Crowe’s warning carries weight. She co-authored the Girls in Green investigation into allegations of misogyny and sexually predatory behaviour in Irish women’s football, and her view is clear. “Safeguarding is really improving - and it's girls and boys - but I think you can never do enough when it comes to protecting not just young people but men and women too,” Crowe said.
That is the heart of it. Football loves to talk about growth, visibility and pathways, but none of that matters much if players and staff do not feel safe. Crowe’s argument is not that sport has failed to change; it is that change only counts if it keeps moving.
Crowe was just as direct on broadcasting. “It's probably a more unforgiving industry if you're a female because the assumption is that you don't know what you're talking about,” she said. “Whereas I think if a man makes a mistake, they just make a mistake.”
It is a blunt assessment, but not an unfamiliar one. Women in football coverage have become more visible, yet visibility is not the same as equality. Crowe’s own experience across different sports, and her coaching background, appear to have helped her build authority in a space that has not always offered it freely.
With Ireland absent from the tournament, Crowe’s loyalties will shift. “They're our neighbours and kindred spirits,” she said of Scotland. “I'd love to see Scotland do well.”
That adds a nice edge to her World Cup role: part presenter, part observer, part fan. And with other reports suggesting Scotland are also building toward a new phase later this year, their summer will be watched closely.
For Crowe, then, this tournament is about more than results. It is another chance to ask whether football is getting better at protecting people, listening to women and opening doors. Those themes will linger long after the final whistle.