Sport in 2023 I'm looking forward to
Happy New Year - here's some of the big sporting events and storylines I'm looking forward to this year.
Women’s World Cup
The highlight on the Irish sporting calendar in 2023 will be that of Ireland’s first visit to a major tournament in Australia and New Zealand next summer. After the amazing qualification campaign, steered admiringly by Vera Pauw, there is no doubt the team will do the nation proud Down Under.
As interest in women’s football—buoyed by the European Championships last summer, which garnered a huge amount of mainstream attention—picks up, this will be a major coming of age moment for the game in Ireland. We looked on enviously as England went all the way in the summer, with a degree of FOMO that our girls were more than good enough to be in amongst the teams on display.
Amber Barrett’s heroics, in the immediate aftermath of one of this country’s most devastating incidents in Creeslough, to send Ireland to the World Cup goes down as an unforgettable, Reeling in the Years type of moment. Her interview in the post-match celebrations should go down as one of the finest ever uttered on the national broadcaster.
Next July, although the time difference won’t be too kind to Irish viewers, the whole country will be firmly behind the team and be a cornerstone of the country’s sporting year.
Rugby World Cup
On a slightly different level to the above, is Ireland’s mission to go all the way in France later this year. We kick off the year as number one in the world rankings and expectations extraordinarily high, but there’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and then.
I’m quick to be tongue-in-cheek about Ireland’s boom and bust cycle between World Cups, but as we turn the corner into a World Cup year, this one feels slightly different. Coming off a series win over New Zealand in the summer and an unbeaten spell in the November internationals, this Irish side seems more ready than ever to banish the quarter-final curse that has curtailed our World Cup experiences thus far.
I have no idea if they can go all the way, but it should be a fun ride. How I see it—as a very passive rugby follower—is Ireland now seem like a side to be avoided than a team that can be knowingly got at on the biggest stage. If they can harness that heading into the knockout stages then there should be no one in the tournament this team can’t beat.
GAA Championships
Grouping the hurling and football senior championships together, both codes are teed up to be very exciting years with two very different targets on the respective reigning champions.
In Kerry, we have the newly-crowned winners and Gaelic Games’ closest thing to a national superstar in David Clifford. Dublin are the bookies’ closest favourite to the Kingdom, while Galway, Mayo and Tyrone make up the chasing pack. What adds an extra wrinkle is the new coaching ticket in Mayo. With Kevin McStay and his very impressive backroom team in place, along with the changing of the guard amongst the panel, it could be an interesting year for Mayo.
On the hurling front, Limerick are going for four-in-a-row. It will be a feat not seen since the late noughties with that special Kilkenny team. But can anyone lay a glove on the Shannonsiders? Waterford, Cork and Kilkenny have now all had their shot. Henry Shefflin’s Galway are second favourites at the moment. But at 10/11, it feels very ominous about Limerick already.
What makes this year’s campaign even more interesting is the managerial merry-go-round that has occurred, with new faces in charge in Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork and Tipperary. Can any upset the applecart and Limerick’s ultra-consistency both on and off the field?
The Golf
As a prime Sunday golf viewer, this year is shaping up to be a cracking year for majors, plus the Ryder Cup in Italy at the end of September.
The LIV Golf movement has created a huge schism in the game, but as a passive viewer has made it all the more interesting. It looks like the LIV defectors will be allowed to compete against the originals across each of the majors, whilst the Ryder Cup will be an interesting concoction of can they co-exist across the US and European teams.
On the Irish front, it’ll be great to see Seamus Power continue his phenomenal run of the past couple of years, if Shane Lowry can stay in contention deep into Sundays, but above all—if Rory McIlroy can finally get over his majors voodoo. In the face of all the LIV nonsense, McIlroy has emerged as the figure of good against evil and a safeguard for the stature and traditions of golf as we knew it. He had an unbelievable 2022. Getting that elusive fifth major would be hugely, hugely deserved.
Ireland Men’s Football Team
I turn into 2023 with a much different opinion than a year prior on the Irish national side. This time a year ago I was bullish that the corner had been turned and the pieces were beginning to fall into place for the squad and Stephen Kenny.
Alas, 2022 ended on a dull note and despite some fleeting positives, it always felt like one step forward, one step back. The quarterly referenda on Kenny’s Irish tenure has been parked to an almost malaise as fans accept that he’ll get his time for now, until it’s time to change again.
To add insult to injury, he was dealt with a desperately difficult Euro qualifying group with France and the Netherlands, almost signalling a death knell to any automatic qualifying hopes before a ball was even kicked. Thankfully, the expanded European Championship will give us every chance of sneaking in the back door.
On the playing field, there is so much talent it boggles the mind. 18-year-old Evan Ferguson has just scored his first Premier League goal, while Gavin Bazunu saved a penalty and is generally regarded as one of the best young goalkeeping talents in the world, despite Southampton’s struggles this year.
Off the field, I think history will be relatively kind on Stephen Kenny’s era. He ushered in so much fantastic young talent and prepared them for happier days ahead with dozens of caps and a few years of international experience before their time, and most certainly long before many other managers would have entrusted them.
With more talent knocking on the door, 2023 will be the year we learn if Kenny is the man to continue the helm, or if the FAI should be pulling the trigger on someone who can take this generation to the next level.
Club Football
The landscape of club football could be very different in 12 months’ time. With Manchester United reportedly up for sale and FSG seeking further investment at Liverpool, we could well see the Middle East’s stranglehold on European football increase.
We might find out more about this mooted Club World Cup Gianni Infantino is peddling, which I’m really not sure about. Football has become a non-stop year round event and more accessible than ever, with high level games of one degree or another on every night of the week. There needs to be a bit of air let out somewhere. Going from club action directly into the Qatar World Cup and immediately back again is ludicrous. Adding another big tournament into the calendar—which, let’s face it, will likely be in the Middle East again—seems like overload.
In the Premier League, it looks like we’re shaping up for an Arsenal and Manchester City title race. I’m mightily impressed with Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta seems to have his young charges years ahead of schedule. But look at Newcastle—they’re a year into new ownership and Eddie Howe has them well ahead of schedule himself, despite heavy investment, to be in the top four and playing this well this quickly is still an impressive feat of football coaching, when you consider they haven’t rotated out of all the Mike Ashley originals just yet.
In Europe, the storyline for the Champions League will emerge very quickly as we lose one of Real Madrid and Liverpool and PSG and Bayern Munich in the Last 16, with Pep Guardiola looking to finally get over the hump as City welcome RB Leipzig.
Athletics
I’m a sucker for an athletics championships and the worlds swing quickly around later in 2023, with the reduced Olympic cycle due to the pandemic in full effect.
Taking part in Budapest, I’m looking forward to seeing the likes of Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, Norwegian duo Karsten Warholm and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, America’s Athing Mu, not to mention the host of Irish athletes and what the likes of Israel Olatunde and Rhasidat Adeleke can get up to after a monumental 2022.