The Gaynor Cup final was a close affair finishing 0-0 after normal time, but Cork were the victors over South Tipperary winning 4-3 on penalty-kicks.

South Tipperary goalkeeper Caoilin Casey was busy in the second-half and her player of the match performance kept the side in the game on a few occasions.

But Cork held their nerve to claim the much-coveted Gaynor Cup after a great weekend of footballing action.

It was a busy day at the tournament with Carlow picking up the Shield earlier in the afternoon after their final game ended 2-0 against Sligo/Leitrim.

Kilkenny also came out the better of a penalty shoot-out after their Plate final against MGL South ended 1-1.

And in the Bowl, Wexford were the champions beating NECSL 1-0 in their final, while Midlands claimed the Trophy by topping the league table in the mini-tournament.

Placing matches also took place throughout the day to decide how the teams would be ranked  - MGL North took third spot overall in the competition, while Galway came in fourth.

The team will be looking to build on last year’s success when they collected a bronze medal at the European Championships by beating host nation, The Netherlands, in a third-place play off.

Ireland head to Spain on Thursday (July 4) in confident mood with their opening fixture of the tournament coming against Finland on Monday, July 8. This is followed by a clash with one of the favourites for the tournament Iran on Wednesday, July 10 and a final group game on Friday, July 12 versus the USA.

Breen’s squad includes first tournament selections for defender Joshua Treacy of Celbridge Town and midfielder Alan Moore of Oldcastle United. Sword Manor’s Carl McKee returns after missing the European Championships and ex-Sligo Rovers and Finn Harps U19s academy player Oisin Merritt gets the call-up.

Winner of the 2017 FAI FFA Three Player of the Year and winner of European Player of the Year, Gary Messett captains the side in what is his 15th international tournament.

Paul Breen, who took over the reins of the Ireland CP team in 2017, said: “There’s a strong core to this team and they have played together for a good while and know each other’s game. Joshua Treacy and Alan Moore are two new faces to the squad but they will be able to offer something new and we’re excited by it. We know our game and we know our strengths and the squad is a perfect mix of both experience and youth.”

Breen also spoke about his preparation for the tournament-  his third with the team - he added: “We have prepared well for the World Cup and are going to Seville confident and excited by the challenge ahead of us.

“We were training once a month and this included a camp at Johnstown where we faced The Netherlands in two friendlies and on both occasions we won. As we got closer to the World Cup we’ve trained once-a-week at Abbotstown and that has prepared us well for what is a tough group. Finland will present a challenge, Iran are considered one of the strongest in the World Cup as are the USA but we have no reason to fear any team.”

Republic of Ireland CP squad:
Goalkeeper: Mark Barry (Raheny United)
Defenders: Joseph Markey (Carrick Rovers), Darragh Byrne (Home Farm), Darragh Ruane (Mervue United), Joshua Treacy (Celbridge Town)
Midfielders: Gary Messett (C) (Arklow Town), Ryan Nolan (Rathmichael FC), Oisin Merritt (Ballybofey United), Carl McKee (Swords Manor), Alan Moore (Oldcastle United)
Forwards: Dillon Sheridan (Cherry Orchard), Aaron Tier (Geraldines FC), James Naughton (Unattached), Sam Carroll (Ardmore Rovers).

Fixtures:
08/07/2019: Ireland v Finland ( 6pm Irish time), Seville
10/07/2019: Iran v Ireland (10am Irish time), Seville
12/07/2019: Ireland v USA (6.10pm Irish time), Seville
13 - 14/07/2019: Quarter Final, Seville
16/07/2019: Semi Final, Seville
18/07/2019: 16th – 10thplace play-offs, Seville
19/07/2019: Final/3rd to 8thplace play off, Seville

Well-known local coach Tommy Griffin has coached in the SSE Airtricity League, and more recently worked with groups such as the FAI Football For All Club programme, Waterford Sportsability Forum and Kickstart 2 Recovery was to integral in putting it all together along with more than 20 coaches and volunteers from the club. 

The players were split into eight teams and played a series of matches, often the coaches and players from the clubs older teams involved in the games, helping where necessary.

After the games, everyone tucked into food supplied free of charge by local businesses and music and dancing went on into the night. Club officials were delighted with the success of the evening and hope to run similar events throughout the summer.

