Amber Barrett was on Off The Ball to discuss her move to FC Koln with Enda Coll.
When asked how she was discovered by the Koln team, Barrett said that it was Colin Bell, who manages the Irish team, that put her name forward.
Bell had been contacted by the manager of FC Koln as he was looking for a striker and Bell had sent on clips of Barrett’s performance.
“I think after they had seen that they liked what they saw,” said Barrett.
Barrett is excited to play with the team next season and has already been over to visit
“I went over a couple of weeks ago to see everything, to meet some players and meet the manager. It was really good. I enjoyed going over and they were delighted and wanted me on board”
“It happened very quickly but I was delighted it did happen.”
One of the big differences for Barrett was the facilities in Koln. The underage, reserve and women's teams play in the training ground which Barrett was impressed by.
“The women usually play in the training ground but it’s about a ten or twelve thousand seater stadium.
“It really is a top facility… It’s just when you compare it to here there’s not as much. Teams don’t have as much access to facilities as they do over there.
Barrett feels like playing with FC Koln will help her improve and get selected for more Irish games. She is also looking forward to playing there having already grown fond of the grounds.
“I was blown away by the pitches there… I just kind of fell in love with the place as soon as I went over”
Better facilities would also assist Irish players who want to go professional according to Barrett.
“I think there’s a lot of Irish players that are capable of going professional. I think they’re good enough but I think the training regimes and the facilities available (elsewhere) would be really top class.”
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