I would like to play for Ireland – Frequently Asked Questions
The Irish Women’s National Team (WNT) participated in its first European Championships in 2015, finishing 19th due to beating Israel in its penultimate game of the tournament. Since 2015, under the stewardship of it’s Head Coach Melanie Cunningham the programme has grown significantly and finished eight out 23 nations at the 2019 European Championships and will be seeded for the 2020 tournament as an “A” nation.
In addition to the WNT, Ireland has entered tournaments at the Under 19 and Under 22 level to great success, winning an Under 19 European Championships silver medal in 2018 and Under 22 European Chamionships bronze medal the same year. At the latest Under 19 World Cup in California, Ireland finished 14th. As of January 2020 Ireland is ranked the number 17 Softball national globally (WBSC Rankings).
The Irish WNT and underage national teams comprise of players who are eligible to represent Ireland at the international level either through birth or heritage and roster consist of player born and living in countries such as Ireland, France, USA, Canada and South Africa. In order to be eligible to represent Ireland you must hold an Irish passport, hopefully the FAQ section below can assist you with your queries, if not please do not hesitate to contact us at eligibility@fastpitchsoftball.ie
Frequently Asked Questions
I was born in Ireland what do I need to do?
If you were born in Ireland and wish to be considered for selection please submit your details via the contact form below. You will need to ensure you have a valid Irish Passport should you be selected to the WNT roster.
My Parent or Grandparent was born in Ireland – can I get a passport?
If you were born outside of Ireland and either one of your parents or grandparents were born in Ireland you are entitled to Irish Citizenship.
Irish citizen parent born in Ireland
If you were born outside of Ireland and your parent (who was also born outside of Ireland) was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, then you are entitled to become an Irish citizen.
If the parent through whom you are entitled to Irish citizenship was deceased at the time of your birth, but would have been an Irish citizen if alive at that time, you are also an Irish citizen. Also, you derive citizenship through an Irish parent whether or not your parents were married to each other at the time of your birth.
Irish citizen parent born outside Ireland
If you were born outside of Ireland and your parent (who was also born outside of Ireland) was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, then you are entitled to become an Irish citizen.
If the parent through whom you are entitled to Irish citizenship was deceased at the time of your birth, but would have been an Irish citizen if alive at that time, you are also an Irish citizen. Also, you derive citizenship through an Irish parent whether or not your parents were married to each other at the time of your birth.
Citizenship through descent from Irish grandparent
If one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, but neither of your parents was born in Ireland, you may become an Irish citizen. You will need to have your birth registered in the Foreign Births Register.
What about Great Grandparents, is that OK? – Other Irish ancestors
Unless at least one parent or an Irish-born grandparent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you cannot claim Irish citizenship on the basis of extended previous ancestry (that is, ancestors other than your parents or grandparents). In addition, you cannot claim Irish citizenship on the basis that a relation such as a cousin, aunt or uncle was an Irish citizen if none of your parents or grandparents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth.
I need to register on the Foreign Birth Register, what is that and how do I do it?
The Foreign Births Register (FBR) allows the descendants of Irish people who have moved abroad to claim Irish citizenship. If each generation registers their birth before the next generation is born, then Irish citizenship can be passed from parent to child. For players born outside of Ireland an FBR needs to be obtained before you may apply for a passport. Should you be in the process of applying for an FBR or Passport please contact eligibility@fastpitchsoftball.ie and we would be happy to assist as the application process may take up to 6 months.
If you were born outside Ireland, you can become an Irish citizen if:
- One of your grandparents was born in Ireland or
- One of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, even if they were not born in Ireland. Your parent may have claimed citizenship through the Foreign Births Register themselves, or become a citizen by naturalisation.
In both these cases, you become an Irish citizen by registering your birth with the Foreign Births Register.
Once a person is entered onto the Foreign Births Register they are an Irish citizen and entitled to apply for an Irish passport.
I got my Foreign Birth Register, can I play for Ireland now?
Nearly there! In order to represent Ireland you must physically have an Irish passport, the certficate of registration will not suffice.
The processing time for a first time passport application is longer than renewals and this should be factored in. For players based in Ireland, the application is submitted directly to the Passport Office in Dublin, however, if you are based in either USA or Canada, your application is through the local consulate or embassy – details on where your application should be sent can located by clicking here.
It is not possible to submit a first time application on line and a number of documents used fot the FBR will be required again.
Before submitting the applications please contact us as we may be able to provide assistance in getting the application processed.
OK – I have my passport, what next??
Great! You are now eligible to represent Ireland.
We will have been in constant contact with you through out the process and guided you with regards to selection. Once you have demonstrated you are Irish eligbible and started the FBR/Passport process, the coaches will be in contact with regards to assessment and selctions.
Team management may be contacted via the following email adress: eligibility@fastpitchsoftball.ie
How does funding for the National Teams Work?
Unfortunately the programme continues to self funded by the Player, Coaching and Management team at this time. Players will be asked to participate in fundraising activities to reduce costs for the programme and we are always open to working with potenital sponsors.
