by Alyce Collett (25/9/26)
Above: Saoirse Noonan (pictured) was a huge signing for Watford ahead of the season, and her signature is a sign of the ambitions of the club. Photo: via Watford FC.
It is not often that a team newly promoted to the second tier of the English pyramid can lure an international calibre player to their club, but Watford certainly managed to do that in the offseason with the signing of Republic of Ireland star Saoirse Noonan.
But according to the star forward herself, despite speaking to a number of different clubs upon her departure from Celtic after last season – including some in the Women’s Super League – in the end, nothing compared to Watford for Noonan, and she is certainly loving her choice thus far.
“I spoke to a few different clubs, and after every conversation, me and my agent would just say it just didn’t compare to Ren [Renee Hector, Watford Head Coach] and Helen [Ward, Head of Women’s Football at Watford], and they didn’t do anything fancy or anything like that” Noonan explained.
“It was just pure honesty. They just knew me as a, a player I suppose, and knew the type of player I am, and I just felt like I can help them and they can help me grow in different ways and help me develop and I can bring my strengths.
“I would like to think I’m a different striker to a lot of strikers, so knowing that they’re going to play a style of football that would suit me but also if this isn’t where it stops, this is only where it gets going, and I really want to develop, so it just felt like the right fit.”
Although it was a big move for Noonan to make from Celtic to Watford, Noonan’s reason for doing so was a pretty simple one.
“I think I was just ready for a new start” Noonan explained.
“I think obviously going out winning the cup was a high and it was something that I really wanted to achieve. Two years at Celtic with no trophies wouldn’t have been a great success, but I’m glad I got to leave with a trophy, and being top goalscorer there for two years I was kind of ready for a new challenge.
“I think just the growth down here in the WSL one and two is just so big right now, and I am coming into that, I suppose, prime age I’d like to call it, in women’s football.
“It’s a huge year internationally as well, so when clubs were showing a lot of interest and then speaking to Helen and Ren at Watford I think it would’ve just been a no-brainer to not come here.”
Noonan was not the only Irishwoman to join Watford this season, with Aoibheann Clancy moving across the Irish Sea from League of Ireland side Shellbourne.
“Me and Aoibho actually both got whiff that each other had both spoke to Waterford quite early on” Noonan confessed.
“and we were both kind of trying to figure each other out. Are we going to go there? Is there other options available that people had spoke to?
“I think to be fair, we were both kind of on the same page that we had other options that people might have thought ‘oh they might go there’ or whatnot, but both of our hearts just from minute one were setting here, and I can’t praise Ren and Helen enough for that. They’ve stuck to their word and they’ve definitely helped both of us settle in so far, and it’s been nice to have each other to help settle in as well.”
Celtic has a rich history and connection with the Republic of Ireland, and that was something not lost on Noonan during her time there.
“It was massive” Noonan said, speaking about being an Irish person at a club like Celtic with such a history and connection to her home country.
“I think when I came from Durham I had a few clubs that I wanted to go to, and Celtic was top of the list. I know some people might have looked at it ‘oh you’re going up to Scotland from the Championship’, and this and that, but I just felt like, as you said, one, being an Irish person and going to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world – not even just Europe – and being at Celtic, I think you can’t turn down the opportunity.
“When I got it my whole family was a bit in shock. Absolutely over the moon, and it just meant so much more. I think as a kid growing up, everyone wore Celtic jerseys around. It was Celtic, Liverpool, Man United, so knowing that you can play for that club was just a surreal feeling.
“Then hitting the ground running and getting to experience the experiences I did, playing Champions League last 16, I think just made me grow as a player, and then obviously getting back into the national team. So I really feel like those two years have probably been my most enjoyable in football, but also my toughest in football.
“So I think it’s definitely made me learn a lot, made me grow up a lot, and when I come down here now, it makes me want to push on and bring this group to the next level.”
Despite her success and form at club level, Noonan has not had the same level of success at international level, earning less than 20 caps for her country at senior level since making her competitive debut against Sweden in 2021.
One of those missed opportunities was the 2023 World Cup, which despite being in great scoring form for Celtic at the time, Noonan was not a member of that historic final squad that went to Australia.
“I think being involved in the team all the way up to the World Cup and training for five weeks, and four of us being left behind was probably one of the hardest moments of my life” Noonan confessed.