Lauren Kelly struck a wonderful goal from 30 yards with 14 minutes to go to give Ireland a much-deserved victory in a game that saw the Girls in Green record 70 per cent possession against the World Champions.
 
Ireland had the better of the early chances with Chloe Mustaki seeing her long-range effort float over the crossbar. Ireland thought they had taken the lead after a quarter-of-an-hour when Megan Smyth-Lynch had a shot from 30 yards which struck the crossbar and bounced down with footage unable to conclude whether it had crossed the line. They had the ball in the net just minutes later when Smyth-Lynch’s free kick was nodded in by Eleanor Ryan-Doyle but celebrations were cut short by the assistant referee’s offside flag.
 
Amanda McQuillan had very little to do during the game but was called into action at the start of the second half with a smart save from Mylena Pedroso. As time ticked down, it looked like all of Ireland’s good play would go to waste until Kelly pickpocketed the Brazilian midfielder in the middle of the pitch, brushing past the defender and unleashing a powerful strike into the left-hand side of the goal.
 
Ireland continued to control the game and repelled any attack that Brazil could throw at them. The final whistle saw scenes of celebration but it is a quick turnaround for the squad as they face South Korea on Thursday in their final group game.
 
Ireland: McQuillan, Dwyer, Fox, Doyle, Mustaki, Farrelly, Kelly, Smyth-Lynch (O’Flaherty 73’), Gargan (O’Callaghan 87’), Ryan-Doyle, Meaney.
 
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria
 
2019 FISU Summer Universiade Women's Football - Group C Result
Ireland 1-0 Brazil

2019 FISU Summer Universiade Women's Football - Group C Fixture
04/07: Republic of Korea v Ireland, Stadio S. Francesco, 6pm (5pm Irish Time)

There will be 32 teams in the draw with the 20 SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Division clubs entering the competition. 

There will also be 12 team non-league teams in the draw with the fixtures set to take place on the weekend ending Sunday, August 11. 

The non-league clubs in the FAI Cup first round draw are as follows:

• Avondale United
• Cobh Wanderers
• Collinstown Town
• Crumlin United
• Glebe North
• Glengad United
• Killester Donnycarney
• Letterkenny Rovers
• Lucan United
• Malahide United
• Maynooth University Town
• St. Michael's 

The Dublin side will travel to Greece to face AEK Futsal Club, alongside Romania's Futsal Klub Csíkszereda and Switzerland's Futsal Minerva. The games will take place in Athens between August 27 and September 1st.

Irish clubs have participated in the UEFA Futsal Cup for the past 12 years with varying degrees of success with teams like EID Futsal Club (Dublin) and Sporting Fingal qualifying beyond the Preliminary Rounds.

However, an Irish club has yet to make it to the later stages to mix it with the likes of FC Barcelona, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Dynamo Moscow and other such big-name clubs which grace this prestigious competition. This is Blue Magic’s third time to represent Ireland at this level.

The UEFA Futsal Cup has been re-branded as the UEFA Futsal Champions League and 2019 Futsal Champions League winners were Sporting Lisbon following an exciting campaign last season.

Blue Magic FC Director Piotr Piwowarczyk and Head Coach Adam Kowaluk attended the draw at UEFA HQ in Nyon and were delighted with the result.  “We’re proud to be representing Irish Futsal in this prestigious Champions League competition and we will prepare very well and give our best effort to try and advance to the next stages. We’ve a really good group of players, some experienced in this competition who will be excited by this opportunity. We’re really looking forward to going to Greece to give our best" Piwowarczyk said after the draw.

Blue Magic have been involved in the Irish Futsal scene for the past decade and have won the FAI Futsal Cup on three occasions. The club features a large group of young futsal academy players as well as it’s successful senior squad which plays in the AUL Futsal Premier League.

A first half-brace from Eleanor Ryan Doyle proved to be enough for Ireland to seal top spot in Group C and will play the runners-up of Group A (which consists of China, Mexico and Russia) on Monday evening.

Ireland took the lead after six minutes from the penalty spot. Aislinn Meaney’s through ball found Ryan Doyle who raced through and was bundled over by the goalkeeper just inside the box. The TU Dublin student dusted herself off and convert the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way.

Ireland did not enjoy as much possession of the ball as they did on Tuesday night with South Korea not allowing the team time on the ball. They had a number of chances during the first half with Chaerin Han forcing Amanda McQuillan to re-adjust her feet to stop a swerving shot and Lauren Dwyer was forced into clearing a shot off the line.

