she was coming on because we were behind the dugout so when I actually seen her come on the pitch, I nearly fell out of my chair,” she said. “She said she had a few nerves waiting to go on but once she got on, she was grand. She just took the opportunity and that’s what you have to do”.

A group of Canada supporters were feeling extremely confident, predicting a 4-0 win for the Olympic champions. Aidan Joseph, who’s married to Canada player Nichelle Prince, said the team were feeling good ahead of the match.

They didn’t quite predict the score, but they did predict the win. There was plenty to celebrate for them, as Ireland deal with the heartbreak of their World Cup dream being over.

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