4 days Ago By Vincent Whelan
RACHEL GRAHAM revealed she no longer holds contract talks with Shelbourne — she just signs when her offer to stay at the club arrives. The 35-year-old returns to Tolka Park next season for her 11th campaign, having joined the Reds when Raheny United moved under the Shels banner in 2015. And the midfielder revealed boss Eoin Wearen did not have to persuade her — or captain Pearl Slattery — to stay.
Graham said: “They sent me the contract and I signed it. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. “This is my club and where I want to be.
"The manager will meet and chat with all the players, whereas me and Pearl get the contract sent out and it is sent back, signed!” Graham has won three leagues and three FAI Cups at Shelbourne to go with the two leagues and three cups she claimed while at Raheny. That success is why she has no interest going elsewhere. The former Ireland international added: “It is the feel of the place.
"We are competitive and have a good team so I don’t feel I need to move. “The fans embrace us more than other club around the country and we are on the same level as the men’s team.” Graham has also seen the growth in the Women’s Premier Division as she acknowledged there were times early on in her career when crowds were made up entirely of the players’ families.
But she admits that the rise of the game has changed ambitions, as players largely have to go abroad to earn international recognition. Graham lined out for her country while playing in Dublin, though Julie-Ann Russell is the only home-based player involved, with home-based Ireland sessions axed last year. The midfielder — whose day job is with the FAI — would like to see a greater link with the national team as she urged the incoming Ireland boss to look at the domestic league.
She said: “Don’t just dismiss our league and look abroad as sometimes that seems to be the way it is, you have to play abroad or in England. “I know there is a big jump between us and the WSL in England. “But pick the best ten or 15 and have a session.
It is diluted with 30. “There are not 30 players in this league ready for international football, so look at ten or 15 and get them in.”.
