Northern Ireland Women's Football Association

NIWFA REVIEW 28/06/26 to 04/07/05

It was a change of competition for most of our NIWFA clubs this week as eyes turned to the semi-finals of our divisional league cup competitions. Here’s our review of all the action

NIWFA CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

St James Swifts are through to their second consecutive League Cup final after they secured a 2-1 victory over Greenisland Women earlier this week, thanks to first-half goals from Deborah Boyd and Courtney Moore. In the final last season, the Swifts lost to Strabane-based Sion Swifts, and it will be another Strabane-based side who will provide their opposition in this season's final; on this occasion, however, it will be Strabane Athletic who stand between them and cup glory.

Athletic secured their place in the showpiece final after they exacted revenge over Ballymena United for their recent league defeat by returning to the Showgrounds, but on this occasion, they returned home victorious, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Shantell Temple and Hollie Johnston, with United's goal coming from Jenny Montgomery. Well done to all at Strabane Athletic on securing their place in the final in their debut season in the Championship.

CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Strabane Athletic v St.James Swifts



NIWFA DIVISION ONE LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

This year's Division One league cup final will feature the two sides currently placed in the top two positions in the league standings, as leaders Lisbellaw United will take on Comber Rec. Lisbellaw eased through to the final after defeating Maiden City 4-1, thanks mainly to a Gracie Elliott hat-trick; however, Comber had to work considerably harder before overcoming Rosario 3-2, with Lucy Carville’s goal on 84 minutes securing a place in the final.

DIVISION ONE LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Comber Rec v Lisbellaw United



NIWFA DIVISION TWO LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

Division Two league leaders Ballynahinch Olympic kept their hopes of a league and cup double alive this week as they defeated Ballyclare Comrades Reserves to progress to the league cup final, where they will face Belfast Swifts, who won 2-1 at Armagh City. Although Olympic won easily when the sides met at the start of the season, their recent meeting ended 1-1, so expect a closely fought final to decide the cup winners this season.

DIVISION TWO LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Ballynahinch Olympic v Belfast Swifts



NIWFA DIVISION THREE LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

Two sides who are both chasing league and cup doubles this season will contest the Division Three league cup final this year, with both Belfast Ravens and Valley Rangers cruising to victory in their respective games against Ards Rangers and Oxford Sunnyside. The Ravens ended Valley's three-year league unbeaten streak earlier this season, so they will be confident they can lift the trophy. However, Valley have bounced back well from that defeat and will be determined, no doubt, to exact revenge on their Belfast rivals.

DIVISION THREE LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Belfast Ravens v Valley Rangers



NIWFA DIVISION FOUR LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

An interesting quirk in the Division Four league cup semi-finals means that Portadown and Greenisland Women's II will meet for the second time in this season’s competition in the final. Greenisland defeated Portadown in round one, but Portadown then re-entered the competition as the result of being drawn as a “lucky loser” to make up the numbers for the knockout competition. In the two games in which the sides have met one another, it's one win each so far.

DIVISION FOUR LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Portadown v Greenisland Women II



NIWFA DIVISION FIVE LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

Ballynagross exacted revenge this week for their recent league defeat by Donegal Celtic as they blasted them out of the league cup, winning 6-2 as the sides met once again in the semi-finals. This semi-final was also a repeat of last season's final, which saw the Celts winning 1-0, a loss that Ballynagross will no doubt want to put behind them by winning this year's final. They will face Bloomfield in the final after the East Belfast side notched a 3-2 win at Rathfriland Rangers, with an 84th-minute goal from Zarah Ryan securing their place in the final.

DIVISION FIVE LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Ballynagross v Bloomfield



NIWFA DIVISION SIX LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

It will be Division Six’s top two sides who contest this season's League cup final as Newhill and Wellington Rec Athletic both made it through from their respective semi-finals against Carryduff and Antrim Town Swifts.

DIVISION SIX LEAGUE CUP FINAL : Newhill v Wellington Rec Athletic



BARCLAYS NIWFA LEAGUES

Away from all of the cup excitement this week, there were also some important league games taking place, none more so than in the Championship, where a 3-1 win for Sion Swifts over basement side Mid Ulster Ladies saw them retain their place at the top of the standings. The Swifts roared into the lead in this one and led 3-0 at halftime due to an own goal and strikes by Zoe Green and Rachel Barnaby. Mid Ulster did one back in the second half through a late strike by Liza McDonnell, but it was too little too late.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Bangor Ladies won their fourth consecutive victory and, in doing so, sounded a warning to the other sides at the top end of the table as they moved into second place ahead of defending champions St.James Swifts. Amber Dempster was again Bangor’s hero, scoring an impressive hat-trick with two goals from Laurie Bell and another from Amanda Morton, seeing them dispatch Ballymoney United 6-1, with United's consolation being scored by Naomi McMullan.

Finally, in our Pathway leagues this week, the top three sides all won their respective games in the Eastern section, which means Ballymacash is still leading Larne Tech, with Berlin Swiftettes in third place in the table. Meanwhile, in the Western section, Carniny still lead the way by 6 points from Ballymena United Reserves after both sides won their games this week.



