The 2025 SFAI Gaynor Cup was the 14th edition of the premier underage inter-league competition for women's association football teams in Ireland. 24 inter-league representative teams from the Republic of Ireland entered, as well as three from Northern Ireland, South Belfast, the previous year's runners-up, Lisburn Castlereagh, and Derry, who were making their debut in the tournament.[4] The competition began on 2 June 2025 with the group stage and concluded on 6 June 2025 with the Cup final. The tournament was staged at the University of Limerick, which had hosted the previous 11 editions.[5] Limerick District won the Cup final, beating DDSL 1-0.
The competition consisted of 27 representative inter-league teams, split into 6 groups of 4 teams and one group of 3. Seeding is decided based on the team's finish the year before. The winner's of each group progressed into the Cup quarter-finals, with one team receiving a bye to the semi-final due to an uneven number of teams in the draw, the second-place team goes into the same stage of the Bowl competition, with one team receiving a bye to the semi-finals, as well as the third-place into the Shield, one team once again receiving a bye to the semi-finals, and the fourth place team enters into the Trophy, with two teams receiving a bye into the semi-final stage. Placement matches are played to determine each position for losing quarter and semi-finalists.
Games are played over two halves of 30 minutes, for a total of 60 minutes, with games in the knockout phase going straight to penalties, with the exception of the final, where games go to extra-time before penalties.
Pitches
Satellite view of Gaynor Cup pitches 2025
The image (left) is the pitch layout detailed in the official Gaynor Cup programme. Pitches 1–4 are grass pitches, whilst Pitches 5–8 are AstroTurf. The pitches are located in the Maguire's Fields part of University of Limerick, and have staged the SFAI Gaynor Cup and SFAI Kennedy Cup's since 2013 and 1993 respectively. The finals of each competition took place on either Pitch 1 or 2.
Teams
Team
Manager
Captain
Carlow
Alan Smith
Ellie Maher
Clare
Daniel Doran
Roisin Moloney
Cork
Steven Mulcahy
Lily Sexton
DDSL
Kay McKenna
Pixie Keddy & Hattie Farrell
Derry
Christy McGeehan
Grace O'Neill
Donegal
John Frances Doogan
Ava Greer
Galway
Shane Fitzgerald
Kym McNulty
Inishowen
Alison McGonagle
Aimee McLoughlin
Kerry
Danny Maguire
Eabha Maguire
Kildare
Claire Murphy
Katie Murphy
Kilkenny
Alan Condon
Katie Mullins
Limerick County
Rory O'Connor
Clodagh Hourigan
Limerick Desmond
Alan Faulkner
Ciara Loftus
Limerick District
Donal Magee
Grace Geary
Lisburn Castlereagh
Fiona Mooney
Daisy Ferguson
Longford
Michael Nevin
Lucy Mallon
Louth
Robbie Corr
Maisie Ball
Mayo
John Butler
Rheanna Hoban
Midlands
Henry Hilliard
Ellie Buckley
NERL
Paddy Allen
Lucia Kelliher
North Tipperary
Paul Hearty
Zoe Nash
Roscommon
David Brady
Katie Dunleavy
Sligo-Leitrim
Aisling Herbert
Sophie Herbert
South Belfast
Aaron Agnew
Lara Longridge
Tipperary South
John Cremins
Niamh Dunphy
Waterford
Lucinda Shrubb
Maia Stokes
Wexford
Bernard Clancy
Emma Fitzpatrick
Group Stage
The draw for the group stage was done on 26th May 2025 on the SFAI Facebook page.[6] The team finishing in the top position in each of the seven groups progress to the Cup, while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th (if applicable), advance to the Bowl, Shield and Trophy respectively. Three points were awarded for a win, with one for a draw and none for a defeat.
In the knockout stage, if a match was level at the end of regular time (two periods of 30 minutes), it was immediately followed by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner, with the exception of each final, where two ten-minute periods of extra-time were mandated.
Cup Path
The draw for the Cup path quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on the evening of 3 June, after the end of the group stage. One team, Roscommon were drawn to have a bye to the semi-finals, with the remaining six teams drawn into three quarter-finals.
The 3 winning quarter-finalists advanced to the semi-final stage, joining Roscommon, who had advanced automatically with a bye. The draw for the semi-finals was conducted immediately after the quarter-final draw on 3 June.
