Female former players detail allegations about named FAI coaches

By Marie Crowe and Mark Tighe

Multiple female footballers have revealed how they were the subject of alleged unwanted or inappropriate sexual advances from FAI coaches in the 1990s.

Former international players and trainees on Ireland’s first state-funded all-women soccer course have spoken to a joint investigation by RTÉ Investigates and the Sunday Independent.

Five of the 20 trainees on the FAS course allege they were the subject of sexual advances from their head coach Eamonn Collins, who is now a football agent.

Several women on the Leixlip course said they thought they were “the only one.” They were shocked to learn that former teammates had also made allegations against Collins.

Then 21-years-old, Bridget McDonald, who is gay, says a night out drinking with Collins ended in sexual intercourse with the coach, who warned her that she could be pregnant.

“Adele”, a trainee who turned 18 during the course, said Collins asked her to stay behind to clean up a changing room, and that he then “walked towards me and he started to kiss me and before I knew it, I was pinned up against the shower wall and he was kissing me.”

Lynn Winters, who was 18, alleges that while attending a testimonial dinner, Collins put his hand up between her legs and “squeezed” her crotch.

Winters was appointed captain of the trainee’s team, which was made up of women aged between 16 and 21. She said she felt obliged to go on “dates” when asked by Collins, who was 31 at the time and had recently returned from playing professionally in England.

They included trips to the cinema where she says Collins would “have his hands all over me. It was just nasty.”

Collins received a “stand down” order from the FAI in March. A complaint against him is subject to a garda investigation.

Read more: Garda probe into allegations from female former soccer players

FAI policies give it the power to issue stand down orders to any person who is subject of a complaint or inquiry by a statutory body. The orders are part of a complaints process and not a determination of wrongdoing.

The joint RTÉ/Sunday Independent investigation also focused on the experiences of international players from the 1990s while Mick Cooke was the manager.

Several former players have accused Cooke of creating a homophobic atmosphere, with one player saying he called lesbian players “vampires.”

Katie Liston, a former player who is now a lecturer in the University of Ulster, said she felt “stigmatised as a gay woman.” She says Cooke told her he was “getting rid of the lesbians” from the team.

Jackie McCarthy-O’Brien says she was never selected for Ireland again following an unwanted kiss from Cooke after he asked her to meet him in his hotel room.

“Alice” said Cooke was “charismatic when you meet him but extremely vulgar during training sessions, belittling you”.

Then aged 18, she said that on one occasion she was instructed to go to her room in the team hotel. There, Cooke – then aged 43 – asked her for a kiss.

She said the kiss made her “physically sick.”

Mick Cooke was subject to a stand down order by the FAI earlier this year.

He denies all the allegations, he said he never kissed any player and never made any homophobic remarks. He said people with knowledge of his time in charge of the team said many players had expressed the view that it was “the time of their lives.”

Eamonn Collins said he “emphatically and unreservedly denies any improper relationship or conduct by him while he was involved” in the Leixlip course.

An FAI spokesman said the association was “shocked and appalled to learn of [the] disturbing allegations” and had met the women concerned.

RTÉ Investigates – Girls in Green will be broadcast tonight on RTÉ One Television and on the RTÉ Player at 9:30pm tonight.

The FAI has asked that anyone who experienced harm in Irish football to contact an independent contractor it has hired to take statements from complainants.

The contact numbers for Raiseaconcern are 01 6107929 or 086 0299929. Individuals can also email football@raiseaconcern.com.

Anyone who wishes to contact the team behind the joint investigation with information can contact marie.crowe@rte.ie / mark.tighe@independent.ie