Echo Women in Sport Award: Captain fantastic Emma McCarthy led Douglas Hall to treble

When the final whistle sounded at St Colman's Park and Douglas Hall's players celebrated a 3-0 victory over Lakewood in the Steve Quinn Cup final, it marked the end of a season that will live long in the club's memory.

Having already captured the Cork Women's Soccer League Premier Division title and the Challenge Cup, the club completed a domestic treble.

At the heart of it all was captain Emma McCarthy, whose leadership and commitment earned her The Echo Women in Sport Award for September.

For McCarthy, however, success has never been about individual recognition.

"It's lovely," she says of the award. "I don't really like talking about myself. One of my friends told me it was probably overdue, which was nice to hear. But I've never gone out trying to be a leader. I think I'm just a natural leader and thankfully I've always got a lot of respect from the players around me."

That respect has been built over decades in the club colours.

The numbers from Douglas Hall's season tell their own story. They lost just one league game on their way to the Premier Division title, while they also captured the Challenge Cup and Steve Quinn Cup.

Beyond the local game, they reached the semi-finals of the Amateur Cup and the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup, competing with some of the strongest sides in the country.

Their Challenge Cup triumph came in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Leeside, with Clare Shine scoring late on.

"It could have gone either way," McCarthy recalls. "Leeside are really coming into their own and they're a great team. That was probably one of the toughest games we had."

The Steve Quinn Cup final brought an even more emphatic display as Douglas Hall swept aside Lakewood.

"That was just an outstanding team performance. We probably could have won by more. Everything clicked."

Yet perhaps the statistic that best sums up Douglas Hall's dominance is that lone league defeat. Ironically, it was a match McCarthy never finished after suffering a sickening clash of heads.

"I got completely knocked out," she says matter-of-factly.

"It was a clash of heads and I was down. I wanted to keep playing but there was no chance they were letting me back on. My face was so swollen I had to go for a CT scan and X-rays afterwards."

Relentless

If that sounds like the actions of a player unwilling to take a backward step, it is a reputation McCarthy has carried throughout her career.

One soccer figure described her as the "Roy Keane of women's football in Cork", a comparison that draws a laugh.

It's nice to hear, but there is pressure that comes with that too. 

"We lost an Amateur Cup semi-final when I was away on a family holiday, and I was getting messages saying if I was there we wouldn't have lost. That's lovely in one sense but I'm also mum to Lily and Jacob. Family comes first too."

Balancing family life, work and playing would test anyone, but McCarthy has a strong support network around her.

Husband Chris became involved with coaching duties during the season, while her mother Irene remains one of Douglas Hall's biggest supporters.

"I honestly couldn't do without my mum," McCarthy says.

"She's massive into Douglas Hall. You'll see her standing behind the goal with the Douglas Hall scarf no matter what the weather is. If I'm training or playing, she's there helping with the kids. She's been amazing."

McCarthy's connection with Douglas Hall stretches back almost as far as she can remember.

Growing up football was a constant presence. Her route into the club arrived thanks to the late Una Moore, founder of the women's section at Douglas Hall.

"I was playing football on a green near my house when Una drove past and stopped. You'd never see that happen now," she laughs.

"She asked me my name and said they had just started a girls' team in Douglas Hall and would I come along.

"That was it. I was six years old."

The following year, she found herself making an underage debut.

"I played my first match when I was seven against Wilton's U12s. I was only there to watch and they were short players, so I ended up playing in runners and tracksuit bottoms."

Back then, she operated further up the pitch, usually as a winger or central midfielder. Her transformation into a commanding centre-back came after a conversation she has never forgotten.

When she stepped up to the Cork team as a teenager, the manager was Paddy Delaney, father of former Republic of Ireland international Damien Delaney.

"He named the team and put me at centre-back. I couldn't believe it," McCarthy recalls. "I asked why he was putting me there and he told me I had two choices. He said I could either play centre-back and become one of the best centre-backs in Ireland or sit on the bench.

I never questioned him again and I've never moved position since."

The years since have brought countless memories, though one stands above the rest.

In 2013, Douglas Hall captured the Intermediate Cup, securing the club's first All-Ireland success.

"It was horrendous weather, but we won 1-0 and I got player of the match. The celebrations afterwards were unbelievable. The team spirit we had was incredible. That's still probably my biggest highlight."

Strong bond

The team spirit remains as strong as ever. In fact, it is one of the main reasons McCarthy continues to play.

After becoming a mother, she briefly stepped away from the game before eventually rediscovering her love of football.

I realised how much I'd missed it. The friendships are what keep me going.

"Some of my best friends in life came through soccer. I want my children to see that sport gives you friendships that last forever.

"And for an hour or two, I get to go training and not be mum. I can just be Emma and enjoy it."

Despite an award-winning season and a trophy cabinet that grows by the year, retirement is not yet on the agenda.

Her husband has raised the possibility. McCarthy quickly shuts it down.

"Not a chance," she says. "I'll retire when I feel I can't keep up with the person I'm marking anymore. I don't want people saying, 'Remember when she was good?'

"When I stop, I want it to be on my terms. I still feel I have another year or two in me at least."

After a season that delivered a historic treble, few would bet against Emma proving she has a lot more football left to give. For Douglas Hall, that can only be good news.