Womens Senior Challenge Cup

[rasper]

rasper dude i was being sarcastic! thats what i get all the time for playin both sports!!! i dont seem to have a problem so i dont see why management does!

does your management have a problem with it?????????????

[Curler]

8 goals for NUI Galway today as they defeated Inchicore 8-1. Should give the girls also on the Galway team confidence ahead of Sunday!

[rasper]

well done N.U.I . Are there many galway girls on the nui team?

[benchwarmer]

yup he does!!! is this a country wide problem!?!?

[Squeez]

of course its a prob nationwide, no coach wants to risk their players getting injured especially if big games coming up...

[CollegeTillIDie]

8 goals for NUI Galway today as they defeated Inchicore 8-1. Should give the girls also on the Galway team confidence ahead of Sunday!

NUI Galway the sleeping giants of College soccer.;)

[Jaws!]

well done N.U.I . Are there many galway girls on the nui team?
-two, as well as two from the Mayo league. (personally, I'd love to see a Galway vs. Mayo fina l:D )


NUI Galway the sleeping giants of College soccer.
- :D

[benchwarmer]

was just enquiring! how does other players feel about the pressure!?!!?!?!?!?

[chick]

so any last predictions/thoughts before tomorrow's semi-finals??? :rolleyes:

[elaine casey]

Good luck to all teams 2morrow in the semi's.
I reckon UCD and Mayo in the final. :ball: :ball: :ball:

[rasper]

mayo and ucd win and now meet in the final
mayo 1 lifford 0
galway 1 ucd 1
ucd win in sudden death penalty's
final may be held in richmond park on dec.2nd under light's.

[marina]

Looks like the semis were closely contested... well dont to all involved. Final promises to be a good one. When will we know for definate what the fixture details are.

[elaine casey]

Well done to all teams. Sounds like UCD and Galway had a good game. Where bouts is richmond park if thats where the finals are being played.

[chick]

richmond park is in inchicore in dublin.

why or how was the game fixed for there when there is one team from dublin and one team from mayo in the final? it doesn't make sense that one team should get home advantage in such a big game!

[Curler]

Final will have to be in a neutral venue and town. I can see there being uproar if the game is played in Dublin. Longford/Athlone/Monaghan woluld be options.

[Jaws!]

The Galway - UCD game was played in something less than perfect conditions, with driving rain and a stiff breeze prevailing for most of it. Galway took the lead in the first half when a long free wasn't dealt with allowing a Galway striker free to finish, and UCD equalised direct from a corner kick. It could be argued that with both goals the ball was carried on the breeze. Few clear-cut chances throughout, and I think it took until the 7th penalty-takers before the match was decided

[rasper]

the final is set for richmond park at saturday at 7 under lights .
is it fair to expect a west of ireland team to travel to dublin play in the evening stay two nights in dublin this puts big presure on a soccer team to finance this. could the game not be played in athlone where both teams could get there and get back on the same day.when the game was taken from lansdown road or do the wfai(fai) care. i read in the paper how they want to promote the game of womens soccer and then they do this. is it because they want to be near dublin on sunday for the fai cup final?? how many people outside dublin will support this match at 7 at night??may be they should just toss a coin and see who wins then they would not have to go out at all on saturday night .not the teams fault so good luck to both of them.ucd to shade it.

[Squeez]

I think it's an absolute disgrace to change it from Landsdown, i've heard its because of rugby matches and the pitch being over used in that period. Then the FAI should move both matches out of Lansdown to the next best venue... The more and more hear crap like this the more you'd wonder if the FAI really care about the womens game!!!

[Number9]

You're right rasper.
The WFAI (and the FAI) now have a chance to prove that they care about soccer outside of the capital. Move the final to a neutral ground or provide the finances to give the Mayo girls an even playing pitch.
The Mayo League and the Connaught branch should put their objections in writing to both the WFAI and the FAI.

[CollegeTillIDie]

W.F.A.I. SENIOR CUP FINAL MAYO LEAGUE V UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
7 p.m. kick off on Saturday December 2.
Admission will be €5 .

