The Women's National League (WNL; ga, Sraith Náisiúnta na mBan) is the top-level league for
women's association football in the Republic of Ireland
Women's association football in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Women's Football Association of Ireland. The WFAI organizes and manages the Republic of Ireland women's national football team, the FAI Women's Cup and the Women's Nation ...
. It is organised by the
Football Association of Ireland and the
Women's Football Association of Ireland
Football Association of Ireland, Women's (FAI Women's) (formerly the Women's Football Association of Ireland) is the governing body for women's association football in the Republic of Ireland. It is responsible for organising the Republic of Irel ...
. The LFAI (Ladies Football Association of Ireland) previously organised a women's national league known as the Ladies League of Ireland or the Women's League of Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. The current league was founded in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
and the inaugural winners were
Peamount United
Peamount United Football Club () is an Irish association football club based in Newcastle, South Dublin. The club is best known for its senior women's team who in 2011–12 became founder members and inaugural champions of the Women's National ...
.
The winners qualify for the
UEFA Women's Champions League
The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA.
The ...
.
History
Ladies League of Ireland
The
FAI/
WFAI first organised a women's national league in
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
. It was known as the Ladies League of Ireland or the Woman's League of Ireland. Twelve teams were originally invited to participate. These included several teams associated with clubs in the men's
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
such as
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
,
Finn Harps
Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...
,
Cork Celtic
Cork Celtic F.C., originally Evergreen United F.C., was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. In 1974, they were League of Ireland champion ...
,
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
and
Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.
The club was founded in 1928 ...
. Others included
Benfica, Evergreen (Kilkenny), Avengers (Dublin), Cahir Park (Tipperary) and three teams from Galway – Beejays, Happy Wanderers and Wasps. The league started in March 1973 and teams played thirty five minute halves.
As the league got started, there were some changes and dropouts. Cahir Park defeated Elms United, a fourth team from Galway, 1–0 at West Park, Galway, in the very first Ladies League of Ireland game on Sunday, March 4, 1973. Evergreen (Kilkenny) withdrew after losing their first three games, although a Kilkenny team did compete in the 1974 season.
Benfica played an away game at Finn Harps as part of a double header before a
1972–73 League of Ireland
Statistics of League of Ireland in the 1972/1973 season. Overview
It was contested by 14 teams, and Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_ ...
game between Finn Harps and
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
.
Limerick finished the 1973 season as champions after going unbeaten in a fifteen match series. In a post season friendly they lost 3–1 to a touring
Stade de Reims
Stade de Reims () is a French professional association football, football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2017–18 Ligue 2, 2018. ...
at
Markets Field
Markets Field is a stadium in Garryowen, Limerick, Ireland. It has been redeveloped since 5 June 2015 when it hosted a soccer match between Limerick F.C., Limerick FC and Drogheda United F.C., Drogheda United in the League of Ireland Premier Di ...
.
By 1979 the Ladies League of Ireland featured seven teams with approximately 120 active players.
The original Ladies League of Ireland subsequently went into demise but was relaunched in April
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
. This time its members included Cork Rangers, Cork Celtic, Benfica, Greenpark (Limerick) and Dublin Castle and games featured forty minute halves.
Eamonn Darcy
Eamonn Christopher Darcy (born 7 August 1952) is an Irish professional golfer. He won four times on the European Tour and played in the Ryder Cup four times.
Professional career
Darcy, with a handicap of 12, turned professional at the age of ...
, a former manager of the
, served as vice-president of the league.
The revived league was sponsored by
Hotpoint
Hotpoint is a British brand of domestic appliances. Ownership of the brand is split between American company Whirlpool, which has the rights in Europe, and Chinese company Haier, which has the rights in the Americas through its purchase of GE A ...
and Cork Rangers were the 1987 champions.
Dublin Castle were the 1988 champions after defeating Greenpark (Limerick) 3–1 in a play-off. However the revived Ladies League of Ireland lasted just three seasons and was abandoned in 1989.
In 1996 there was an unsuccessful attempt to launch a third Ladies League of Ireland.
Proposed members included a
Mayo Ladies League representative team
and Longford Strikers.
During the 1990s and 2000s, in the absence of an official national league, the
Dublin Women's Soccer League
The Dublin Women's Soccer League was a women's association football league featuring teams from the Republic of Ireland. While the majority of the participating clubs were based in the Greater Dublin Area, the DWSL had regularly included teams f ...
developed into a ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' national league.
