When the Girls in Green first went to Kazakhstan
This article reflects on the 2009 Republic of Ireland women's football team trip to Kazakhstan for a World Cup qualifier. It highlights the early career of Katie Taylor, who balanced professional football with her rising boxing career at the time.
Why it matters
It provides historical context for the growth of women's sports and the unique career trajectory of a legendary athlete.
Seventeen years ago, the Republic of Ireland women's team ventured into the unknown for a World Cup double-header against Russia and Kazakhstan.
The Girls in Green had previously been to Russia in 2005, when they lost 5-1 (Michele O'Brien got the consolation goal). But they'd never played a senior international in Kazakhstan.
Noel King's team beat the Kazakhs 2-1 in Turner's Cross thanks to a late goal from young Raheny United striker Stephanie Roche, so they travelled with some confidence in their quest to reach the 2011 World Cup in Germany.
It was October 2009. I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas was No 1 in the Irish charts, Brian Cowen was Taoiseach, and the country was mourning the death of Boyzone's Stephen Gately.
The Ireland squad included Katie Taylor; a tough-tackling 23-year-old midfielder with a burning ambition to build a boxing career.
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