[Squeez]

That time and place is a disgrace. The FAI/WFAI whoever responsible for organising it are putting it at a time where it'll only suit Dubliners or anyone within realistic driving distance will attend. If any soccer enthusiast around the country wanted to go see the game they put it at the most awkward time!!

[johnmayo]

Can any one from the WFAI comment on why this decision was made. The WFAI have made two blunders in this regard, one losing the final from the Lansdowne Road venue as everyone is interested in the final few games played at that venue.

The other is playing it in Dublin. Is it because UCD will bring a big crowd with them? UCD could play the Chippendales and still you would not get a crowd. Playing the game in Sligo, Galway or Longford would give Mayo a chance of bringing a couple of hundred kids to the game like what the Mayo GAA do.

I will be at the game. I will be standing beside the man with the dog!!!!

[benchwarmer]

see in my opinionteams from dublin think that anyone outside dub are boggers or cultchies and do everything to suit themselvs but as it stands dundalk ladies were in the final the 2 and only 2yrs it was held in landsdown!


anyone know if richmound park is far mileage wise or hard to get to from parnell street?

[cityman]

I agree with what has been posted by people on this forum. I think it is very unfair to make one team travel such a distance while the other don't even have to cross the Liffey to get to the ground!

I have to ask,(can anyone answer??), who made the decision to hold the WFAI cup final in Dublin this year? I know myself from travelling to games around the country that there are several venues that would be well able to host such a match. Did someone from the WFAI actually go and see if there were any clubs that could host such a match? I mean are there any clubs out there that would turn down the chance to have a SENIOR cup final played at their club? The publicity that could be generated from that game in their own community as well as the rest of the country...!

Can anyone remember when a WFAI Senior cup final was played outside Dublin?? Does the match finish on the day? Or if it does go to a replay will it be in Mayo? Or in Dublin again?!!

Last Question: where are the match officials from? Ive not seen it up anywhere.

[CollegeTillIDie]

I agree with what has been posted by people on this forum. I think it is very unfair to make one team travel such a distance while the other don't even have to cross the Liffey to get to the ground!

I have to ask,(can anyone answer??), who made the decision to hold the WFAI cup final in Dublin this year? I know myself from travelling to games around the country that there are several venues that would be well able to host such a match. Did someone from the WFAI actually go and see if there were any clubs that could host such a match? I mean are there any clubs out there that would turn down the chance to have a SENIOR cup final played at their club? The publicity that could be generated from that game in their own community as well as the rest of the country...!

Can anyone remember when a WFAI Senior cup final was played outside Dublin?? Does the match finish on the day? Or if it does go to a replay will it be in Mayo? Or in Dublin again?!!

Last Question: where are the match officials from? Ive not seen it up anywhere.



Ok first things first. The game was supposed to be at Lansdowne Road as a curtain raiser to the men's game. This has been the case the past two years it was done to try to raise the profile of the tournament final, which to be fair was moderately successful. There were short highlights of both finals shown on RTE during the coverage of the Men's final. Last year's Women's Final had a crowd of well over 1,300. Besides playing in Dublin isn't such a big deal for the Mayo League. Last year they beat UCD in Belfield .

Secondly it got moved because there was due to be rugby games played on the main pitch on the Saturday ( AIL Division 3 fixture if I am not mistaken).This game has only recently been moved to another venue.
However the WFAI were asked to move the Women's game to save the pitch because of the proposed rugby fixture.
The games are where possible held in Eircom League venues. This is to reflect the status of the game, that it be held in a venue , worthy of hosting an International Women's game.

Thirdly all WFAI Cup games get decided on the day, so it will be extra time and penalties.

Match Officials? I don't know where they are from or even who they are yet.

Last WFAI Cup final was held outside Dublin in 1993 when Benfica from Waterford took on College Corinthians from Cork.
There was a replay which was held in Waterford( at Kilcohan Park) the original game was in Limerick and as Corinthians fielded a cup-tied player in the original Final it had to be replayed. Benfica won the replay 3-0.

