Ruesha Littlejohn’s goal from the halfway line during Shamrock Rovers’ 3-2 loss to Galway United on Saturday ensured that the veteran midfielder will leave a lasting impression on the League of Ireland.
“I think it’s the only touch of the ball I had all day,” joked Littlejohn. “I thought it was worth a hit and luckily it went in. But it doesn’t mean anything because we lost the game.”
It might not mean anything to Rovers’ title aspirations but the 34-year-old’s presence in Tallaght serves to highlight both the league’s potential and its shortcomings.
After London City Lionesses abruptly terminated Littlejohn’s contract in December despite an outstanding performance for Ireland in the Euros play-off defeat to Wales, Rovers offered her an opportunity to stay match fit for the upcoming Nations League double-header against Greece.
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Ruesha Littlejohn goal highlights League of Ireland’s potential and shortcomings
“I think it’s huge to have someone of her calibre and her experience in the league,” said Aoibheann Clancy, the 21-year-old Shelbourne midfielder who is the only other home-based player in Carla Ward’s squad.
“You saw at the weekend the goal she scored, and she was straight in with the free-kick [against Athlone Town] as well.
“Even for the likes of the Rovers girls, to be learning off her, the depth of experience that she has, it’s unbelievable. You’d love to just be picking her brain at training.
“I think for young girls as well that are coming to Tallaght every week, to see that type of player is huge, it’s only going to improve the league.
“She shows the standard that if you want to play professionally, or play for the national team, this is the level you need to be at,” Clancy continued. “And all around she is a top professional. And that can only benefit everyone here.”
[ Ruesha Littlejohn scores from halfway line for Shamrock RoversOpens in new window ]
Equally, Littlejohn’s short-term signing brings attention to a league that brands itself as semi-professional when the reality on the ground is closer to its traditional amateur status.
The average salary in the English Super League, as recently as 2022, was £47,000 (€56,000) with some players earning as little as £20,000 (€24,000) so Clancy’s decision to study Health and Performance Science as one of UCD’s seven soccer scholarships, where she receives €3,000 annually, makes a lot of sense.
“I think around my Leaving Cert I was trying to figure out what to do,” she explained. “I was in and around Vera [Pauw’s] camps at the time and there definitely was that decision [to turn professional].
“I ended up going down the education route. It’s probably important to get that first. The women’s game, while it’s developing, it still has a bit to go, so to have a degree behind you before you go, I think, is important.”
Ideally, next season, Clancy will move to a club in the UK, Europe or the US.
“I’d definitely like to if the opportunity came up. I was actually just talking to Amber [Barrett] this morning about it, she was like, ‘finish your degree’.”
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The men’s League of Ireland Premier Division only turned fully professional this year, with top-end salaries of about €130,000, and while some clubs in the women’s league pay expenses for players travelling more than three hours and a small match fee, in general, compensation falls well short of the living wage of €14.75 an hour.
Expenses, regulated across the board, such as the €920 average grant that the Gaelic Players Association secured for its women players, would be a start. That is the opinion of Saoirse Noonan, the Celtic striker who has been recalled to the Ireland squad in advance of Friday’s game in Crete after scoring 23 goals in Scotland this season.
“I think the biggest thing is allowing players to get expenses,” said Noonan. “When I was playing for Shelbourne, I was also going to college and working in a restaurant and you can’t continue doing that, because it was literally 9am to 9pm every day; finish college and go to work or finish college and go to training and it becomes so hard to manage your time.
“I think if players were able to get expenses or a bit of money, because they do train like full-time professionals, and that will allow them to do their degree and focus fully on recovery and performance when not studying.
“I recommend everyone to finish college,” Noonan added. “I am grateful that I went through the ranks going to college, playing with Shelbourne and doing it all at the one time and then starting my own business. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without going to college.”
Noonan set up her Freedom Official Clothing company in 2019 as the professional game barely pays the bills.
