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Dublin Live
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Rachel Butler

Irish podcasters Charleen Murphy and Ellie Kelly go behind the scenes with the Irish Women's National Team

Irish podcasters of the popular show Hold My Drink and well known Instagram influencers Charleen Murphy and Ellie Kelly meet up with the Irish Women's National Team to go behind the scenes with the squad as well as giving the sport a go themselves. The girls get a training session, talk sports terms with defender Pearl Slattery and much more.

The show begins with the girls heading to Tolka Park which is home to Shelbourne Football Club to meet up with squad member Pearl Slattery. Taking with Pearl about the team, she says: "We're like a family. You give up so much and you miss out on so many things together. We're with each other three or four times a week and we socialise together as well so we really are a little family."

Speaking about her coaching career Pearl said: "I work in the FAI full time and I do some coaching on the side as when I finish playing that's what I want to go into to." Charleen and Ellie then take to the pitch to practise some drills with players Amanda McQuillan and Alex Kavanagh.

Despite their best efforts the girls decide to leave the playing to the professionals and give sports commentating a go. They meet up with TikTok sensation Kayleigh Trappe to attempt some lip-syncing to sports clips to ease them into it.

Read next: New documentary about the Irish Women's National Team to air on RTE One

As the documentary was filmed last month, the team were preparing for a World Cup warm up match against Zambia and Charleen and Ellie met up with sports reporter Alanna Cunnane beforehand to prepare for the press conference. Giving an insight into how sports press conferences work, Alanna said: "There is a hierarchy of the order in which people can ask questions so it happens that you can have a question prepared and then someone before you asks it."

The teams manager Vera Pauw and defender Chloe Mustaki started off the press conference. Charleen asks Chloe how the team qualifying for the World Cup may change how people treat women's sports.

Chloe said: "Ya, even in the last couple of months being with the girls walking across the road or going to get a coffee you have people rolling down their windows or beeping their horn and wishing us good luck. We have never experienced that ever and I've been involved with the Irish team since I was 14.

"Even little boys coming up and asking the girls for pictures has been a big change. I've noticed a huge jump in support from both genders and all ages which is fantastic and I do expect it to continue."

After attending a club match between Shelbournce FC and Linfield which ended in a draw, the girls say that they will definitely be sporting the Irish Women's National Team in the FIFA World Cup and encourage the Irish public to follow suit.

The 18 minute show ends with Charleen and Ellie talking to members of the public telling them to get behind the squad. Charleen and Ellie's Football Fever is available to watch now on RTE Player.

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