| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Shelbourne Ladies F.C. |
| 2017–18 Champions League | Shelbourne Ladies F.C. |
| Matches played | 42 |
| Goals scored | 170 (4.05 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Amber Barrett (Peamount United; 16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Shelbourne 10–0 Kilkenny United (24 September 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Kilkenny United 0–10 Peamount United (13 November 2016) |
← 2015–16 2017 → All statistics correct as of 12 January 2017. | |
The 2016 Women's National League is the sixth season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland. It is a reduced season, running from 6 August to 4 December 2016, [1] held prior to the introduction of single-year league seasons from 2017 onward.
On the second last matchday Shelbourne Ladies beat UCD Waves to secure their first Women's National League title. [2]
Castlebar Celtic did not return after withdrawing mid-season 2015/16.
| Team | Home town/suburb | Stadium | 15/16 finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cork City W.F.C. | Cork | Bishopstown Stadium | 6th |
| Galway W.F.C. | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 4th |
| Kilkenny United W.F.C. | Kilkenny | Buckley Park | 7th |
| Peamount United | Newcastle, South Dublin | Greenogue | 5th |
| Shelbourne Ladies | Santry | Morton Stadium | 2nd |
| UCD Waves | Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown | Jackson Park | 3rd |
| Wexford Youths | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 1st |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelbourne Ladies (C) | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 8 | +35 | 32 | 2017–18 Champions League |
| 2 | UCD Waves | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 10 | +23 | 24 | |
| 3 | Peamount United | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 23 | |
| 4 | Wexford Youths | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 15 | +14 | 22 | |
| 5 | Galway W.F.C. | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 23 | −4 | 11 | |
| 6 | Cork City | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 26 | −12 | 9 | |
| 7 | Kilkenny United | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 69 | −67 | 0 |
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| WNL Player of the Year | Noelle Murray | Shelbourne |
| Young Player of the Year | Leanne Kiernan | Shelbourne |
| WNL Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper |  Amanda McQuillan (Shelbourne) | |||||||||||
| Defenders | Jetta Berrill (UCD Waves) | Pearl Slattery (Shelbourne) | Chloe Moloney (Galway) | Niamh Prior (UCD Waves) | ||||||||
| Midfielders | Karen Duggan (UCD Waves) | Roma McLaughlin (Peamount United) | Noelle Murray (Shelbourne) | Leanne Kiernan (Shelbourne) | ||||||||
| Forwards | Amber Barrett (Peamount United) | Siobhán Killeen (Shelbourne) | ||||||||||
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin, who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
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 League. They have also represented the Republic of Ireland in Europe and in 2011–12 they became the first Republic of Ireland team, including men's teams, to qualify from their group for the knockout stages of a European competition. The club's senior men's team compete in the Leinster Senior League. Peamount United have also fielded teams in the Dublin Women's Soccer League, the Dublin and District Schoolboys League and the Metropolitan Girls League.
Julie-Ann Russell is an Irish footballer who plays for local Women's National League club Galway.
The League of Ireland Women's Premier Division is a professional women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland, organised by the League of Ireland, which began play in the 2023 season. The league consists of eleven teams, eight of which owned by clubs with men's teams in the League of Ireland's Premier Division or First Division. The premiers of the league qualify for the first round of the UEFA Women's Champions League in the following season.
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 National League as well as various county and regional leagues and junior cup competitions. The most notable county league is the Dublin Women's Soccer League. Organised women's association football has been played in the Republic of Ireland since at least the late 1960s and the national team has been active since 1973. Notable Republic of Ireland women's association footballers include Katie Taylor, Stephanie Roche and Emma Byrne. In addition to representing the Republic of Ireland at full international level, Taylor is also an Irish, European, World and Olympic boxing champion. In 2014 Roche was a FIFA Puskás Award nominee. Byrne is a prominent member of the Arsenal Ladies team.
Dora Gorman is an Irish physician and footballer who plays as a midfielder for Peamount United of the Women's National League (WNL). In 2010, she was captain of the Republic of Ireland U-17 squad who were runners-up in the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and quarter-finalists in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. As well as being a medical doctor, Gorman is an all-round sportswoman. She has also represented the Ireland women's national field hockey team at various levels and has played senior inter-county ladies' Gaelic football for the Galway county team.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Northside, Dublin. It is the women's section of the League of Ireland club Shelbourne FC. The senior women's team currently plays in the Women's National League. They have also fielded teams in the Dublin Women's Soccer League, the Metropolitan Girls League and the North Dublin Schoolboys/Girls League.
