The All-Island Cup, known as the Avenir Sports Women's All-Island Cup for sponsorship purposes,[1] is a women's association football competition held on an all-Ireland basis between women's football clubs from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 2023.[2]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland |
| Dates | 17 June 2023 – 23 July 2023 |
| Teams | 11 9 (Republic of Ireland) 5 (Northern Ireland) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Galway United  (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Cliftonville  |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 27 |
| Goals scored | 80 (2.96 per match) |
Background
editHistorically, association football in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was organised separately due to the two associations holding separate UEFA membership. In 2023, the Republic of Ireland's Football Association of Ireland came up with the idea of an all-Ireland competition in advance of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, designed to keep competitive women's football going during this time.[3] It was also envisaged to showcase women's association football in the island of Ireland.[4] The idea was supported by Northern Ireland's Irish Football Association and the competition was planned with 11 teams from the FAI's League of Ireland Women's Premier Division and 5 from the IFA's Women's Premiership.[5] The draw for the inaugural competition was made at the FAI's Headquarters in Dublin.[6]
Prior to the semi-finals, due to Cliftonville qualifying, there was concern over the date of the final due to a potential clash with either the Northern Ireland women's national football team matches or the 2023 NIFL Women's Premiership League Cup Cliftonville were due to play in.[7] However the Irish League agreed to move it.[8] Galway United were the first All-Ireland Cup champions by defeating Cliftonville 1–0 at The Showgrounds, Sligo, winning their first major women's trophy.[9]
Group A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galway United |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 7 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Shelbourne |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Athlone Town |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Linfield |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wexford |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Shamrock Rovers |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Glentoran |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 4 | |
| 4 | Peamount United |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 |
Group C
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cliftonville |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Sion Swifts |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Bohemians |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Sligo Rovers |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 |
Group D
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | DLR Waves |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Crusaders Strikers |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Treaty United |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 |
Semi-finals
edit| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville | 1–0 | Cork City |
| Wexford | 1–1 (3–4 p) | Galway United |
Final
edit
References
edit- ↑ "Inaugural Draw for Avenir Sports Women's All-Island Cup Announced - The Home of Irish Football". Extra Time. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ Halligan, Fiona (2023-05-18). "Draw for inaugural All Island Cup has been made". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "First women's All-Island Cup draw made with Wexford, Peamount and Shamrock Rovers handed tough group". Irish Independent. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "The Showgrounds to Host First Ever Avenir Sports All-Island Cup Final". Her Sport. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ McCann, Lauren (2023-06-15). "All-Island Cup: Everything you need to know about the new cross-border competition". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "All-Island Cup: Cliftonville draw Bohs in inaugural competition". BBC Sport. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "International fixtures may delay All-Island Cup decider". Belfast Telegraph. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "Avenir Sports All Island Cup Final Details Confirmed". NIFL. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ↑ "Galway United Women claim first national trophy". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 2023-08-31.