All-Island Cup: Our League is on a level with the Republic's, says Glentoran captain Jessica Foy

When all-Ireland competition was brought into women’s football in 2023, the perception was that the teams in the Republic had the edge over their Northern Ireland counterparts. That both individually and collectively the power lay south of the border.

Right from the first round of matches that theory was being tested and even though Galway United came out as All-Ireland champions when they beat Cliftonville Women 1-0 in the Final that couldn’t be used as a decisive measure — partly because Cliftonville weren’t at full strength as Northern Ireland international duo Abbie Magee and Kirsty McGuinness weren’t fit to start the game.

Another reason is that the final meeting was the last of 15 cross-border ties in the competition and Galway’s victory levelled up the scores at six wins each with three draws.

“The stats show the level that we have come up to in terms of how the League here has grown over the last number of years,” said Glentoran Women captain Jessica Foy, who harbours ambitions to be the first northern skipper to lift the trophy.

“Previously there maybe would have been only one or two teams who could have gone down and competed. The fact now that we have four or five teams competing with the top teams from down south — and getting results — shows that we are all on a level playing field hopefully now.”

If anything it is the Glens who should be a feared opponent if 2023’s results are anything to go by. Nobody knew at the time when they met Peamount United in June that both teams would go on to regain their respective League titles in the autumn. Not only did Glentoran win the game, they smashed five past the serial winners from south Dublin.

Ambitions of a northern takeover do, however, come with something of a warning. 2023’s competition was slotted in mid-season to bridge a gap as the League of Ireland teams went on a domestic break while their national team enjoyed an adventure at the Women’s World Cup in Australia.

Only Shamrock Rovers pair Aine O’Gorman and Abbie Larkin were part of that squad, but others were involved in the training panel before the cut was made.

“That will be a big change this year with those international players playing for their clubs,” said Ryan McConville, who has returned to the manger’s role at Linfield Women during the close season.

“That will be a good eye opener this weekend when there are some big matches.

“It’s a great opening round and it’s going to give us a bit of a gauge of where we’re at.”

McConville has already got a gauge having done his homework ahead of the Blues’ trip to Peamount in the opening game.

“Getting to the Final was a great achievement for Cliftonville in my eyes because of the strength of the League of Ireland,” said McConville.

“I watched Peamount United against Shelbourne last week and both teams were absolutely unbelievable.

“Shelbourne were a well-oiled machine and Peamount weren’t far behind them. Anybody who finishes ahead of those two teams would have to be pretty good. My job is to prepare Linfield to win football matches. I know the pressure that goes with it and I know the expectations that go with it and ultimately the ambition and the goal is to try to get back competing for silverware.

“I’ll give it the respect that it deserves. It’s a prestigious competition and one that we’d like to do well in.”

The five teams who will represent Northern Ireland in the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup will all have different ambitions. Crusaders Strikers, who will be without manager Jonny Tuffey as he will be playing for the Crues at Newry City at the same time as the women’s team is taking on DLR Waves, and Linfield Women will enter as underdogs and see the tournament as preparation for the domestic season. Newcomers Lisburn Ladies will use the experience as a measure of how far they have come just two years after becoming a Premiership team.

For both Glentoran and Cliftonville it is a key part of their preparation as they aim to lead the title race at home once again. Indeed Foy reflects on last season’s competition as being a major factor in the Glens wrestling the Premiership crown back from the Reds.

“It really made us grow as a team. We went to Peamount and won 5-0 and that was the result that pushed us on towards winning the league,” said Foy, who will lead her team into action against Athlone Town.

Lisburn Ladies aren’t expecting to suddenly be transformed from mid-table to title contenders on the back of three All-Island Cup games.

They are, however, seeking benefits for the long term after being drawn in the same group as Peamount.

After Sion Swifts Ladies dropped out of the top flight Lisburn Ladies are one of only three teams in the Northern Ireland League who don’t have a well established men’s parent club to lean on, so while facing the League of Ireland champions might be daunting, it can also be seen as the perfect draw.

“We are one of the few remaining independent clubs and there are a lot of learnings for us, especially when we have Peamount coming to us,” said Lisburn Ladies chairman Hayden Davis.

“They are the perfect example for us to look towards. We would aspire to use their model of how they go to where they are as an independent club.

“They do have a men’s side in the club now, but they are still renowned as a female football club.

“When the do come up we will definitely be picking their brains. It shows what independent clubs can do, It is tough, but we can still compete.”

Now that the debate is starting it will likely run right until the scheduled date for the final in mid-August — and even then it could continue to reign.

FIXTURES, Saturday: Peamount United v Linfield Women (5pm), Cork City v Wexford Youths (6pm), DLR Waves v Crusaders Strikers (3pm), Treaty United v Shamrock Rovers (5pm), Sligo Rovers v Galway United (7pm).

Sunday: Bohemians v Lisburn Ladies (3pm), Cliftonville Ladies v Shelbourne, Solitude (2pm), Glentoran Women v Athlone Town (4.30pm).