Shelbourne's Jemma Quinn hopes people can take inspiration from her story

As Shelbourne prepare for their third women's FAI Cup final in a row, this is something that Jemma Quinn could only have imagined years ago.

Frustrated by the lack of progress in the women's game, Quinn quit football, and admitted she lost interest in the sport.

After taking a nine-year break from the game, the 32-year-old made her comeback to football in 2022, as she helped Shelbourne to the double in her first season.

In a repeat of last year's final against Athlone Town, Quinn told Breakingnews.ie she couldn't have imagined preparing for an FAI Cup final when she left the sport.

"If you back to before I joined Killester Donnycarney, if you told me I would be even playing football I would have laughed at you, never mind playing League of Ireland and going into a second FAI Cup final or playing Champions League.

"This has been a big surprise for me, as much as it is for some people who know me who have seen me coming back. It has been an amazing and crazy experience."

In a year where women's football in Ireland has made history, it is easy for some people top forget where it came from. For players like Jemma, who have taken the road less travelled, her experience of the game growing up shows how far the game has come.

"The difference is massive, the scale is between hot and cold. When I was growing up, there was no incentive for us to play, you would be lucky what day you were playing or what time and what league you were in.

"That was one of the reasons i left. In terms of the amount of girls and women playing football, it has changed dramatically, but the biggest change has been the standard, and how good they are today.

"That was the biggest surprise when I went to Shels. When I stopped playing football, I stopped