Izzy Atkinson on defying the odds and living the dream

The Atkinsons are a big family; there's ten of them in total [eight children and the parents].

Most of the clan congregated in the family home in Rush, north Co Dublin last week, waiting on news to break about the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup squad.

Two were absent. Izzy, the centre of all the attention, was at UCD to hear if she was in or out; while her dad was driving in to pick her up.

The West Ham winger hadn’t been part of the initial 31-player training camp squad, getting called late in as extra cover for Megan Campbell.

The confirmation that she had made it to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand was a joyous shockwave that rippled from the university campus all the way down to the Fingal coast.

"We were told we were going to have individual meetings between 1pm and 4pm," Atkinson recalls.

"I told them I was going to find out between that time. I called them at about 4pm… they were all standing there, all waiting. My mam was screaming, ran out on the road, my siblings were screaming around the house. My dad was on the way to collect me. He had to pull over the car. He said he was going to have a heart attack!

"They make it even more special for me.

"It was one of the best days of my life, and there’s only going to be better days to come. I can’t even say in words how good I am.

"My reaction… I was trying not to cry. We were all in the group together when we found out. It was so emotional. Everyone was just like, 'wow, this is really happening’."

Atkinson is a classic World Cup bolter. She first caught the eye at Shelbourne as a highly promising teenager, moving to Celtic in 2021. She scored the winner against Glasgow City in the Scottish Cup final a year later but was soon on the move again, heading south to the