As the game headed towards half time Ireland doubled their advantage when Lauren Dwyer sent a ball long which the centre-half misjudged. Ryan Doyle burst through and spotted goalkeeper Hyerim Kang off her line and lifted the ball over her from 22 yards and into net.

South Korea pulled a goal back just before half-time when Yeji Namgug’s free kick was diverted into the Irish goal off the head of Shauna Fox. 

Having not played beforehand in the tournament, South Korea showed their freshness in the 30C heat in the second half and controlled the ball for large parts as Ireland’s defence and midfield focused on limiting the number of opportunities on goal with Niamh Farrelly putting in a huge shift covering the width of the pitch and disrupting numerous attacks.

The result ended in the Ireland's favour and followed on from their superb victory against Brazil on Tuesday evening.

Dave Connell's side will have a couple of days off and will have a keen eye on Saturday’s Group A fixture between China and Russia.

Ireland: McQuillan, Dwyer (O’Callaghan 66’), Fox, Doyle, Mustaki, Farrelly, Kelly, Smyth-Lynch (McGuinness 55), Gargan, Ryan-Doyle, Gargan

Referee: Choki Om (Bhutan)

2019 FISU Summer Universiade Women's Football - Group C Result

Ireland 1-0 Brazil
Republic of Korea 1-2 Ireland

2019 FISU Summer Universiade Women's Football – Quarter Final

08/07: TBC v Ireland, Stadio M. Torre, 6pm (5pm Irish Time)

The EGM has been called to facilitate the implementation of the first phase of the Governance Review Group Report’s recommendations, including changes to the Board.

The first phase of the proposed changes to the Constitution of the Association will be presented to the Association’s members at the AGM on July 27th.

The President has also told AGM members that, in light of recent events, it will not be possible to present 2018 accounts to the AGM. The accounts element of the AGM will be adjourned until such time as it is possible to present audited accounts. 

In his letter, the President told AGM members: “The lead up to this year’s AGM has been a difficult period for the Association requiring a thorough independent review of our governance structures, a number of parallel investigations into our affairs and unfortunately, a suspension of government funding streams.  

“The Board are of the view that a reform of the Association’s governance structure is long overdue and accept responsibility for not having acted on this issue much earlier.  

“The implementation of the Report’s recommendations is a complex exercise that will be completed in a number of stages and over a period of time.

“As President, I am also very aware that the Association’s members will want to understand the process for the implementation of the proposed changes and in particular to understand the proposals and procedures proposed for the nomination and election of new Board members into the future.

“These matters will be specifically addressed through our Governance Review Roadshows which we are conducting over the coming weeks in order to provide clarity on the reasons for, and the effect of, the changes being proposed as part of the Association’s governance reforms.

“In addition, we also intend to prepare and publish on our website in advance of the AGM, a frequently asked questions document to address some of the queries that have arisen in relation to the implementation of the recommendations of the Report.”

The President has again confirmed in his letter that the current Board of the FAI has committed to stand down at the AGM on July 27th and added: “As per the Report, for handover and transition purposes and to manage the serious risks where everyone leaves at once, at least one or possibly a maximum of two members might consider putting themselves forward for position on the Interim Board.”

He also urged AGM members to back the report of the Governance Review Group and its 78 proposals for the reform of the FAI.

“I cannot over emphasise the importance of our members voting in favour of the proposed resolutions at the AGM, and separately at the EGM, as the passing of these resolutions will help to deliver change and improve the way in which the Association is governed,” wrote the President. 

“Government funding provided through Sport Ireland to the Association has been suspended and will not be reinstated until Sport Ireland are satisfied that the Association has made significant strides in improving governance at the Association.

“In addition to the suspension of this funding, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport have also suspended Sport Capital Grant funding to the FAI and Large Capital Sports Infrastructure funding.  All of these funding streams are very important in delivering our grassroots programmes around the country and improving our football infrastructure.

“We have been working hard to ensure that all of our stakeholders are informed of developments and our dedicated staff have continued to deliver programmes. Whilst our sponsors have been very supportive, for which we thank them, the majority have an expectation that the recommendations contained in the Report will be implemented.  Sponsorship income is a very important funding stream for the Association.

