Sky Ireland today announced the five recipients of the 2023 Sky WNT Fund. The €25,000 bursary is designed to support members of the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team in furthering their career development and academic studies.
After reviewing applications from squad members, the judging panel – Sky Ireland Chief Commercial Officer, Orlaith Ryan, sports journalist Cliona Foley, and (then) Head of Women and Girls Football at the Football Association of Ireland, Eileen Gleeson – met to deliberate and select the 2023 recipients.
The recipients of the 2023 Sky WNT Fund, who will each receive €5,000, are:
o Ruesha Littlejohn: Fund will be used to develop her YouTube channel, ‘RueTube’.
o Hayley Nolan: Fund will go towards further development of Hayley’s company, ‘Sleek N Easy’, which she operates with her sister, Katie.
o Niamh Fahey: Fund will be used as part of Niamh’s MBA research at Liverpool John Moore’s University.
o Louise Quinn: Fund will be used for further academic studies.
o Rianna Jarrett: Fund will be used towards a UEFA A coaching licence
“2023 has been a truly historic year for our Women’s National Team, with many important milestones passed – record viewership and match attendances, qualification for their first ever World Cup and playing at the Aviva Stadium for the first time,” said Sky Ireland Chief Commercial Officer Orlaith Ryan.
“One of the many impressive qualities this group of players has is that their ambitions off the pitch match their ambition on it. We set up the Sky WNT Fund to help the players prepare for what comes next – be it post-football career preparation or furthering academic studies.”
“As part of that, we also offer mentoring across various business practices. It is a wonderful initiative that gives us an opportunity to have a meaningful impact, beyond our partnership with the squad. I wish Ruesha, Hayley, Niamh, Louise and Rianna every success in their respective pursuits.”
“The support that Sky continues to show us, both on and off the pitch, is unbelievable,” added fund recipient Ruesha Littlejohn.
“Since coming on board over two years ago, the team has grown with their support and we’re so grateful for the opportunities their sponsorship has given us. I saw how last year’s fund benefitted my teammates and when the 2023 fund opened for submissions, I knew I had to apply.”
Next up for the team will be the job of qualifying for the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championships, which commences in April, following the draw on March 5th, 2024. The Finals for this will take place in Switzerland.
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