Ireland kick-off the four-nation UEFA Championship finals with a semi-final tie against reigning champions Germany on June 22 with Spain and the Netherlands battling it out in the other semi final.

The UEFA Championship final and the 3rd place final will take place on Sunday, June 26 and the young 'Girls in Green' will have an extra incentive at the finals next week as the top three teams at the tournament will advance to the FIFA Women's U18 World Cup which will take place in Trinidad and Tobago in September.

The Irish side created history by qualifying for the finals of the tournament with an undefeated record in qualifying which included a 2-1 victory over women's football superpower, Sweden, in Ukraine last April. It is an historic first time for Ireland to contest the finals of a major UEFA Championship in women's football.

The 18 player squad has a unique geographic reach, encompassing nearly every region of the country with players included from Cork, Donegal, Wexford, Dublin, Mayo, Galway, Waterford, and Westmeath while there are three players from Reading FC and one player from New Jersey in the USA.

Speaking at the announcement, Republic of Ireland manager, Noel King said, "Obviously it is going to be an incredibly difficult start to the finals coming up against European champions, Germany. The country have a proud tradition in women's football and since the inception of this competition, Germany have never lost a competitive game at this level. We recognise that we are going into the game as the obvious underdogs but a German defeat has to happen sometime and what better time than in a European semi-final," he said.

"Everybody involved in women's football across Europe will expect nothing other than a 4th place finish for the Irish in this tournament. However, in my opinion, the squad are fully prepared and capable of causing more shocks at these finals. They have proven that they are capable of raising their game with the challenges that have come before them and while I am proud of our qualification to these finals, that is not the end of our ambition. We are not going there to make up the numbers, we are there on merit and prepared to fight all the way to the final," added King.

Speaking about his sides chances of qualifying for the Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago next summer, King said, "Right now, all of the squad are fully concentrating on overcoming Germany in the European Championship semi-final. It would be a tremendous achievement, qualifying for the FIFA World Cup but at the moment, it doesn't interest me one bit. We have spent the last 12 months preparing to reach the European Championship finals and we will continue to focus on each game as it comes and if it leads to qualification to the World Cup finals in September, it will be a bonus," he added.

Republic of Ireland squad
Grace Moloney - Reading FC
Amanda Budden - Wilton United FC
Jessica Gleeson - Tramore FC
Ciara O'Brien - Tramore FC
Jennifer Byrne - Bealnamulla FC
Megan Campbell - St. Francis FC
Tanya Kennedy - Finn Valley FC
Aileen Gilroy - Killala FC
Ciara Grant - Kilmacrennan Celtic FC
Dora Gorman - Salthill Devon FC
Siobhan Killeen - Raheny United FC
Stacie Jayne Donnelly - Reading FC
Denise O'Sullivan - Wilton United FC
Rianna Jarrett - North End Utd. FC
Niamh McLaughlin - Greencastle FC
Kerry Glynn - Montclair Thunderbolts FC
Harriet Archer Scott - Reading FC
Clare Shine - Douglas Hall FC

Manager
Noel King

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