“The Board would ask you to support the Report as it heralds a new start for the FAI in leading governance reform and will give all of our stakeholders confidence in the FAI going forward.”

Regarding the 2018 accounts, the President wrote: “Given the well-publicised issues that have arisen over the last number of months and the investigations that are ongoing, it will not be possible to present the 2018 accounts to the members at the AGM.

“It is therefore necessary that this element of the business of the AGM be adjourned until such time as the accounts are finalised, and the audited accounts can be laid before the members.”

The FAI will present the Governance Review Group report at a series of workshops across the country ahead of the EGM on July 20th at a venue to be confirmed. The AGM will be hosted at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, County Meath on July 27th.

Alan O’Sullivan converted two second half penalties to seal the three points after Cillian Duffy had netted the equaliser in a pulsating game in 28-degree heat.
 
It was the worst possible start for Ireland when Jinhyun Kim struck Kunhee Lee’s cutback first time to give South Korea the advantage. Ireland were struggling to gain any sort of a foothold in the game in the opening half-hour and were finding it difficult to maintain possession.
 
The game’s big talking point came 36 minutes in when Lee fouled Joe Manley. As Lee walked away from the incident, Maurice Nugent approached the referee to remonstrate about the foul. As the two players passed, Lee pushed Nugent away before swiping at the NUI Galway defender’s face and the South Korean was shown a red card. Nugent wouldn’t see out the half due to the injury suffered.
 
The extra man spurred the Irish on in the second half and they should have equalised shortly after the break. Anthony McAlavey’s volley was tipped onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Seoungjun Min and the ball fell to O’Sullivan, with the goal at his mercy, but he blazed his opportunity over the bar.
 
Ireland finally made the breakthrough when McAlavey picked out substitute Sean Trimble bursting down the right flank. Trimble’s cross was met by the onrushing Cillian Duffy who headed home the equaliser.
 
Moments later, the referee was pointing to the penalty spot. Ronan Young pinched the ball from the South Korean midfielder and fed the ball into the box. As the ball pinballed around the box, O’Sullivan got himself first to the ball as the goalscorer Kim tried to clear and followed through on the Ireland captain. O’Sullivan would dust himself off and his kick went beyond the goalkeeper into the bottom right to make it 2-1.
 
The referee was pointing to the spot again with eleven minutes remaining when O’Sullivan ran on to Duffy’s flick on and was bundled over by Min. This time Min dived early and O’Sullivan cooly knocked the ball into the centre of the goal for 3-1
 
A dramatic finale was in store as Korea as Hyeonwoo Kim broke away from a corner and the ball was fed across to Ho Kim who tapped the ball in at the back post. It was a nervy final couple of seconds for Ireland as the final play of the game was a Korea corner which skidded wickedly across the Irish box and away to signal the final whistle and a sigh of relief for Greg Yelverton's side.
 
It's a quick turnaround for the Boys in Green as they face Uruguay in their final group game Sunday evening in Caserta.

Ireland: Coffey (GK), Nugent (Trimble 44’), Manley, Slevin, Young, McAlavey, Kelly, Hurley (Quinn 72’), Daly-Butz (McSweeney HT), O’Sullivan (Falvey 88’), Duffy.

Referee: Kevin Ortega (Peru)

2019 FISU Summer Universiade Men's Football - Group A Result

Ireland 3-2 South Korea

2019 FISU Summer Universiade Men's Football - Group A Fixture

07/07: Ireland v Uruguay, Stadio Pinto, 6pm (5pm Irish Time)

Alan O’Sullivan netted the crucial Ireland goal after 20 minutes that sets up a clash with Russia on tomorrow back in Caserta.

Ireland knew before kick-off that only a defeat by two goals or more would see them eliminated from the competition and contained possession for the South American side within their own half for most of the game.

The opening goal came when a chipped ball by Rob Slevin was flicked behind by the Uruguayan midfielder. The ball fell to O’Sullivan who held off the challenges of two defenders and powered past them to net his third goal of the tournament, his 10th goal in the Universiade.

Ireland’s lead did not last for long however when Martin Oppenheimer got the wrong side of Sean Trimble and the DCU student tripped the attacker as he drove into the box. Referee Rohit Saggi pointed to the spot and Santiago Pallares coolly dispatch the penalty.