[CollegeTillIDie]

see in my opinionteams from dublin think that anyone outside dub are boggers or cultchies and do everything to suit themselvs but as it stands dundalk ladies were in the final the 2 and only 2yrs it was held in landsdown!


anyone know if richmound park is far mileage wise or hard to get to from parnell street?

Let's get one thing straight. UCD are a team full of non Dubliners as is their committee.
The UCD committee to my knowledge has a Laois woman and a Limerick woman on it, and that's just two off the top of my head.
The squad includes players from Sligo,Laois and Wexford amongst other counties. Yes there are even some Dubliners in the team.
They even have a player from Tallaght!

I think this anti-Dublin invective is a bit rich given those circumstances. Yes Dundalk's achievement in reaching two finals is creditable and winning one of them better still. The fact remains that like one or two other clubs based outside the city, they are members of the DWSL, and grace it's top Division.

Next season , if things remain as they are, there will be two teams from Dundalk and one from Waterford in the DWSL Premier Division.

[Wexford Rules]

I find it slightly strange that nobody is moaning about Derry City having to travel to Dublin to play St Pats in the mens decider. As in any major cup final, the venue should not be an issue and I am sure Mayo feel proud enough of their achievement by being in the final irrelevant of where it is and will be there to show that they can match UCD. I think UCD will shade it but not because of playing in Dublin

[rasper]

i think you are missing the point wexford, derry are playing in lansdownroad ucd/mayo are not it is not just about the players what about the mayo support the people from other parts of ireland that would love to watch the match that are like me can't be there because it is on to late in dublin why not have it on at one or two in the day. i am sure mayo are proud as you say to just be there and i hope do themself's proud and win this cup.

[Squeez]

Ya I agree if it being played at the heart of Irish soccer in Lansdowne road then there wouldn't be an issue, but since it has been changed why not to a venue which is easily accessible by BOTH teams involved
College till i die, we're not saying anything against the players they could be from timbuck too for all we care, the issue is they're a DUBLIN BASED team and have only fration of distance to travel to game.

[swinfordfc]

Best of luck to the Mayo Ladies on Saturday night i really hope ye do it, all the best from all in Swinford AFC

[rasper]

match live on midwest click on http://midwestirishradio.com/index1.htm

[CollegeTillIDie]

What about the principle that a national cup final should take place in the nation's capitol city?

When Wembley was functioning , English F.A. Cup Finals always took place at Wembley which is suburban LONDON.
Nowadays the Women's FA Cup Finals are usually held at League grounds based in the capital.

The French Cup finals take place in Paris.
And in recent years the German Cup finals have been held in Berlin.

Many countries have two legged finals, which breaches that principal.
Given that we have a one leg final, and given there are no EL clubs based in Mayo,why not an EL venue in the capital?

The game was originally intended to be held at Lansdowne Road. It got moved and then reason for moving the game got removed ( i.e. an AIL Division 3 Rugby Union game, originally scheduled for this afternoon at Lansdowne Road).

Perhaps next year when Athlone's new ground opens up it might provide a suitable venue for hosting the final, which to be fair St.Mel's Park never was.

[chick]

mid way through second half, its one nil to mayo. aoife herbert scored.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Congratulations to Mayo, was not able to go to the game. Listened to the coverage online thanks to Midwest Irish Radio. They covered the second half live. Shame they didn't get to do the whole game, coverage was pretty good and nowhere near as one sided as one might have imagined. Well done to Mayo and Midwest Irish Radio. Final score Mayo League 1 UCD 0

[swinfordfc]

Up Mayo
well done girls

[Wexford Rules]

Well done to Mayo. A big boost for rural soccer all around the country. It was believed that no league representative team would ever win the competition so for it to happen within three years is fantastic. Everyone in Wexford congratulate Mayo and wish them the best of luck in the champions league next year

[Countryripple]

Congrats to the Mayo girls on their win.

