Courtney Brosnan says the opportunity to represent the Republic of Ireland at their first-ever Women’s World Cup is one that fills her with immense pride.

Voted as her nation’s Senior Women’s International Player of the Year, the 27-year-old's influence on her nation certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Five clean sheets in qualifiers, a penalty save and shutout in a playoff win over Scotland, Brosnan has been pivotal in Ireland’s journey to Australia.

While born and raised in Millburn, New Jersey, it has always been a dream for the Everton goalkeeper to honour her Irish roots.

Provided the opportunity to represent her nation thanks to her late grandparents, Brosnan imagines how proud they would be of her.

“It’s unbelievable to get the opportunity to play for Ireland, it’s hard to put into words how much it means to me and my family,” she told evertonfc.com.

“My Irish grandparents have passed on, it’s obviously sad they're not here to see me achieve this.

“I know they are my number-one fans and if they were here, they would be so happy.

“It gives me chills a bit to think how proud they would be of me.

“They got to see me in the underage setup with Ireland and to see me continue that dream on and get to play with the Senior Team and qualify for the World Cup is really special.”

Brosnan is only the second-ever goalkeeper to be recognised as Ireland’s Senior Women's International Player of the Year, alongside Emma Bryne.

To be within the same category as the former Women’s Super League winner is something that Brosnan is overjoyed with.

“It was unbelievable [to win the award],” she continued. “It’s hard to put into words. You have an Irish goalkeeping legend Emma Bryne, someone I have always looked up to, she’s won the award and to have my name in the same category is amazing.

“I have been with the national team for a while now, to see the journey we’ve been on as a group and how we’ve grown and matured, the progress we’ve made, it’s amazing.

“It’s always been the goal to qualify for a major tournament. To finally achieve that and for it to be the first women’s World Cup in our history. It’s just amazing to be a part of it.

“It’s still a bit of a pinch me moment, but it feels more real the closer we get towards that first game.”

The Republic of Ireland begin their World Cup campaign on Thursday (11am BST) against co-hosts Australia, facing Olympic champions Canada and Nigeria in the coming weeks.

While qualification for the knockout stage could prove difficult, Brosnan believes the Irish relish an opportunity to act as an underdog.

“We know how difficult the group is,” she said. “When you get to a World Cup, the competition is always going to be strong, there’s great teams out here, we know we obviously have a very tough group.

“That said, we’re looking forward to it and we want to go out there and show everyone what we can do and obviously make the country proud and put our best foot forward.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time, and we know that we’re going to have to be on top of our game for ninety minutes to get results against these teams.

“Everyone is just focusing on preparing the best we can and going out there and putting in the best performances that we can.”

Thursday’s encounter against the Matildas will be played in front of more than 80,000 spectators with tickets sold out late in June.

The growth of the women’s game is clear to see, and Brosnan believes it will be a truly special occasion to be involved in.

“Being part of a World Cup is something we’ve always dreamed of. You’ve seen the progress in women’s football and how the crowds are getting bigger, the interest is there,” Brosnan added.

“To be able to be part of an opening game, sold out in front of 82,500 people. This is the stuff you’ve always dreamed of.

“It was unbelievable to be at the Euros last summer, to see the buzz around women’s football and how excited people were to be there.

“To now be a part of it myself in such a beautiful place like Australia with a record crowd in the first game and big crowds in the other games, it’s amazing.”