Northern Ireland Women boss Kenny Shiels has signed a contract extension that will take in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers; it comes after he guided the side to the European Championships next year - their first major tournament
Friday 30 April 2021 16:03, UK
Northern Ireland Women manager Kenny Shiels has signed a two-year contract extension after guiding the side to a major tournament for the first time.
Shiels' team qualified for UEFA Women's Euro 2022 earlier this month after beating Ukraine 2-0 in the second leg of their play-off.
The new deal runs until 2023 and Shiels will move from a part-time role to a full-time one.
"I'm delighted with this development and thankful to the Irish Football Association for making this happen," Shiels said.
"The success of the Northern Ireland senior women's team has added to the interest in the women's game from the grassroots level up.
"My job is to continue to build on the momentum we have generated and prepare for next summer's Euros."
As well as overseeing next summer's European Championships campaign under this new contract, Shiels will be in charge for the Women's World Cup 2023 qualifiers which get under way in September.
Northern Ireland will face England, Austria, North Macedonia, Latvia and Luxembourg in Group D following the draw on Friday.
Their most recent match against the Lionesses was a 6-0 defeat in a friendly in February.
GROUP A: Sweden, Finland, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, Slovakia, Georgia
GROUP B: Spain, SCOTLAND, Ukraine, Hungary, Faroe Islands
GROUP C: Netherlands, Iceland, Czech Republic, Belarus, Cyprus
GROUP D: ENGLAND, Austria, NORTHERN IRELAND, North Macedonia, Latvia, Luxembourg
GROUP E: Denmark, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Malta, Montenegro
GROUP F: Norway, Belgium, Poland, Albania, Kosovo, Armenia
GROUP G: Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Lithuania
GROUP H: Germany, Portugal, Serbia, Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria
GROUP I: France, WALES, Slovenia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Estonia
