Simone Magill, Northern Ireland's captain and second-highest scorer in the women's team history, has returned to the national squad's training camp with a new addition in tow: her daughter Skye, born in May. The 31-year-old Birmingham City forward is preparing for Friday's World Cup play-off against Portugal, though she will not feature in this particular round after nearly a year away from competitive matches following the announcement of her pregnancy last November.
Magill, who has represented her country since making her debut at just 15 and later led Northern Ireland to their first major tournament, says becoming a mother has reshaped her sense of identity without diminishing her commitment to the game. "I think we get labelled as athletes, and that is our complete entire identity," she said. "Obviously there's been a massive shift now. I'm a mum first and foremost and that is the highest title that I will ever have."
Her husband Mark and daughter Skye have travelled with the squad, joining team meals and downtime activities, allowing Magill to train while Mark cares for Skye during sessions. "Mark has his daddy-daughter days with her while I'm on the training pitch," she explained, adding that Skye has effectively gained "23 aunties" among her teammates who have embraced the new arrival.
The forward credited manager Michael McArdle and the Irish FA for facilitating the arrangement, noting that the support system has been crucial to her ability to continue her career. "If I didn't have that support then it almost questions, 'can I still play football if I can't bring her?'" she said. "But it means that I can fully focus on being a footballer, but equally put everything into still being a mum at the same time."
Magill is not the first Northern Ireland international to combine motherhood with playing, following defender Sarah McFadden, who gave birth to her second child in 2024 and served as something of a role model for Magill. However, Magill believes she is breaking new ground by having her family fully integrated into camp life, a situation she describes as still being navigated collaboratively with coaching staff.
Despite the challenges of balancing a return to professional football with early motherhood, Magill has progressed quickly. She resumed gym work just four weeks after Skye's birth and returned to the pitch for training after thirteen weeks. Having previously recovered from an ACL injury sustained at Euro 2022, she says this recovery process has felt different, driven by a new sense of purpose rather than the pressures of rehabilitation.
Sitting five appearances short of 100 caps for Northern Ireland, Magill hopes to resume playing matches later this autumn, with an ambition to walk onto the pitch carrying Skye when she reaches that milestone. "Skye will not necessarily remember any of this, but I will," she said. "When she's older she can look back and see the hard work that I put in to come back and play, and it was all for her."
Beyond her own return, Magill hopes her experience will help normalise motherhood within women's football, particularly for younger players in the squad. "That's very important to be normalised now in our sport and I'm just so thankful that the support systems are in place to allow me to do this," she said. "I've always wanted to inspire people on the pitch, but hopefully this is something I've done off the pitch that could also inspire future generations to show that it's possible."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.