Now comes the interesting part........A representative team cannot play in the UEFA Cup. It is a competition for clubs only.

I mentioned this in a previous thread a long time ago. But I guess the WFAI will wrangle their way around it somehow.:rolleyes: And if they cant and it comes back and bites them in the backside, well, they only have themselves to blame for bending their own rules to allow represenative teams take part in our national cup competition.

[nemi7]

does anyone know whether there will be highlights of the match on tv sometime?

[CollegeTillIDie]

Congrats to the Mayo girls on their win.

Now comes the interesting part........A representative team cannot play in the UEFA Cup. It is a competition for clubs only.

I mentioned this in a previous thread a long time ago. But I guess the WFAI will wrangle their way around it somehow.:rolleyes: And if they cant and it comes back and bites them in the backside, well, they only have themselves to blame for bending their own rules to allow represenative teams take part in our national cup competition.

Representative teams were invited to play in the competition for one simple reason. The number of clubs entering the WFAI Senior Cup was dwindling. This was brought about by the hidings administered particularly to clubs from rural areas who were drawn against DWSL clubs in the Cup. Shamrock Rovers beat Bunclody 11-0 away in the First Round one year.
Having said that Shamrock Rovers had tonked even other member clubs of the DWSL by similar margins over the years too in the same competition. But UCD had beaten one or two clubs by similar margins. The last year there were no represntative teams in the competition only 11 clubs entered the senior cup. And that included the previous years Intermediate Cup finalists who by rights MUST enter the Senior Cup the following year. The entire future of the Competition itself was at stake.

And for the first couple of years the Representative sides entered the Cup one or two of them got hammered too. However things have changed and the League representative sides have become more competitive culminating in this seasons result.

The European issue will be resolved one way or another. Either Mayo will be permitted or else the WFAI has the option of nominating someone such as UCD may well represent Ireland in the UEFA Cup.

[rasper]

mayo will represent ireland they play as a club

[Countryripple]

Yea. Ive heard the excuses why they allowed representative teams in and all that blah before. I do still feel that it is wrong on many levels.

In a sense i feel sorry for the Mayo girls for being lulled into this under the false expectation that if they win (which they did) they would be entering the UEFA Cup as Irelands top club. At the end of the day, their players are drawn as individuals from different clubs. This consititutes a representative team. This is evident even in their name: Mayo League. This format of team is not allowed by UEFA to take part in European CLUB competition. If Mayo or any of the other 'League' teams taking part had felt they could go all the way in the WFAI Cup, why were they not adaquately informed of the UEFA rules? If they had been, they might have just all left their existing clubs, formed a new one to play for and played together as that CLUB?

At the moment, the only european or international competition that has representative teams taking part in them are...............................oh yea......................THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP and THE WORLD CUP!!:rolleyes:

[rasper]

if you check with the fai you will find that mayo are going to europe.this has been cleared with uefa two years ago.i am sure that C.T.I.D. will back me up on this one.where there is a will there is a way mayo become that club.

[Countryripple]

Ah yes, the usual old: lets get a way around doing this the wrong way, instead of following the rules in the first place!!!

Brilliant!!

Typical of the backward organisation of football in this country. It makes me ache with both laughter and shame.

[Wexford Rules]

Its obvious countryripple does not agree with representative teams taking part in the Senior Cup. In my opinion, it has given the whole competition a whole new lease of life because no matter what anyone says, it was slowly dying on its feet. Mayo deserve their place in European competition after beating UCD, a feat not many clubs have achieved once, let alone twice. I am sure rules would not have to be bent too far for it to happen cos all Mayo have to do is form a club with their current players and their laughing

[cityman]

Well done to Mayo League for their win on Sunday.

People have spoken of this bending of the rules??!! This is breaking the rules of a UEFA CLUB competition. UEFA will not allow a Representative side play in their UEFA cup. Im sure that this would be seen as unfair towards the other competing clubs in the competition.

If UEFA do allow this representative side in to their competition, whats to stop a country putting their U/19 or U/21 sides into their leagues and renaming them?? After all whats in a name??