Ciara Grant is an Irish physician and professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Heart of Midlothian of the Scottish Women's Premier League and for the Republic of Ireland national team. Grant has previously played for Raheny United, UCD Waves and Shelbourne of the Women's National League, and for Women's Premiership club Sion Swifts. Immediately prior to joining Hearts, Grant played for Rangers.
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 Republic of Ireland. Like the UCD men's team, the women's football team has competed in national competitions, such as the FAI Women's Cup and the Women's National League, as well as intervarsity competitions. UCD has also represented the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Women's Cup. Between 2014 and 2018, following a merger, with DLR Waves, the club played in the Women's National League and FAI Women's Cup as UCD Waves. However in 2018 UCD withdrew from the WNL. DLR Waves was subsequently revived as a separate club, taking UCD Waves' place in the WNL.
Wexford Youths Women Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Crossabeg, County Wexford. Their senior team plays in the Women's National League. In recent seasons Wexford Youths have emerged as one of the league's strongest teams.
The 2014–15 Women's National League was the fourth season of the Women's National League. On 20 August 2014, at the Aviva Stadium, Continental Tyres were unveiled as the new sponsor of both the Women's National League and FAI Women's Cup. Before the season started there were two name changes following takeovers and/or mergers. Cork Women's F.C. were taken over by FORAS/Cork City F.C. and as a result were renamed Cork City W.F.C. It was also announced that DLR Waves and UCD's senior women's team would join forces and become known as UCD Waves. Shamrock Rovers withdrew from the league, leaving seven teams to play each other.
The 2015–16 Women's National League was the fifth season of the Women's National League. Two new clubs joined the league before the start of the season, restoring the number of teams in the league to eight. Kilkenny United were formed as expansion team while Raheny United's senior women's team merged with Shelbourne Ladies. This effectively saw Shelbourne Ladies takeover Raheny United's place in the WNL. The season also saw the introduction of the WNL Shield. Wexford Youths and Shelbourne Ladies finished the season as the league's two strongest teams. In the league itself, the two teams finished level on points before Wexford Youths retained the title after a play-off. Wexford Youths also completed a treble, having already won both the FAI Women's Cup and WNL Shield. Shelbourne Ladies were also runners up in the WNL Shield before going onto win the WNL Cup. Before the season was finished Castlebar Celtic withdrew because they were unable to field a team.
Karen Duggan is an Irish footballer who plays for Peamount United of the Women's National League (WNL). She has previously played for UCD Waves and the Republic of Ireland women's national football team. Between 2013 and 2016 Duggan was selected for the WNL Team of the Season for four successive seasons. She was the only player selected all four seasons. In 2015–16 she was also WNL Senior Player of the Season. Duggan has also played camogie at club, university and county level.
Siobhán Killeen is a Republic of Ireland women's international footballer. She has also played for UCD, Raheny United and Shelbourne Ladies. In 2010, she was a member of the Republic of Ireland U-17 squad that were runners-up in the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and quarter-finalists in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Killeen has also played senior ladies' Gaelic football for Dublin.
Noelle Murray is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Irish club Shelbourne and the Republic of Ireland national team. Between 2011 and 2016 Murray played in six successive FAI Women's Cup finals with three clubs - St Catherine's, Raheny United and Shelbourne Ladies.
The 2017 Women's National League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Continental Tyres Women's National League, was the seventh season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland. It was the second league season to run over an entire calendar year.
Leanne Kiernan is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for English Women's Super League club Liverpool FC and the Republic of Ireland women's national team.
Alexandra Kavanagh is an Irish association footballer who plays for Women's National League (WNL) club Shelbourne and the Republic of Ireland women's national team. She is a central midfielder with good technique, who is also a capable goal scorer.
Dearbháile Beirne is an Irish dual code footballer from Mohill in County Leitrim. In soccer she plays for Peamount United of the Women's National League (WNL) and has represented the Republic of Ireland women's national football team at youth and senior level. She has also played Ladies' Gaelic football for Leitrim GAA, competing in the Ladies' National Football League and All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship.
Chloe Naomi Mustaki is a footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Bristol City of the English Women's Championship. Born in the United States, she is a member of the Republic of Ireland women's national team and also holds French citizenship. At club level she has previously played for Shelbourne, UCD Waves and Peamount United in her home country, as well as for Girondins de Bordeaux in France and Charlton Athletic in England.