“But it also gave me the drive to go on and want it more, and then I had to wait my time. I understand people wanted me in, and I wanted to be in as well when you’re scoring stuff, but it’s not as easy as that. There’s a flurry of players out there, and they’re all doing the same thing, and they’re all performing week in, week out.
“Unfortunately, that’s just part of the game. You have to sometimes wait your time, and I think I’m getting more minutes now, and I’m learning my role within the team. But again, as I said, I’m competing against world-class players, and there’s world-class players that aren’t even in the squad….
“So I’m grateful to be part of the group, but I don’t want to just be a number, and it has been frustrating at times, especially in the past. But I think Carla, [Ward, Republic of Ireland manager] I suppose she’s really open and honest with players, and she’s really easy to speak to, and she values us all as individuals and knows that we all bring something different, which I’ve been so grateful for. Even moving here, speaking to her on the move and asking her opinions and stuff was really important to me.
“As I said, we’ve an absolutely massive year ahead, so I need to just make sure I’m in the right form and I’m doing the work for club and then international will follow.”
Despite the heartbreak of not being in that squad three years ago, it did teach Noonan some important things ahead of what is an important few matches for the Republic of Ireland in their quest to make it to back to back World Cups.
“I think everyone’s different and every manager’s different” Noonan said.
“But for me, you just need to work harder every week, and you might do good one week but it’s your last game that matters, it’s your last session that matters, and you’re always striving for more, and there’s always more to improve on.
“So I think it’s just a question whether don’t leave anyone questioning you being there or not, make the decision for them. That’s really important for me, and I think when I do get chances, I really need to grab them with both hands, be it club or country, because that’s where it matters the most.
“It’s a lot of the work I think that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see that also matters. They don’t see the tough times, moving away from home. They don’t see all the good times as well behind the scenes.
But I think I really need to just enjoy the moment, not put so much pressure on myself. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to be there, and then sometimes that eats into your game and stuff. So at the moment I’m just really enjoying myself, just trying to be present, trying to enjoy the game. We play it because we love it, and what’s meant to be will be. Maybe I wasn’t meant to go to that World Cup, and maybe all those things happened for a reason, and then I got to move to Celtic and had a brilliant two years.”
It has not been all negatives for Noonan though.
As a woman proud of her Cork heritage, one big moment in her career was her second ever senior international goal, which came against Slovenia at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork last year.
“Getting the nod to start that game was a bit of a whirlwind” Noonan explained, reflecting back on that game.
“Being at home and knowing all my family was going to be there, it was quite emotional actually.
“I think when the ball just came to me and I scored, it was an unbelievable moment, but it was about, I think it lasted about five seconds, and I could hear Carla screaming at me to get back, and we needed to score more goals.
“I think it was so great but obviously we needed to win that game four nil. So on a personal level it was brilliant, but on a collective obviously we wanted to do more.
“I think the experiences that I’ve had so far in the last 18 months now with the national team has just made me feel so much more involved and made me grow as a person and a player as well.”
Pairc Ui Chaoimh has become a bit of a fortress for the Girls in Green in recent years, and Noonan certainly really enjoys getting to play there despite the rarity of those opportunities.
“I think be it Cork or anywhere else in Ireland, it’s always nice. I know the Dubs don’t want to come out of Dublin, but it’s always nice to come a bit outside it because everything does happen up there” Noonan said.
“and especially all the traveling fans. I think so many fans come from Cork and Limerick and Clare go all the way up to Dublin every time, so it’s nice to have something down in Cork.
“To be fair the girls have absolutely loved it, and since we’ve not lost a game down there, I think it was a no-brainer to not have the game there again [Republic of Ireland’s upcoming World Cup Playoff home leg against Kazakhstan].
“We’ve had just such amazing memories down there. But yeah, knowing that’s where I’m from and every single Cork person’s just so proud to be from Cork, and we all support each other in every single sport.”
When asked what her ultimate goal for the 2026/27 club season was, Noonan had a pretty simple answer.
“To be honest, I think the main goal is to make Waterford the team no one wants to play against” Noonan explained.
“We may be a team that’s just come up this year, but I think that doesn’t make a difference. It’s 90 minutes of football, and if you have the right mindset and the right group – which we do – I think we can cause a bit of damage and upset.
“One game at a time. Push for that top half of the table, and I think we will cause a few upsets, and we will be on people’s lips, and they’ll be talking about us.”
With two goals from her three games played so far this season, Noonan is certainly playing her part to try and make that happen.
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