Laura Heffernan is an Irish football manager. As of 2023, she is manager of Irish football team DLR Waves.
As a footballer active between 1996 and 2014, Laura Heffernan played for a number of clubs, including Wexford Youths W.F.C., Curracloe United, [1] North End United, [2] Enniscorthy United and Wexford Celtic.
Heffernan was the head coach of Wexford Youths W.F.C. in 2017, [3] [4] winning the Women's National League (Ireland) title. [5] [6] From 2018-2021, she was the head coach for the Shelbourne F.C. (women) under 17s team, winning the 2018 league title. [7] [8] She was also an assistant manager for the Shelbourne WNL Senior Team. [9] In 2021, she became DLR Waves under 19s manager, with the youth team winning the league title in 2022. [10] At the start of the 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division season, Heffernan was appointed assistant manager to the DLR Waves senior team. [11] [12] In May 2023, DLR Waves manager Graham Kelly left the club and Heffernan became the manager of DLR Waves. [13] [14] Heffernan is the only female manager in the 2023 Women's Premier Division. Heffernan is also training to achieve an UEFA Pro Licence, [15] [16] making her the 3rd Irish woman to take part in this course with the Football Association of Ireland. [17]
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.
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.
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.
Kilkenny United Women's Football Club is an Irish women's football team, based in Kilkenny. In July 2015 the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced the formation of the club as an expansion team for the upcoming 2015–16 Women's National League season. Kilkenny United WFC played in the Women's National League until 2019, but won only one match in five seasons.
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.
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.
The 2019 Women's National League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Só Hotels Women's National League, was the ninth season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland. It began on 9 March 2019 and concluded on 10 November 2019. Wexford Youths were the defending champions, but Peamount United won to secure their first League title since the inaugural 2011–12 season.
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Waves, also referred to as DLR Waves, is a women-only Irish association football club based in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It was originally founded in 2012. DLR Waves field several teams; the senior League of Ireland team, the Under 19s LOI team and the Under 17s LOI team. The senior 1st team competes in the FAI Women's Cup and the League of Ireland Women's Premier Division. Between 2014 and 2018, the club played as UCD Waves, before returning to the name DLR Waves.
The 2020 Women's National League was the 10th season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland.
The 2021 League of Ireland First Division season was the 37th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of Ireland's association football league. The fixture list was released on 8 February 2021 and the competition commenced on 26 March 2021. Shelbourne were confirmed Champions and promoted to the League of Ireland Premier Division on 1 October 2021.
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.
The 2021 Women's National League, known as the SSE Airtricity WNL for sponsorship reasons, is the 11th season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland since its establishment in 2011. Peamount United were the defending champions, having won their third league title the previous season.
The 2021 FAI Women's Cup is the 46th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national knockout cup competition for women's association football teams. The nine Women's National League (WNL) teams entered the competition, but unlike in previous years no non-league teams took part. The competition began on 13 August 2021 with a single-fixture first round and concluded on 21 November 2021. The final was staged at the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin, which had also hosted the previous year's final.
The 2022 Shelbourne F.C. (women) season saw Shelbourne retain the Women's National League title for a second season and complete a double by winning the FAI Women's Cup.
Abbie Sheila Larkin is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Shamrock Rovers and the Republic of Ireland women's national team.
The 2022 Women's National League known as the SSE Airtricity WNL for sponsorship reasons, 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. Shelbourne, as defending champions from the previous season, won the 2022 league by defeating Wexford Youths on the final day of the season.
The 2022 FAI Women's Cup is the 47th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national knockout cup competition for women's association football teams. The ten Women's National League (WNL) teams entered the competition, as well as four non-league teams. The competition began on 9 July 2022 with the first round and concluded on 6 November 2022. The final was staged at the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin, which had also hosted the previous year's final.