Colin Bell’s Women’s team open their campaign against Mexico in Hsinchu County Second Stadium (09.00 Irish Time) before Greg Yelverton leads his side out against old foes France in New Taipei City Xinzhuang Stadium (12.30 Irish Time).
Both games will be streamed live through the FAI Third Level Football Facebook page as part of the FAI’s in-depth coverage of the Games where for the first time all games for Team Ireland’s Men’s and Women’s football sides are being broadcast live to Irish viewers.
Having arrived on-site last Saturday, both sides have had just under a week to acclimatise to the intense heat and humidity, with temperatures ranging from the low-thirties to forty degrees celsius and humidity levels in the nineties. The Women’s game will kick off in the late afternoon locally with the Men’s following under the shroud of nightfall.
Bell has a full squad to select from with Amber Barrett captaining the side and July’s Continental Tyres Women’s National League Player of the Month Aisling Frawley also in contention for a starting place. Speaking on his team selection Bell said “All of the girls have done really well so far. I know that we are going to need all of them. It’s going to be a hard tournament in this weather. Everybody is going to need to be alert and ready to go.
“They have very fast strikers, they try to keep the pace quite high. We have to try adapt a style of play to maybe slow things down to spoil the rhythm of the Mexicans. I think they will just try go for us as quickly as possible. We are playing at 4pm, nearly the hottest period of the day but we know that and we prepared for that and I just hope the girls can do themselves credit and justice”
Speaking on his match venue Yelverton said “it is fantastic, it’s a unique setting. we are in the middle of the city so it is warm and humid. It is a newly laid astroturf and we are looking forward to playing on it after training on it tonight”. Yelverton will have nineteen players to select from with UCC’s Collingwood Cup captain Sean O’Mahony set to sit out the game. Speaking upon the options at his disposal, the Corkman said “I’ve got my starting eleven in my head, maybe one or two positions I may tweak a bit. We’ll name the team before we arrive and I’m sure the lads will be eager to hear if they are starting themselves”.
Friday 18th August
Womens Pool B
Mexico v Ireland
Hsinchu County Second Stadium
4pm (9am Irish Time)
Mens Pool A
Ireland v France
New Taipei City Xinzhuang Stadium
7.30pm (12.30 Irish Time)
Both games are exclusively live on the FAI Third Level Football Facebook page. Like the page now to check out everything World University Games related.