Katie McCabe says Ireland shouldn’t ‘jump the gun’ with Aviva Stadium move

"Tallaght is our home, we love playing there."

Katie McCabe has said that the Republic of Ireland women's team does not yet have the attendance figures to move their home matches from Tallaght Stadium to the Aviva Stadium. Following the recent excellent performances by the Irish team, which included a 1-1 draw away to Sweden, there have been calls for the Girls in Green to play their home matches at the larger Dublin 4 venue. The Arsenal midfielder, however, suggested that the team first need to sell out Tallaght Stadium before considering making the switch to the 51,700-seater arena.

Katie McCabe on playing in the Aviva Stadium.

McCabe, who has won 61-caps for Ireland, was adamant about remaining in Tallaght Stadium and not switching venues mid-way through their World Cup qualification campaign. The Ireland captain stated that Tallaght Stadium is the team's 'home.' And, until the Girls in Green sell out the venue in South Dublin, they shouldn't consider switching stadiums. In October 2019, Ireland achieved a record home crowd of 5,238 against Ukraine. “If you’re asking me should we play Finland in the Aviva Stadium then I would say no. That’s just my personal opinion," McCabe said as she was unveiled as an ambassador for Cadbury's. "I haven’t spoken to other players on that or to the manager or anything like that. I don’t see why mid-campaign we’d switch home grounds. There's no need for us to switch home ground. "Tallaght is our home, we love playing there," said McCabe, who grew up near Tallaght Stadium near Kilnamanagh. "I think until we start selling that out there’s no need to jump the gun and start playing in the Aviva."

McCabe says when Ireland should move to the Aviva Stadium.

The Girls in Green currently sit third in their World Cup qualification group. McCabe suggested timing is key when making the move to the Aviva Stadium. Instead of switching in the middle of their World Cup campaign, McCabe suggested that the team possibly play a glamour friendly at Lansdowne Road. England and the USA, two of the sport’s best sides, were suggested as potential opponents. "I'm not saying we should never play there as the women’s national team, not at all," McCabe said. "I do think going forward if we want to continue to grow the game, especially in Ireland, Aviva Stadium games would be nice." "But let’s crack it off with a friendly against England or the USA or something, not in the middle of a qualifying campaign.” Ireland's next game is a World Cup qualifier away to Georgia on the 27th of June. The Girls in Green have a game in hand and will be targeting to leapfrog Finland in second. Cadbury have unveiled Katie McCabe, as a brand ambassador to launch a new campaign dedicated to supporting Irish women’s grassroots football, ‘Become a Supporter and a Half.' Related links:

• Stephen Kenny reveals Blackpool winger CJ Hamilton has declared for Ireland.
• Stephen Kenny responds to Roy Keane's criticism of Ireland celebrations.
• Matt Doherty speaks about Jose Mourinho snub at lowest point of his Tottenham career.

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