The draw for the Bowl path quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on the evening of 3 June, after the end of the group stage. One team, Midlands were drawn to have a bye to the semi-finals, with the remaining six teams drawn into three quarter-finals.
The 3 winning quarter-finalists advanced to the semi-final stage, joining Midlands, who had advanced automatically with a bye. The draw for the semi-finals was conducted immediately after the quarter-final draw on 3 June.
The draw for the Shield path quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on the evening of 3 June, after the end of the group stage. One team, Sligo-Leitrim were drawn to have a bye to the semi-finals, with the remaining six teams drawn into three quarter-finals.
Six teams entered the Gaynor Trophy, the six 4th place teams in the group stage. 2 teams, Derry and Clare, were handed a bye to the semi-final stage, with the remaining four contesting two quarter-finals.
With it being a final, and therefore having the possiblity of going to extra-time, the game was 0–0 at full-time, and was therefore the only game in the tournament to go to extra time, with a Hillary AAdeniran goal winning it for Louth.
In total, 213 goals were scored, with two credited as own goals. Goals scored from penalty shoot-outs are not counted.
Ellie Byrne was awarded the Pádraig Hartnett Golden Boot for scoring six goals.
6 goals
Ellie Byrne (Wexford)
5 goals
Ava Hogan (Roscommon)
Leah Waters (Longford)
4 goals
Vittoria Tullia Pascolini (Waterford)
Isabella MacLeod (DDSL)
Emma Fitzpatrick (Wexford)
Niamh Dunphy (Tipperary South)
Nessa Kirby (Kerry)
Ellie Harty O’Brien (Galway)
Sophie Herbert (Sligo-Leitrim)
Anna O’Grady (Limerick Desmond)
3 goals
Saoirse Reynolds (Mayo)
Emily Carpenter (Carlow)
Mia Quille (Cork)
Maia Stokes (Waterford)
Kasey Deegan (DDSL)
Rhiann Nolan-Cantillon (Limerick District)
Matilda Carroll (Galway)
Cliodhna Martin (Galway)
Brooke Quirke (Kilkenny)
Jean O’Kane (Limerick Desmond)
2 goals
Tara McDaid (Donegal)
Laurie Finnegan (Midlands)
Zoe Nash (North Tipperary)
Kayla Costello (Roscommon)
Michela Moynihan (Cork)
Goda Gambickaite (Carlow)
Laura O’Mullane (Cork)
Ellie Cregan (Kerry)
Orlaith Flynn (Kerry)
Lily Codd (Waterford)
Kate Mannix (Waterford)
Faith Dawson (DDSL)
Amy Nash (Cork)
Kate Mc Ging (Mayo)
Erin O’Connor (Limerick County)
Alannah Daly (Kerry)
Lillian Slattery (Kerry)
Mairead Mulkerins (Galway)
Ava Gallagher (Galway)
Siun Cullinan (Galway)
Lavena Fogarty (Kilkenny)
Madison Deane (North Tipperary)
Susan Martin-Vaquero (Sligo-Leitrim)
Sonyia Vijandra (Limerick Desmond)
Rosie Fox (Louth)
Michaela Sexton (Clare)
Hillary Adeniran (Louth)
Emily McLaughlin (Inishowen)
Neasa Reidy (Limerick Desmond)
1 goals
Niamh Morrish (DDSL)
Roise Dorgan (NERL)
Siofra Curley (NERL)
Zoe McNamara (Limerick District)
Sarah Connolly (Longford)
Paige Morgan (Limerick District)
Aoife Grant (Limerick District)
Grace Geary (Limerick District)
Sarah Hayes (Limerick District)
Anna Meaney (Limerick District)
Tara Hanrahan (North Tipperary)
Aoibhinn Cregg (Roscommon)
Ciara Hilliard (Midlands)
Isabel Mooney (Midlands)
Ellie Buckley (Midlands)
Moya Kilmartin (Midlands)
Aizea Keane (Clare)
Anna Madigan (Clare)
Hailee Tanner (North Tipperary)
Lauren Gunning (Roscommon)
