Season | 2022 |
---|---|
Dates | 5 March 2022 – 29 October 2022 |
Champions | Shelbourne 3rd title |
Matches played | 135 |
Goals scored | 457 (3.39 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Áine O'Gorman (22 goals) |
Biggest home win | Peamount United 8–1 Cork City (23 April 2022) |
Biggest away win | Treaty United 0–10 Shelbourne (2 July 2022) |
Highest scoring | Treaty United 0–10 Shelbourne (2 July 2022) |
← 2021 2023 → |
The 2022 Women's National League known as the SSE Airtricity WNL for sponsorship reasons, [1] was the 12th season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland since its establishment in 2011. Expansion team Sligo Rovers competed for the first time, bringing the league up to ten clubs. [2] Shelbourne, as defending champions from the previous season, won the 2022 league by defeating Wexford Youths on the final day of the season. [3]
In July 2022 Shelbourne announced the signing of highly-decorated United States international player Heather O'Reilly, who emerged from retirement after two years. The transfer brought substantial publicity and increased the profile of the league. [4]
Team | Home town/suburb | Stadium | 2021 finish |
---|---|---|---|
Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 7th |
Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 6th |
Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 8th |
DLR Waves | Dún Laoghaire | UCD Bowl | 4th |
Galway | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5th |
Peamount United | Newcastle, South Dublin | Greenogue | 2nd |
Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 1st |
Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | NA |
Treaty United | Limerick | Markets Field | 9th |
Wexford Youths | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 3rd |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Athlone Town | Tommy Hewitt | Laurie Ryan | Umbro | Palfinger |
Bohemians | Sean Byrne | Sinéad Taylor | O'Neills | Premier Property Group |
Cork City | Paul Farrell | Becky Cassin | Adidas | Jackie Lennox Chip Shop |
DLR Waves | Graham Kelly | Jessica Gleeson | Jako | CDS - Clare Distribution Services |
Galway | Alan Murphy | Savannah McCarthy | Acerbis | Só Hotels |
Peamount United | James O'Callaghan | Áine O'Gorman | O'Neills | SPAR Kelly's Newcastle |
Shelbourne | Noel King | Pearl Slattery | Umbro | Technological University Dublin |
Sligo Rovers | Steve Feeney | Emma Hansberry | Joma | Avant Money |
Treaty United | Don O'Riordan | Michaela Mitchell | Umbro | None |
Wexford Youths | Stephen Quinn | Kylie Murphy | Jako | Energia |
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Galway | Stephen Lally | Redeployed | 12 December 2021 | Pre-season | Alan Murphy | 12 December 2021 [5] |
Sligo Rovers | Pre-season | Steve Feeney | 15 December 2021 [6] | |||
Treaty United | Pre-season | Don O'Riordan | 29 December 2021 [7] | |||
Cork City | Paul Farrell | Resignation [8] | 9 May 2022 | 9th | Jess Lawton (interim) | 10 May 2022 [9] |
Cork City | Jess Lawton (interim) | End of interim period | 31 May 2022 | 9th | Danny Murphy | 31 May 2022 [10] |
Treaty United | Don O'Riordan | Resignation [11] | 7 November 2022 | 10th | ||
The ten teams played each other three times, with a mid-season break from 12 June to 1 July 2022. [12]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shelbourne | 27 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 66 | 13 | +53 | 60 | Qualification for the UEFA Women's Champions League |
2 | Athlone Town | 27 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 53 | 24 | +29 | 58 | |
3 | Peamount United | 27 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 80 | 26 | +54 | 56 | |
4 | Wexford Youths | 27 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 61 | 33 | +28 | 56 | |
5 | DLR Waves | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 51 | 30 | +21 | 40 | |
6 | Galway | 27 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 48 | 38 | +10 | 39 | |
7 | Bohemians | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 36 | |
8 | Sligo Rovers | 27 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 32 | 66 | −34 | 20 | |
9 | Cork City | 27 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 25 | 82 | −57 | 18 | |
10 | Treaty United | 27 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 5 | 110 | −105 | 2 |
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards.
Teams play each other twice.
Teams play each other once.
As of 30 October 2022.
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Áine O'Gorman | Peamount United | 22 |
2 | Emily Corbet | Athlone Town | 20 |
3 | Stephanie Roche | Peamount United | 16 |
4 | Ellen Molloy | Wexford Youths | 16 |
5 | Kylie Murphy | Wexford Youths | 15 |
Source: Women's National League
Month | Player of the Month | References | |
---|---|---|---|
Player | Club | ||
March | Stephanie Roche | Peamount United | [14] |
April | Laurie Ryan | Athlone Town | [15] |
May | Jessica Ziu | Shelbourne | [16] |
June/July | Emma Doherty | Sligo Rovers | [17] |
August/September | Ciara Rossiter | Wexford Youths | [18] |
October | Alex Kavanagh | Shelbourne | [19] |
Award | Winner | Club |
---|---|---|
WNL Player of the Year | ||
Young Player of the Year | ||
WNL Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
Defenders | ||||||||||||
Midfielders | ||||||||||||
Forwards |
In February 2021 the Football Association of Ireland announced that all WNL matches would be streamed free of charge on the new LOITV platform. [20] In February 2022 the TG4 Irish language television network confirmed an intention to broadcast nine WNL matches in 2022. [21] Ultimately 10 games were broadcast live, [22] which attracted over 500,000 viewers. [23]
The League of Ireland, 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 used to refer to a single division league. However today the League of Ireland features five divisions – the Premier Division, the First Division, U19 Division, U17 Division, U15 Division and starting U13 Division. The League of Ireland has always worked closely with the FAI and in 2006 the two bodies formally merged. All the divisions are currently sponsored by Airtricity and as a result the league is also known as the SSE Airtricity League. In 2007, it became one of the first leagues in Europe to introduce a salary cap.
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Wexford Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Crossabeg, County Wexford. They compete in the League of Ireland First Division. The club joined the league after being awarded a First Division licence for the 2007 League of Ireland season. The opportunity to join the League of Ireland arose as Dublin City became bankrupt before the end of the 2006 season, leaving an uneven number of clubs. The 2007 season coincided with the takeover of the running of the league by the FAI and all existing clubs had to apply for entry into what was effectively a new league. Limerick was the only existing club refused a licence and so Wexford Youths and Limerick 37 were admitted to the new league. The club alternate their colours between plain black and pink and black. The club rebranded for the start of the 2017 season by dropping the 'Youths' from their title and changing the club crest.
The Women's National League is the top-level league for women's association football in the Republic of Ireland. It is organised by the Football Association of Ireland and the Women's Football Association of Ireland. The LFAI 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 and the inaugural winners were Peamount United. The winners qualify for the UEFA Women's Champions League.
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The League of Ireland U17 Division is the under-17 division of the League of Ireland. Like the Premier Division, the First Division and the National U19 League the National U17 League is currently sponsored by SSE Airtricity and as a result it is also known as the SSE Airtricity National U17 League.
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The 2020 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons, was the 36th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division.
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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.
The 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 37th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers were the defending champions, having won their sixth league title the previous season. Shamrock Rovers went on to retain the title.
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Kylie Murphy is an Irish footballer who plays for Wexford Youths of the Women's National League (WNL). Predominantly a midfielder, she was successfully repurposed as a forward in 2021.
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