Women's Under 17 National League (Ireland)
| Organising body | Women's Football Association of Ireland Football Association of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 15 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Current champions | Galway |
| Most championships | Shelbourne (1) Galway (1) |
| Website | wnl |
The Women's Under 17 National League is the under-17 division of the Women's National League and the first under-age national league in women's football. The league competition is currently sponsored by Só Hotel Group and as a result, it is also known as the Só Hotel Group Women's Under 17 National League.
The league was launched in 2018 with 11 clubs. Republic of Ireland internationals, Heather Payne and Isibeal Atkinson, Tom Dennigan, Continental Tyres General Sales Manager and FAI Director of Competitions Fran Gavin helped launch the league in July 2018 at the FAI National Training Centre.[1]
Format
The inaugural season consisted of 11 teams and began mid-late July 2018 with a truncated season with two groups. Competing in Group One were: Athlone Town, Donegal League, Peamount United, Shelbourne, Sligo Rovers and Galway Women's and competing in Group Two were: Cork City, Greystones, Limerick, UCD Waves, and Wexford Youths.[2] Following the conclusion of the 10 rounds of fixtures, the top two teams from each group played in play-off mode the semi-finals and final to decide the winner.[3] [4]
In December 2018, the Women's National League Committee has accepted an expression of interest to compete in the 2019 Under-17 Women's National League season from Bohemian FC. With the addition of Bohemians, the League now consists of 12 teams, with six teams competing in two groups before the final stage of the competition.[5][6] The 2019 season began on the weekend ending Sunday, April 7 and there has also been a WU17 League Cup introduced along with a Shield competition in the finals stage of the competition.
The 2020 season saw the introduction of Bray Wanderers, Carlow-Kilkenny, and Shamrock Rovers to the Women's U17 League which now consists of 15 teams. The format of 2 groups before the final stage of the competition was initially maintained.[7]The start of the season fell victim to the lockdown measurements introduced by the government to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. A new format and start date were published on 23 July 2020 after the phased reopening of the country. The league would now be split into 3 groups of 5 teams each and the top two teams in each group and the two best third-placed teams will qualify for the quarter-finals with the competition then changing to a knock-out format.[8]
Teams
| Team | Home town/suburb | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town U17 | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium |
| Bray Wanderers U17 | Bray | Carlisle Grounds |
| Bohemians U17 | Phibsborough | Oscar Traynor Centre |
| Carlow-Kilkenny U17 | Kilkenny | Derdimus Park |
| Cork City U17 | Cork | Bishopstown Stadium |
| Donegal League U17 | Donegal | Diamond Park, Ballyare |
| Galway U17 | Galway | Dangan Sports Facilities |
| Greystones United U17 | Greystones | The Woodlands |
| Treaty United U17 | Limerick | Hogan Park |
| Peamount United U17 | Newcastle, South Dublin | Greenogue |
| Shamrock Rovers U17 | Tallaght | Roadstone Sports Ground |
| Shelbourne U17 | Santry | AUL Complex |
| Sligo Rovers U17 | Sligo | Sligo IT |
| DLR Waves U17 | Dún Laoghaire | Marley Park |
| Wexford Youths U17 | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park |
Timeline
League member Former member Future member
Under 17 National League Champions
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Shelbourne | Galway | 2–0 | Drom Soccer Park | [9] |
| 2019 | Galway | Wexford | 3–1 | Eamonn Deacy Park | [10] |
Under 17 National League Cup Champions
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Galway | Peamount United | 2-1 | Eamonn Deacy Park | [11] |
Under 17 Player of the Year
| Year | Player | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Emily Whelan | Shelbourne | [12] |
| 2019 | Kayla Brady | Galway | [13] |
References
- ^ "Women's Under 17 National League launched". 11 July 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Teams confirmed for Continental Tyres Women's U17 League". 20 February 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Continental Tyres Women's U17 League 2018 Season - Group 1". Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Continental Tyres Women's U17 League 2018 Season - Group 2". Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Bohemian FC to join Under-17 Women's National League". 4 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Women's Under-17 National League 2019 fixtures". 8 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Fixtures released for 2020 Women's Under-17 National League". 2 March 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Groups decided for 2020 U17 League". 23 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Shelbourne lift Women's Under 17 title". 14 October 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "REPORT: Galway WFC U17 3-1 Wexford Youths U17". 19 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ "Galway capture U17 Só Hotels Women's National League Cup". 29 September 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ "2018 Continental Tyres Women's National League Awards". FAI Women’s National League. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "Jarrett wins Só Hotels WNL Player of the Year". FAI Women’s National League. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.