The Women's Soccer Colleges Association of Ireland (WSCAI) also organised a national league featuring women's teams representing universities and third level colleges from both the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. Both of these leagues featured future members of the Women's National League.
Peamount United
Peamount United Football Club () is an Irish association football club based in Newcastle, South Dublin. The club is best known for its senior women's team who in 2011–12 became founder members and inaugural champions of the Women's National ...
,
Raheny United
Raheny United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ráth Éanna Aontaithe) is an Irish association football club based in Raheny, Dublin. Raheny United was founded in 1994 following the amalgamation of Raheny Boys and Dunseedy United. In 2017–18 ...
,
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
and
Shelbourne Ladies were all members of the DWSL while
UCD fielded teams in both leagues.
Women's National League
The current Women's National League was formed in
2011–12. Originally seven clubs were invited to join the league. These included
Peamount United
Peamount United Football Club () is an Irish association football club based in Newcastle, South Dublin. The club is best known for its senior women's team who in 2011–12 became founder members and inaugural champions of the Women's National ...
,
Castlebar Celtic,
Cork Women's F.C.,
Raheny United
Raheny United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ráth Éanna Aontaithe) is an Irish association football club based in Raheny, Dublin. Raheny United was founded in 1994 following the amalgamation of Raheny Boys and Dunseedy United. In 2017–18 ...
,
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
,
Wexford Youths and
Bray Wanderers/St. Joseph's.
The league was launched with financial support from
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
. Twenty-six clubs had originally applied to join the league before the final seven were chosen. However, due to a lack of playing resources, Bray Wanderers/St Joseph's had to withdraw before the season started.
Peamount United were the inaugural league champions, finishing three points clear of second placed Raheny United. Peamount United also completed a league double by winning the WNL Cup, defeating Shamrock Rovers 1–0 in the final.
The following two seasons,
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
and
2013–14, saw Raheny United finish as league champions. The league received international publicity in October 2013 when
Stephanie Roche
Stephanie Roche (born 13 June 1989) is an Irish association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker for Shamrock Rovers Ladies F.C., Shamrock Rovers of Dublin and the Republic of Ireland women's national foot ...
scored an acclaimed goal for Peamount United against Wexford Youths which subsequently went
viral
Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents).
Viral may also refer to:
Viral behavior, or virality
Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example:
* Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...
on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. Footage of the goal was uploaded to the internet by team manager
Eileen Gleeson
Eileen Gleeson is the Head of Women and Girls Football for the Football Association of Ireland. She is responsible for helping to grow participation and retention of women and girls at all levels of the game, while also supporting wider football ...
as the matches were not televised. Together with
James Rodríguez
James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Super League Greece club Olympiacos and the Colombia national team. He has been praised in the past ...
and
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball co ...
, Roche was subsequently nominated for the 2014
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the most ...
. At the
2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or
The 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the fifth year for FIFA's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 12 January 2015.
Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Bal ...
awards ceremony on 12 January 2015, Roche finished second to Rodríguez with 33% of the vote. In
2014–15 Wexford Youths were league champions and in
2015–16 they retained the title after defeating
Shelbourne Ladies in a play-off.
2017: New structure
In
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
a shortened transitional season was played from August to December where each team played 14 matches. From 2017 the league was restructured into a summer league, while a possible new team from Sligo entered into talks to join.
The league celebrated its 10th year in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
with a new sponsor (SSE Airtricity). This was the first year it shared the same sponsor as the men's
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
.
on the 30th of November 2022 it was announced that the league would become professional so that means the player will get paid
Expansions, name changes and withdrawals
DLR Waves
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Waves, also referred to as DLR Waves is an Irish association football club based in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It was originally founded in 2012. The club enters teams in the FAI Women's Cup and the Women's National L ...
joined the league in
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
and
Galway W.F.C.
Galway United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe) is an Irish association football club based in Galway. It is the women's section of the League of Ireland club Galway United. Since 2013–14 the club played in the Women's N ...
were added for the
2013–14 season. Before the
2014–15 season Cork Women's F.C. were taken over by
FORAS
Foras or Forrasis, in demonology, is a powerful President of Hell, being obeyed by twenty-nine legions of demons. He teaches logic and ethics in all their branches, the virtues of all herbs and precious stones, can make a man witty, eloquent, invi ...