Leah O’Donoghue (Kildare)
Amy Martin (Kildare)
Kayla Coade Flynn (Wexford)
Farrah Madigan (Tipperary South)
Ellie Malone (Louth)
Anna May Lynch (Tipperary South)
Arina Sucaci (Kerry)
Ella Callaghan (Inishowen)
Grainne Keogh (Carlow)
Natalia Deka (Carlow)
Isabelle O’Connor (Kerry)
Adah Gill (Inishowen)
Clodagh Hourigan (Limerick County)
Roisin Farrell (Limerick County)
Clara Cullinan (Waterford)
Willow McMorrow (Sligo-Leitrim)
Teagan Fallon (Sligo-Leitrim)
Ruby Hallinan (Waterford)
Aoibhe Galvin (DDSL)
Amelia Tobin (Wexford)
Fiadh Daly (Wexford)
Aisha Samadi (Wexford)
Molly Dooling (Mayo)
Lily-Rose Noonan (Limerick District)
Daisy Fleming (DDSL)
Aoife Madden (Cork)
Fia Comerford (Cork)
Ava Hickey (NERL)
Lily Byrne (NERL)
Ava Harty (Kerry)
Alice O’Connor (Kerry)
Lia Nolan (Kildare)
Caoimhe Buckley (Limerick County)
Holly Grennan (Midlands)
Doireann Scully (Tipperary South)
Mairead Mullins (Galway)
Katie Brogan (Galway)
Emma Walsh (Kilkenny)
Abby Magowan (South Belfast)
Sophie Nelson (South Belfast)
Jenna McSherry (North Tipperary)
Aoibhe Meegan (Kilkenny)
Kate Murphy (Carlow)
Amy Lateef (Donegal)
Ellie Fegan (South Belfast)
Darcy Grayson (South Belfast)
Emilie Sylvester (South Belfast)
Aoife Conlon (South Belfast)
Ellen McLaughlin (Inishowen)
Rhia Smith (Lisburn)
Maisie Ball (Louth)
Aimee McLaughlin (Inishowen)
Elise Vang (Limerick Desmond)
Own goals
Roscommon-Rebecca Greene (against Cork)
Louth-Mia van der Westhuizen (against Derry)
Final Standings
Pos
Grp
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Final result
1
2
Limerick District
6
6
0
0
10
3
+7
18
Champions
2
1
DDSL
6
5
0
1
12
2
+10
15
Runners-up
3
6
Cork
6
4
1
1
12
5
+7
13
Third place
4
3
Roscommon
5
2
0
3
9
7
+2
6
Fourth place
5
4
Wexford
5
4
0
1
14
3
+11
12
6
5
Mayo
6
3
0
3
6
9
−3
9
7
7
Waterford
6
2
1
3
14
7
+7
7
8
2
Galway
6
4
1
1
19
4
+15
13
Bowl winners
9
3
Midlands
5
3
0
2
7
5
+2
9
10
6
Kerry
6
4
0
2
16
7
+9
12
11
5
Tipperary South
6
2
1
3
6
15
−9
7
12
7
Limerick County
6
3
2
1
5
7
−2
11
13
1
NERL
6
2
1
3
4
7
−3
7
14
4
Kildare
5
1
0
4
3
6
−3
3
15
4
South Belfast
5
3
0
2
6
6
0
9
Shield winners
16
3
North Tipperary
6
4
0
2
7
6
+1
12
17
7
Sligo-Leitrim
5
2
0
3
8
7
+1
6
18
1
Donegal
6
2
1
3
3
6
−3
7
19
5
Kilkenny
6
3
1
2
7
6
+1
10
20
2
Longford
6
2
1
3
6
4
+2
7
21
6
Carlow
6
1
1
4
8
8
0
4
22
5
Louth
6
3
2
1
7
5
+2
11
Trophy winners
23
3
Clare
5
1
0
4
4
13
−9
3
24
2
Limerick Desmond
6
2
0
4
12
9
+3
6
25
1
Derry
5
0
0
5
1
12
−11
0
26
6
Inishowen
5
1
0
4
6
17
−11
3
27
7
Lisburn
5
0
1
4
1
25
−24
1
Source: FAI Connect
Broadcasting
About 50% of the games were live-streamed on the SFAI YouTube channel, with cameras on Pitch 1, Pitch 2 and Pitch 6. The games on Pitch 1 were accompanied with commentary. The coverage was provided by Full Time Productions. Clips were also posted on the SFAI Facebook page.
Aftermath
In the wake of the tournament, and with the Kennedy Cup to follow the next week, the SFAI YouTube channel was mass reported and taken down by YouTube, along with all of the livestreams and video clips housed on that channel.[88] A docummentary about the tournament's winners, Limerick District, along with the Kennedy Cup, was announced to have been filmed and was being produced, due to be released in 2026.[89]
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