The national league winners from each country qualify for the above tournament. But because we dont have a national league,(does anyone know who is to blame for that one?!!), our representative qualifies through our senior cup. When or if we organise a national league, based on our senior cup of recent years, is it going to have representative sides involved?

anyone got any thoughts?http://www.foot.ie/inc/img/icons/foot.ie.gif
:ball:

[Wexford Rules]

When the National League starts, teams who currently play as representative teams will have the right to form a proper club and apply to enter the league as that club. If they are accepted, they will be entitled to participate. My belief is that the national league will need those teams as there are very few clubs currently in existince that will have the structure and finances to survive at national level. If the league is to be a success, these factors will be very important, if not it will fall apart in a short period of time and it is vital that this does not happen

[Squeez]

While I agree with the whole 'they're not officially a club' arguement...dont take it away from them... We should be supporting the Mayo girls and hopefully they'll do themselves proud in the UEFA Cup.

My understanding behind the whole letting representative teams play i senior cup is give players the opportunity to play at a higher level and make them better players, bringing this back to their club to make them better teams! I'm using Cork as an example here cos their probably one of the strongest leagues in Ireland, outside of Dublin, they had players on cork league team over past three years and now have 2teams playing in senior cup next year, this is the way we want it going, hopefully more and more players will improve and better themselves playing with the represntative teams and before you know it we'll have a strong and healthy CLUB competition!

[johnmayo]

As someone who was involved at the very beginning of the MWFL, I would like to congratulate the girls, Aidan and Michael for all their hard work over the past couple of years and it is great to see that dreams come true for those who believe in themselves and are willing to put in the hard work. For those involved in the early years, where we had referees who wouldn't ref womens games, clubs who prioritise junior training on a pitch where two teams and a ref waited for their "turn", the win still does not seem real.


Was surprised with the turn out in Richmond. Fairplay to officals and players from other clubs who turned up. Hope that the game was entertianing to watch.
Disappointed with some of the UCD crowd who booed the ref and assistants at the final whistle. As someone who was involved with the UCD Mens Club in an earlier life time and still has a soft spot in his heart for all soccer teams bearing the Ad Astra crest (I know it's changed!), I hope that this is sorted out by the Ladies club. UCD to me has always been modest winners and gracious losers, (a legacy of the Doc I believe) I hope that this does not change.

In regards to UEFA competition, the girls wont let the country down.

[CollegeTillIDie]

As someone who was involved at the very beginning of the MWFL, I would like to congratulate the girls, Aidan and Michael for all their hard work over the past couple of years and it is great to see that dreams come true for those who believe in themselves and are willing to put in the hard work. For those involved in the early years, where we had referees who wouldn't ref womens games, clubs who prioritise junior training on a pitch where two teams and a ref waited for their "turn", the win still does not seem real.


Was surprised with the turn out in Richmond. Fairplay to officals and players from other clubs who turned up. Hope that the game was entertianing to watch.
Disappointed with some of the UCD crowd who booed the ref and assistants at the final whistle. As someone who was involved with the UCD Mens Club in an earlier life time and still has a soft spot in his heart for all soccer teams bearing the Ad Astra crest (I know it's changed!), I hope that this is sorted out by the Ladies club. UCD to me has always been modest winners and gracious losers, (a legacy of the Doc I believe) I hope that this does not change.

In regards to UEFA competition, the girls wont let the country down.

As a UCD fan and a fan of women's football, who was unable to attend, I am disappointed with the reaction of some of the people supporting the Belfield Belles on the night.

P.S. If you an Ad Astra crest it is till preserved on the UCDAFC Football Scarf and also the club hat. The fans got the scarf and hat made up and have sidestepped the new crest entirely.

[Henry14]

Ok I dont know if it's just me that thinks this but surely UCD could be seen as more of a representive side I know they are a college team but they have a pick from all over the country and mayo only have a county to pick from so surely it would be fair for them to europe if UCD were eligilble before.