Karen Duggan says the survival of clubs such as Peamount United and DLR Waves in an increasingly professional Women’s Premier Division is key to the development of the game.
As the two clubs in the league without an affiliated men’s team, however, Duggan believes it will require backing from sponsors and even the FAI.
Peamount have provided a platform for international stars such as Amber Barrett, Louise Quinn, Niamh Farrelly, Chloe Mustaki and Duggan herself to kick-start their senior careers.
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Denise O’Sullivan, Aine O’Gorman, Stephanie Roche and Katie Taylor also lined out for the south Dublin side.
Duggan said: "People are talking about our league being semi-professional and the introduction of contracts with some clubs is huge.
“Obviously it’s hard for a club like us to compete with that, but ultimately it leads to the growth of the game and it will be a good thing.
“How it’s done in a sustainable way will be interesting to see over the next few years, especially for clubs like DLR and us, who have done great work over the last few years in terms of developing players.
“It’s important to make sure we can continue to compete with teams that have an affiliated men’s team.”
Asked how Peamount, who kick off the new season tomorrow away to President’s Cup winners Athlone Town, can continue to be successful, Duggan replied: “I think the growth in attendances would have to be exponential.
“And I do think there would have to be outside support in terms of sponsorship and backing from the FAI.
“I would hope with the history of the club, that would come.
“But that’s not for me to say. At the moment I’m just a player. Obviously in a few years’ time I’ll be on the sidelines and hoping to help grow Peamount and the league.
“But I would hope that it is sustainable. I would hope they are taking a wide view of that and they are not just going to leave it up to the mens’ clubs to develop the ladies’ game.
“But again, it remains to be seen.”
There will be more attention than ever on the newly rebranded Women’s Premier Division this year thanks to two factors.
Firstly, Ireland’s historic qualification for this summer’s World Cup has some of the league’s top stars dreaming of a seat on the flight to Australia in July.
And the arrival of Shamrock Rovers has ramped up tensions, with the Hoops snapping up some of their rivals’ top stars.
“Obviously we have lost some big-name players, but so has everyone,” said Peamount ace Duggan.
“Rovers coming into the league, it’s going to take time for them to build a team as well. So I think it’s really wide open.
“For us, as Peamount United, our goal is always to be challenging for a title. That hasn’t changed. And I think improvement on last year is a big one as well.
“We felt we let ourselves down a lot during the summer and we want to be a lot more consistent and to continue to improve.
“We are bringing through a lot of youth as well, so it’s great that we have that stream of talent coming through.
“It’s a big feature of Peamount United to continue to develop that talent and give girls opportunities, so that’s something that’s going to be really exciting for us this year.
“But we want to challenge for the league title, the Cup and the Shield, that’s just been introduced. Any type of silverware that’s there, we are going to go for it.”
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