/
Cork City F.C.
Cork City Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chathair Chorcaí) is an Irish association football club based in Cork. The club was founded and elected to the League of Ireland in 1984.
It was one of the first clubs in Ireland (and the first in ...
and as a result were renamed
Cork City W.F.C.
Cork City Women's Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chathair Chorcaí na mBan) is an Irish women's association football team, based in Cork city. Originally playing at Bishopstown Stadium, from the 2021 Women's National League season, the club ...
It was also announced that DLR Waves and UCD's senior women's team would join forces and become known as
UCD Waves
UCD Women's Soccer Club is an Irish association football club based in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It is the women's association football team of University College Dublin. Founded in 1966, UCD are one of the oldest women's football clubs in the ...
.
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
also withdrew from the league, leaving seven teams to play each other. In January 2015 the FAI sent out invitations to clubs in an effort to expand the league. This resulted in
Kilkenny United W.F.C. joining the league for the
2015–16 season. In 2015 the senior women's team at
Raheny United
Raheny United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ráth Éanna Aontaithe) is an Irish association football club based in Raheny, Dublin. Raheny United was founded in 1994 following the amalgamation of Raheny Boys and Dunseedy United. In 2017–18 ...
merged with
Shelbourne Ladies. This effectively saw Shelbourne Ladies takeover Raheny United's place in the league. Before the 2015–16 season was finished
Castlebar Celtic withdrew from league because they were unable to field a team.
In 2018,
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
joined, bringing the total number back up to eight, however, in December 2019 the club was on the verge of extinction after the examinership process to try to keep their trading company afloat ended unsuccessfully and the club did not receive a licence for the 2020 season.
The Women's National League Committee decided to expand the 2020 WNL to nine teams.
Bohemians
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
' application was successful, while
Treaty United
Treaty United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Limerick. The club was founded in 2020 following the demise of Limerick F.C. and began playing in the League of Ireland in 2021. They play their home matches at Market ...
's application to enter the WNL in place of Limerick was also accepted. Both teams and
Athlone Town
Athlone Town Association Football Club () is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they pl ...
joined the WNL for the first time that year.
Kilkenny United were excluded for a variety of reasons, including that they had not bonded with the local league, they had changed venues for home games, did not train in Kilkenny, lacked a qualified manager, and had produced poor results (just seven points in the last three seasons combined
0 matches. In 2022
Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.
The club was founded in 1928 ...
competed for the first time, bringing the league membership up to ten clubs.
While in November 2022 it was announced that
Shamrock Rovers W.F.C and
Galway United W.F.C would enter for the 2023 season while previously that year it was announced that
Galway W.F.C would not participate for 2023 onwards.
2022 teams
Sponsorship
Between
2011–12 and the end of the
2013–14 season the league was sponsored by
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...
. On 20 August 2014, at the
Aviva Stadium
Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...
,
Continental Tyres
Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis com ...
were unveiled as the new title sponsor of the Women's National League and
FAI Women's Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Women's Cup is the senior cup competition for women's association football in the Republic of Ireland. It is commonly known as the Women's FAI Cup, the WFAI Cup, or prior to 2001, the Ladies FAI Cup or the LFAI ...
, as part of a wider sponsorship deal for
women's association football in the Republic of Ireland
Women's association football in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Women's Football Association of Ireland. The WFAI organizes and manages the Republic of Ireland women's national football team, the FAI Women's Cup and the Women's Nation ...
. On 5 March 2019 the ninth season of the Women's National League was launched and Só Hotels unveiled as the new sponsors. In 2020 the League lacked a title sponsor, as Só Hotels did not renew their agreement from the previous season.
Barretstown
Barretstown is a not-for-profit camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses located at Barretstown Castle, Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, in Ireland. It was founded in 1994 by Hollywood actor Paul Newman and is a member of the S ...
were announced as a "charity partner" on 24 July 2020.
In January 2021 the League attracted a new title sponsor, as
SSE Airtricity agreed a two-year renewal of their existing deal with the (men's)
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
and extended it to also cover the WNL. The
Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...
also signed a three-year deal as an associate sponsor of the League of Ireland and WNL.
Champions
Related competitions
WNL Cup
WNL Shield
References
External links
Official websiteat uefa.com
{{Authority control
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
Sports leagues established in 2011
2011 establishments in Ireland
Professional sports leagues in Ireland