- Former women's players from Ireland spoke out earlier this month about suffering from inappropriate sexual advances from various male coaches in the 1990s
- PFA Ireland has been supporting this group of players during a process that started back in November 2023
- Even though the players were not full-time professionals when the incidents occurred, PFA Ireland did not hesitate to offer their assistance
Former women's players from Ireland recently spoke out about suffering from inappropriate sexual advances from various male coaches in the 1990s.
The group of players shared their stories earlier this month in a documentary that was broadcast on Irish public television and in a four-page expose in one of the country’s leading Sunday newspapers. The Irish prime minister commended the players for speaking out.
PFA Ireland has been supporting this group of players during a process that started back in November 2023 with a phone call from the investigative reporters who eventually broke the news earlier this month. They reached out to PFA Ireland General Secretary Stephen McGuinness looking for expert support, after they had been talking with former women’s players who had experienced unwanted sexual advances by various coaches, including a former women’s national team coach.
Some players were deeply traumatised and many had been unaware that other players had been subjected to similar negative experiences. Even though the players were not full-time professionals when the incidents occurred, PFA Ireland did not hesitate to offer their assistance.
"We felt a moral obligation to help them," McGuinness told FIFPRO. "They had no other place to turn to. These women needed support and although we had never dealt with a similar situation before, we were probably in the best situation to offer them that support: we have expert lawyers, we know how to arrange mental health support, and if required we can also source other expertise."
The most important challenge for the union was building the trust of the players, who because of their experiences had lost faith in many people within football.
McGuinness said: "Their trust had been breached, so we took our time building that relationship and we earned that trust by delivering what they asked us to do.
"We arranged mental health and legal support, and we promised to bring the FAI to the table, but we only set up these meetings when they decided that they were ready for them. The players appreciated our approach."
Before meeting with the players, PFA Ireland staff prepared themselves by speaking with a psychotherapist.
McGuinness said: "This session was very helpful, as we needed to get a thorough understanding of how we could have appropriate conversations with the players. We needed to be fully aware of the boundaries when asking the players about sharing their experiences. For us, it was not required to go into too much detail, as that was the task for the police and for the mental health support.
"It was challenging to sit in front of them, listening to people in their forties and fifties talk about these experiences that some had still not told their families. It was sad to hear what they have gone through all those years, but it is also sad to see what they are still going through now."
The main goal for the players, who wish to be known as Sportswomen Against Abuse, and for PFA Ireland was that the story of the women was told.
"They wanted to tell their stories, as that would mean that these persons would no longer have control over them. We had to convince the players that their stories would be listened to, as their fear was that the coaches would still have influence and would be able to stop any publication. Their story needed to be told and not remain hidden within the game, as this would allow that other players with similar stories would feel safe enough to come forward."
The union provided each player with the support that she needed. "Of course, we are still supporting them, but what we don’t know yet is how many former players will be reaching out to us after seeing the documentary, as until recently the coaches involved were still part of football."
Some of the allegations are now the subject of a police investigation. Going forward, PFA Ireland is now aware that there is still a lot of work to be done to make professional football in Ireland a safe place for both women’s and men’s players.
"We know that the FAI has done significant safeguarding work in the past number of years, but there is still a lot that needs to be done in the game to make it as safe as it can be," McGuinness said.
PFA Ireland would like to have safeguarding policies in place at all clubs. "There is a huge amount of work still ahead, but I think we are on the road to improving the situation. Unfortunately for these players that comes thirty years too late, but if that can be their legacy, then that’s a positive to take from this."
Anyone who has experienced harm or abuse from Irish football can contact Raiseaconcern, an independent contractor the FAI has hired to take statements. Raiseaconcern’s contact numbers are +353 (0)1 6107929 or +353 (0)86 0299929. They can be emailed at [email protected].