Image by Bob Hall

Report by Colin Hopkins

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Last night, Ballymena United F.C. Women & Academy Reserves hosted Banbridge Rangers Women & Girls Football at Ballymena Showgrounds in the NIWFA Barclays Pathway West division.

Bob Hallb Hall took these great photographs for us, and more can be found on our website at https://niwfa.org/media-2026/

Bob Hall took these photographs for us at last night's NIWFA Championship Cup semi-final between Ballymena United F.C. Women & Academya and Strabane Athletic Ladies & Girls FC at Ballymena Showgrounds. After winning 2-1, Strabane Athletic progress to the final, where they will meet ST JAMES Swifts F.C.

More photographs can be found on our website at https://niwfa.org/media-2026/

Bob Hall was at Friday's NIWFA Barclays Division 2 game between Ballyclare Comrades Ladies FC Reserves and Mid Ulster Ladies FC Reserves at Dixon Park, where the home side took all the points.
More photographs can be found on our website at https://niwfa.org/media-2026/

NIWFA BARCLAYS LEAGUE REVIEW 21/06/26 to 27/06/26 (updated)

BARCLAYS NIWFA CHAMPIONSHIP

Goals from Siobhan Bell, Katierose Rice and Roise Thompson saw St.James Swifts ease home 3-0 against basement side Mid Ulster Ladies, with the three points gained moving them level on points with Sion Swifts at the top of the Championship table. Sion, however, remains top on goal difference and has one game in hand over their Belfast rivals.

Elsewhere in the Championship, the focus was on the bottom end of the table, as Ballymena United hosted Strabane Athletic at the Showgrounds, with both sides tied on five points and very much in the relegation zone. Ballymena took the lead as Hannah Firth teed up Megan Henry to give the hosts the lead on 38 minutes, with the same combination repeating the trick as United added a second, and ultimately winning strike, on 50 minutes. The result provides some much-needed breathing space for United, whilst for Strabane the pressure grows as they seek to retain their place in the Championship.

Elsewhere, a goal in stoppage time from Madison Taylor saw Greenisland maintain their recent fine form as they defeated Ballyclare Comrades 2-1. Earlier in the game, a Lucy Redmond strike for Greenisland on 73 minutes was cancelled out within a minute with Nina Morrison levelling the score at 1-1 on 74 minutes, before that late draw saw Greenisland sn**ch all three points.

In the Championship’s final game this week, Ballymoney United recorded their third league win in a row, with Craigavon City their latest victims. Chrissie Quigg and Keely Boyd had given United a 2-0 lead by half-time in this one, and although Eira Awada pulled one back for City, those first-half strikes were enough to see Ballymoney home.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION ONE

Ambassadors secured a much-needed win in Division One with their 5-2 success over Ballynahinch, seeing them move three points clear of Maiden City at the foot of the Division One table. Maiden are still seeking their first win of the season with their latest result, 0-4 v Comber Rec, not only seeing them cut adrift at the bottom of Division One but also seeing Comber moving into second place in the table, albeit some 4 points behind league leaders Lisbellaw United, who had no game this week. The division’s final game this week saw Carrick Rangers Falcons edge home 1-0 at Rosario.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION TWO

A battling performance by Belfast Swifts saw them hold league leaders Ballynahinch Olympic to a 1-1 draw at Sally Gardens on Friday night, with that result, coupled with a 4-2 win for Coleraine Women over the 22nd Ladies, meaning that the gap at the top of the table is now down to three points between the two sides. Elsewhere, Ballyclare Comrades Reserves brushed aside Mid Ulster Ladies Reserves 5-0, with Antrim Town’s miserable season continuing as they lost 3-2 at Armagh City.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION THREE

With league leaders Belfast Ravens not having a game this week, second-placed Valley Rangers took full advantage to leapfrog them and move to the top of Division Three, although the Ravens now have a game in hand. Caitlin Rae was once again the Valley Star, scoring another seven goals to take her personal league tally this season to an incredible 37 goals. Games elsewhere were a lot tighter in Division Three, with Oxford Sunnyside drawing 2-2 against Moneyslane and Comber Rec Reserves.edging home 2-1 against St Mary's


BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION FOUR

A comfortable 6-1 win for Portadown over Banbridge Town saw them move 5 points clear of Wellington Rec at the top of Division Four; however, the Larne-based side has a game in hand. In the Divisions, the only other game this week was Belfast Ravens II, who defeated Holywood Ladies.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION FIVE

It was all eyes on Glen Road Heights this week in Division Five as league leaders Donegal Celtic hosted second-placed Ballynagross. Ballynagross knew that victory was vital if they were to reel in the league leaders, and their determination showed as they moved into a 1-0 lead only to see the game levelled just on the stroke of half-time. The second half saw a totally different Celtic performance as they upped their game, eventually winning 4-2 with the result now seeing them some 9 points clear at the top of Division Five. Elsewhere in this division, there were wins for Bloomfield, Hanover and Rathfriland.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION SIX

A nine-point gap also exists at the top of the Division Six table, with Newhill leading the way from Wellington Rec Athletic after they secured two wins for their two games played this week. There were also wins this week for 1st Bangor, Wellington Rec Atheltic and Antrim Town Swifts


BARCLAYS NIWFA PATHWAY LEAGUES

A second consecutive defeat at the hands of Larne Tech means that Berlin Swiftettes have now dropped into third place in the Eastern Pathway league, with Ballymacash Rangers now leading the way, with the Tech only one point behind them in second place. Over in the Western section, Carniny continue to dominate with their win over Glenavon this week, putting them top of this section by some eight points.

