New Galway women’s soccer club in plea for sponsorship ahead of Irish League debut

Mike Rafferty

NEWLY formed senior soccer club Galway WFC has issued a call to the local business community to get on board to help bring Women’s National League football to Galway this September.

Their application to enter the Bus Éireann WNL has been warmly received by the FAI and the wider soccer community, while the Galway FA has also backed the club which will see it play its home games in Eamonn Deacy Park, Terryland from September 2013.

News of the club has reached Aras an Uachtaran with President Michael D. Higgins welcoming the arrival of Galway WFC and calling it a “a valuable initiative” he is “happy to commend.”

“Across the various codes, Galway has a proud sporting tradition – not least in the area of soccer. Any endeavour that promotes greater participation by women in sport is to be encouraged,” he added.

The club is now issuing a call of its own to the commercial sector throughout Ireland for support. Club Chairman Stephan Moran said: “We have been delighted with the level of interest we have received to date in Galway WFC. While we appreciate that finances are tightening we are hoping to reach out to an unique demographic which will appeal to many companies. We have many attractive packages to suit all budgets.”

Back in 2008 the Galway and District League team won the Women’s FAI Senior Cup when defeating Raheny by 1-0 in the final at Dalymount Park, but the opportunity to build on that success just wasn’t there, due to the lack of a National structure.

However in 2011 all that changed, as the formation of the FAI Bus Eireann WNL (Women’s National League) gave players an opportunity to play at the highest level on a weekly basis. Seven teams from around the country form the WNL and for the first time it looks like Galway will have a team for next season.

Indeed, over the years, Galway has produced many talented players, with the majority going on to represent Ireland at various age levels. Arsenal’s Niamh Fahey would certainly be the most high profile of those and, indeed, scored the winning penalty in Women’s FAI Senior Cup final in 2008.

An All-Ireland winner with the Galway Ladies GAA team the year before, Fahey moved to London the following year and since then had been a multiple League and Cup winner with the Gunners as well as being a seasoned Irish international.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.