Now that Tanya Oxtoby has left her position as Northern Ireland women’s manager, the process is underway to appoint a successor, but there is no clear frontrunner. 

The Australian coach answered the call from the Irish FA in 2023 and presided over the senior women’s squad for EURO 2025 qualification and two Nations League campaigns. 

Her tenure was unremarkable, as there was no clear or relative success, but Oxtoby’s main contribution was to overhaul the squad, providing a new generation with exposure to senior international football. 

The former Chelsea assistant boss, who served under Emma Hayes, has left her Northern Ireland role to take over Newcastle United in WSL2, so who is likely to replace her? 

Contenders for the Northern Ireland women’s manager job 

Tanya Oxtoby’s decision to go for the Newcastle job didn’t come as a shock to most observers, but the timing of her departure was unexpected and it creates a void that needs to be filled by the Irish FA.

There is no obvious contender to fill the vacancy, so it could be that the IFA looks for an ‘external’ candidate, just like two years ago when Oxtoby was appointed. 

Her predecessors, Alfie Wylie and Kenny Shiels, are veterans of the women’s game in Northern Ireland, but for different reasons, are not likely to be under consideration this time around. 

Shiels recently spoke out to express his feelings that he is being overlooked for manager roles, despite still having plenty to offer. 

He was the coach who led the Northern Ireland women’s team to their landmark EURO 2022 qualification, but some would say he hasn’t received the recognition for it. 

The 69-year-old comes with a strong, outspoken personality, and that has been to his detriment at times, but he won’t be changing his style or persona any time soon. 

 

Local options for the Irish FA to consider

There are local options within Northern Ireland football for the IFA to turn to, with one of the potential candidates already in the building. 

That person is Gail Redmond, the incumbent manager of the Northern Ireland women’s U17 and U19 teams. 

Redmond stepped in to steady the ship between the spells of Shiels and Oxtoby, and has served her time, coming through the women’s setup. 

She is most likely to be the most compelling ‘internal’ option. 

In the Northern Ireland Women’s Premiership, Glentoran’s Kim Turner has led her team to two league titles in the last three years, while Cliftonville’s managerial trio of John McGrady, Claire Carson, and Brendan Lynch have won plaudits for the progress and success delivered at Solitude. 

They won the league in 2022 and 2024, and made their Champions League bow in the 2023/24 campaign.

The Irish FA could look south to the FAI for a contender to be the next Northern Ireland women’s manager, given that they went to England to appoint Carla Ward as Eileen Gleeson’s successor. 

Gleeson hit the FAI with a landmark gender discrimination court case, with the Republic of Ireland football governing body mounting a “strong legal defence”.

The World Cup qualification campaign begins in March, with Northern Ireland commencing the campaign with a trip to Switzerland. 

Given the timeline, it is imperative that the next Northern Ireland women’s manager is appointed within a matter of weeks, with serious business to unfold after the turn of the year.

 

Image credit: northernireland/X