Daughters Playing Football

Shamrock Rovers FC Runners-Up in the SuperCupNI Girls’ Premier Cup

The girls booked their place in the final with wins over Aston Villa (6-1), Chicago City (10-0), and Northern Ireland U16s (4-1). In the final, a scoreless draw sent it to penalties, where Manchester United won 4-3.

It wasn’t meant to be this time — but a top-level performance the whole squad should be proud of. Half of this group are 2011s, meaning they’re eligible to go again next year. Future stars in the making, every single one of them.

Write these names down — you’ll be seeing them again!

Second part of Saturday pictures - LOI Academy WU17s
Second encounter between CK United and Shamrock Rovers, this time in Kingswood - very much enjoyed by both teams

Sitting at the Emirates watching Arsenal vs Lyon in the Women’s Champions League semi-final... and yes, I was checking FAI Connect for WDL updates all the time!

A few takeaways from being in a 60,000-seat stadium watching the best women’s club football in the world: we need to get so much better at promoting our matches and our players, the matchday experience needs work, and we need to make some noise.
But our girls are doing brilliant things - scroll through to see what happened this weekend in the LOI Academy WU17s and WDL 🔥

Do you agree with my predictions or not really?

P.S. Have you been to a Klub Kildare match? They don’t have a proper stadium - but their seating arrangements including sun loungers are so creative 😄

📸 credit
LeagueOfIreland

A UEFA European Championship is happening on this island in May and barely anyone is talking about it.

The Women’s Under-17 Championship takes place in Belfast, Larne, and Coleraine from 4–17 May. 8 nations competing for the European title. With only 5 World Cup spots going to Europe out of 24 available globally, every match carries serious weight. For context, the men’s tournament sends 16 European teams to their World Cup. The women’s road is a lot tougher!!! (IS IT FAIR???)

While the Republic didn’t qualify to the EUROs this time, there is plenty to learn from the teams that did. Finland is a great example: they’ve managed to make football the top sport for girls in a country famous for ice hockey. It shows exactly what can happen with the right focus, and it’s a standard we’re definitely capable of reaching here with the talent coming through the LOI Academies and grassroots clubs.
Swipe through for the full guide: groups, fixtures, and how to watch. It’s well worth keeping an eye on these games if you want to see where the international bar is currently set. May day full of football - sounds perfect

Which group looks the toughest? Have a look and let me know in the comments.

Tickets: irishfa.com/wu17euro

Shamrock Rovers vs CK United LOI Academy WU17. What a match it was!

P.S. Could we please have sun loungers, an ice cream van, and some nice mocktails served at the pitch?

FAI strategy flagged changes to the underage setup a while back. Then this DM landed in my inbox. And apparently, things are moving - big times ahead!

Long story short: WU17 is being replaced by WU16 and WU18 from 2027, Sport Ireland is bringing the funding, which is what makes this different from previous rumours. The U15 idea that was supposed to kick off from the summer is dead.
Is this the right call? Is it really happening?
Swipe and tell me what you think 👉







DM me if you’d rather keep it anonymous 🙏

Update from Athlone 🏆 | FAI Schools Minor (U15) National Cup Final
Gallen CS are heading back to Ferbane with the FAI Schools Minor (U15) National Cup after a serious shift against St. Clare’s Comprehensive in Athlone on Monday.
It was a battle from the first whistle. St. Clare’s started brighter, moving it well on the slick astroturf, but Sophie Devaney was brilliant in their goal — commanding, well-positioned, and pulled off a string of top-class saves to keep Gallen out as the pressure mounted.
Hannah Mitchell got Gallen level at 1-1 and that’s how it stayed into the dying minutes of normal time, when Aoife Boylan had the ball in the net for the Leitrim side — only to be denied by what was a very marginal offside call.
Extra time was where Gallen took control. A fortunate own goal put them ahead before Mitchell — named Player of the Match — showed real quality to finish coolly on the break with two minutes left and make it 3-1.
Hard luck to St. Clare’s who gave everything. A massive result for the Offaly girls.

📸 credit: Diane Fay, FAI Schools

Shamrock Rovers WU17s and WDL against NERL. Monday night vibes! Good luck to the lads in the upcoming Kennedy Cup!