Michael McArdle has been appointed manager of the Northern Ireland senior women's team and will take up the post on 1 April.
The Glaswegian joins the Irish Football Association from the Scottish FA, where he has served as head of elite women's football. His work there has included responsibility for player development structures and the girls' and women's performance pathway.
McArdle brings more than 25 years of coaching experience, including 17 years in the professional game. His previous positions have covered senior coaching, academy leadership and programme development, while he also took interim charge of Scotland during the 2025 Women's Nations League campaign.
During three years with the Scottish FA he helped develop an under-23 programme and the NextGen Academy system, alongside wider work to align national youth teams and the senior pathway. That background places development as well as immediate international results at the centre of his new role.
Northern Ireland are in a period of transition, with established senior players joined by younger footballers progressing through the national system and the domestic Women's Premiership. The appointment gives the association a permanent manager ahead of the remaining World Cup qualifying programme.
McArdle succeeds the interim arrangement led by Kris Lindsay. His first weeks will involve preparing the squad for April's home and away qualifiers against Malta, while also establishing the links between the senior team, youth international sides and club football that form part of the wider brief.