Image by Paul Harvey

Report by Colin Hopkins

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NIWFA BARCLAYS LEAGUE REVIEW 14/06/26 to 20/06/26

BARCLAYS NIWFA CHAMPIONSHIP

Bangor Ladies secured a big three points this week as they won 5-3 at Strabane Athletic, with the win moving them into second place in the Championship table ahead of St.James Swifts, who had no game. The Seasiders had stormed into a three-goal lead in this one thanks to goals from Naomi Donnan, Olivia Marshall and Amber Dempster, and despite Strabane scoring three of their own through Shantell Temple, Crystal Crossan and Mia Monaghan, they weren’t able to recover that early deficit as goals from Janine Jess and a late own goal were enough to see Bangor return home with maximum points.

Late goals from Aliyah Monthe (87 mins) and Nina Morrison (90 +1 mins) saw Ballyclare Comrades turn what seemed to be a certain draw into a winning result for the home side at Dixon Park. Monthe had given the Comrades a first-half lead, but a resilient Craigavon fought back to level through Saoirse Crossey, only for those late goals to leave them with nothing to show for their efforts. Highlights from this game will be online shortly.

In the Championship final game this week, Ballymena United's struggles continued as they lost 4-2 at Ballymoney United. Goals from Naoimhe Guiney, Abby Alexander and Chrissie Mia Quigg had given Ballymena an insurmountable mountain to climb, and although they did pull one back through Niamh McGaughey, a further home goal from Sophie Caves settled the tie, with Ballymena's Megan Henry's late goal not impacting on the final outcome.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION ONE

Lisbellaw United now lead Division One by 7 points following their sixth consecutive win, which this week came courtesy of a 4-1 home win over Ambassadors. Carrick Rangers and Rosario both closed the gap on second-place Comber Rec following comfortable wins over Maiden City and Ballynahinch Ladies, respectively, with Comber not playing this week. The defeats for Maiden City and Ambassadors see them prop up the Division One table, some five points behind Ballynahinch Ladies.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION TWO

A 2-0 home win by Ballynahinch Olympic over Armagh City, coupled with Coleraines Women being held by Mid Ulster Ladies Reserves, means that the Olympic now lead Division Two by five points from the Bannsiders in second place. The other two Division Two games saw away victories for Belfast Swifts over the 22nd Ladies and Ballyclare Comrades Reserves over Antrim Town.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION THREE

Belfast Ravens hit Ards Rangers for six this week as they maintained their position at the top of Division Three. Valley Rangers remain in second place, although they were made to fight all the way this week, with it taking two late goals in the last 10 minutes of play to see them edge home 2-1 at Moneyslane. Elsewhere, there were wins for Comber Rec Reserves and St.Mary’s.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION FOUR

A comfortable 6-1 win for Portadown over Banbridge Town saw them move 5 points clear of Wellington Rec at the top of Division Four; however, the Larne-based side has a game in hand. In the Divisions, the only other game this week Belfast Ravens II defeated Holywood Ladies.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION FIVE

A seven-goal blitz from Cliodna Petticrew saw Division Five league leaders Donegal Celtic beat Dromara Village 9-2 and in doing so stay 5 points clear of Ballynagorss, albeit with having played one game more. Ballynagross won at home to Bloomfield, whilst there were away wins this week for Rathfriland & Shorts.



BARCLAYS NIWFA DIVISION SIX

Newhill continued their winning start to Division Six as they recorded their eighth consecutive win to stay six points clear of Wellington Rec Athletic despite their defeat of First Bangor. There were also wins this week for Coleraine Women Reserves and Carryduff Ladies.



BARCLAYS NIWFA PATHWAY LEAGUES

A first defeat of the season this week for Berlin Swiftettes at the hands of Larne Tach saw them dislodged at the top of Pathway East, with Ballymacash Rangers moving to the summit following their win over Carryduff Ladies Seconds. Meanwhile,, in the Western Section, Carniny remain top, although it took a late goal this week to see them edge home 1-0 against Glenavon.



NIWFA MFC SUPER CUP

Carrick Rangers Falcons won the tie of the round in round one of this week's MFC Super Cup as they defeated Coleraine Women 2-0, with their reward being an away trip to Maiden City in round two. Also securing their places in Round Two are Valley Rangers, Comber Rec, Lisbellaw United and Ballynahinch Olympic, with the full draw now available to view on our social media.



Image by Paul Harvey

Report by Colin Hopkins

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