Successful season for Girls’ Soccer in North Tipperary

2021/2022 has been a hugely successful season for the girls’ section of the North Tipperary Schoolchildren’s Football League as the female game at juvenile level goes from strength to strength.

INTER-LEAGUE

The Under 12’s won the Munster Shield but lost in the National semi-final to the Mayo League. The squad consisted of: Olivia Fitzpatrick, Olivia Looby (Ballymackey FC); Ciara Austin (Borrisokane FC); Lily McLoughney (Cloughjordan FC); Siobhan Carr (Holycross FC); Chloe Moloney, Ellie Dunphy, Zoe Nash, Lucy Hayes, Kayleigh Delaney (Killavilla United); Josephine Kennedy, Hannah Quirke, Milena Halbina, Isobel Slevin, Jenna McSherry, Ellen Meaney (Knigh United); Muireann Coleman, Alex Coyne, Aoibhinn McLoughlin, Siofra Minogue, Teagan Muldoon, Eimear Murnane, Emma Neary, Amelia Weir, Keela O'Connell (Lough Derg FC); Michelle Larkin, Maddie Dean (Moneygall); Addison Feehan (Nenagh AFC); Éadaoin Ryan, Fia White Linnane (Newport Town)

At Under 13 level, NTSFL won the Munster Shield/Darren Ward Invitational, Munster Plate, and last Saturday appeared in the All-Ireland Trophy final against Kerry in Charleville where they won 3-1 with a panel made up of: Mioda O’Shea (Ballymackey FC); Sarah Bourke, Nicole Buckley, Jennifer Marnell Sarah Jane Ormond (BT Harps FC); Stella Carr, Abbey Challen, Lily Ryan (Holycross FC); Clara Coughlan, Maria Gallagher, Clara Grimes, Abbe Molloy, Aoibhe Moran (Lough Derg FC); Kayla Carney, Kayla Dooley, Kaitlyn Delahunty, Molly Kirwan, Lucy Nash, Lexi Wynne (Killavilla United FC); Sinead Maxwell (Moneygall FC); Ria Delahunty (Newport Town)

At Under 14 level, the Gaynor Cup took place for the first time in three years at the University of Limerick earlier this month with the NTSFL won the Shield competition, finishing sixteenth overall. The squad was made up of: Ava O’Rourke (Ballymackey FC); Niamh Craddock (Holycross FC); Kaitlyn Delahunty (Killavilla United); Grace Ehinger (Knigh United); Molly Kirwan (Killavilla United); Abbey Martin (Killavilla United); Louise McGrath (Holycross); Saoirse McLoughlin (Lough Derg FC); Aoibhinn McNamara (Newport Town); Grace Murphy (BT Harps); Danni Nash (Killavilla United); Kate Nevin (BT Harps); Lisa Nolan (Moneygall); Lily-Anne O’Meara (Killavilla United); Mioda O’Shea (Ballymackey); Hannah Ryan (Birdhill FC); Mya Steele (Killavilla United); Emma Sweeney (Newport Town); Lexi Wynne (Killavilla United); Caitlin Russell (Killavilla United)

There was no U15 team in the past season but there was silverware for the U16’s who won the National Trophy, defeating Cavan/Monaghan in the final. The squad was made up of: Mollie Ryan, Clodagh Daly, Darra Bourke, (Ballymackey FC); Fiona Delaney (Birdhill FC); Sibonisiwe Mavouo (Borrisokane FC); Orlaith Bergin, Megan O’Reilly, Cara Kennedy, Caroline Johnston (BT Harps); Isabel Carr, Sarah Quinlan (Holycross FC); Bell McCarthy, Ella Brussels, Mary Breslin, Sheoladh Dynan, Kayleigh Guidera (Killavilla United); Thia McCarthy (Knigh United); Alannah McCole, Ava Neary, Mollie Hammond, Alana Lyons, Lauren Dowling, Ruthie Hickey (Lough Derg); Emma Costelloe (Moneygall FC).

CLUB

NTSFL had two South West Regional winners in the five competitions with Ballymackey successful in the Under 12 competition and Killavilla United in Under 14, while Holycross FC won the Munster Under 17 final.

For one of the smallest girls’ leagues in the country, NTSFL are punching above its weight in terms of the number of players who started out in the league who have now moved onto League of Ireland clubs, including Ellie Feehan, Ellan Delaney, Hannah O’Brien, and Kelsey Wing who all won the Under 17 National League with Treaty United last season, while Kelsey Wing has progressed to their senior squad for the current season.

At the same level, Cayla Fletcher won the National Under 17 Cup with Peamount United and has since moved onto Athlone Town for the upcoming Under 19 season.

Others from North Tipperary playing in the Under 17 National League are:

Athlone Town: Ella Carey, Niamh O’Brien

Carlow/Kilkenny: Bell McCarthy, Mary Breslin, Aoife Dillon, Sheoladh Cunningham Dynan, Ella Brussels, Avril Tangri, Ava Neary and Molly Hammond

Treaty United: Leah Ryan, Abi Vozza, Isabel Ryan, Ellen Delaney, Shauna Pearson

Wexford Youths: Ceola Bergin

International

At international level, Ballymackey’s Clodagh Daly was part of the Republic of Ireland Under 15 schools’ team that won the Bob Docherty Cup in England over Easter while Molly Ryan is also a part of the academy, and Newport Town’s Shauna Pearson was capped with the Ireland Under 16’s

Schools

2021/22 was another great year for soccer in Presentation Secondary School Thurles as the girls won the Munster U17 & U19 ‘A’ titles and contested both National finals.

Their U17s beat local rivals Ursuline Thurles to retain their Munster title and subsequently beat Leinster champions Presentation Naas in the All-Ireland semi-final before a heart-breaking defeat in the final on penalties to Ulster champions Buncrana.

Both school teams are represented by players from Ballymackey and Holycross.

St. Mary’s Secondary School Nenagh, with a large contingent of players from Ballymackey, Moneygall and Knigh United, won the FAI Schools Munster Under 15 Cup, overcoming Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine Kenmare of Kerry to claim the title.

FAI Centre of Excellence

North Tipperary are also well represented in the FAI’s Centre of Excellence in Abbottstown, including Siobhan Carr (Holycross), Mioda O’Shea (Ballymackey), Molly Kirwan, Lexi Wynne and Kaitlyn Delahunty (Killavilla United) are currently involved with the Under 13 Centre of Excellence, while Clodagh Daly and Molly Ryan (Ballymackey), Ava Neary (Lough Derg), Lily Ann O’Meara, Caitlin Russell (Killavilla United), Grace Ehinger (Knigh United) and Megan O’Reilly (BT Harps) are all part of the Under 15 Centre of Excellence.