The second half followed a similar path with the Irish happy to allow Uruguay to keep the ball in their own half whilst trying to catch them on the counterattack. They went close on a number of occasions with substitute Cillian Duffy striking the post with a curling effort, and Simon Falvey also had a great opportunity to regain the lead when he beat the offside trap and tried to lift the ball over Ferreria in the Uruguayan goal, however the goalkeeper was alive to the situation and knocked the ball away.

Uruguay began to throw bodies forward as they tried to keep their tournament hopes alive and paid the price when their captain Bonaudi was shown a straight red card for body checking Falvey as the UCC striker looked through on goal.

It’s an exit from the competition for Uruguay while Ireland will lock horns with European opposition in Russia who they last met in the opening game of the 2013 Universiade when the Irish defeated them 2-1 in Kazan.

Ireland: Coffey (GK), Nugent, Manley, Slevin, Trimble (Duffy HT), Young (Noack Hofmann 73), McAlavey, Kelly, Hollywood (Quinn 70), McSweeney, O’Sullivan (Falvey 65)

Referee: Rohit Saggi (Norway)

 16 teams took part in the competition and were a mixture of mainstream and special needs children who blended together to compete through the rounds which saw Mexico eventually lift the cup.

The brainchild of former DDSL Vice Chairman Mick Kennedy (now Director of Football at Knocklyon United), this event saw Knocklyon team up with Knocklions Special Olympics to create this wonderful inclusive Football For All event.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone and Shamrock Rovers star Dylan Watts presented the trophy and medals on the day. 

Clubs from Cabinteely FC, Down Syndrome Dublin, Dundrum Special Olympics, Hartstown Huntstown FC, Knocklyon United, Knocklions Special Olympics, Leicester Celtic, Lourdes Celtic, Malahide United, Sacred Hearts, Spectrum Kids Fitness and Terenure Rangers all took part in the competition.

Under the new proposals, the President and Vice-President of the FAI will be elected at the AGM rather than at a special Council meeting following the AGM as in the past.

The President and Vice-President will serve on the Interim Board for 12 months. The rule changes needed to implement the GRG recommendation regarding the election of the President and Vice-President will be voted on at an EGM on July 20th.

Nominations must be received by registered post by July 12th. All nominees for President and Vice-President must outline their credentials for the post as per the recommendations of the report from the Governance Review Group, set-up in partnership with Sport Ireland.

Nominees are asked to outline their skillset in the areas of football administration, finance, legal, governance, risk management, board experience, business management and HR. Nominees for the posts of President and Vice-President under the proposed voting structure must be serving members of Council and have served a minimum of two years on Council.

Under the GRG recommendations, the successful Presidential candidate will not chair the newly constituted Interim Board of the FAI. The GRG report also recommends that the President and Vice-President should come from different constituencies of the Association, and that all Interim Board members should have a mix of skills and competencies as set out in the nomination form.

In the letter sent to AGM members, General Manager Noel Mooney writes: “I am writing to you in advance of our AGM on the 27th July to invite nominations for the positions of President and Vice-President of the Football Association of Ireland.

“As you will be aware, following recommendations outlined in the Governance Review Group Report (the “Report”), there will be an EGM on the 20th July next to vote on proposed new rules which will include an amendment to the way in which members elect the President and Vice President of the Association.

"As per recommendation 59 of the Report it is proposed that such elections take place at the Association’s AGM.

“Given the commitment of the current President and Vice President to step down on 27th July, it will be necessary to hold elections for these positions on 27th July. You are therefore invited to submit nominations by close of business on 12th July next.”

The letter from the General Manager also outlines how the President and Vice-President will be elected if the rule changes recommended in the GRG Report are not passed.

Should members not vote in favour of the proposed rule changes on the 20th July or the subsequent constitution changes on the 27th July, then elections for these positions will be held in accordance with the current rules of the Association, which provide that these elections be held at a Council meeting.

If required, the election will take place at a special meeting of Council which will be held directly after the AGM on 27th July. In order to be eligible under the current rules, a nominee must have been a member of Council for at least three years, which service need not necessarily have been consecutive.

Representatives from both local and national publications have been nominated for the Awards, with the winners being announced later this month at the FAI Delegates Dinner in Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath.

Best Feature

• Eoghan Cormican (Irish Examiner) - Nathalie O'Brien: 'No deaf person should feel they are held back'
• Aaron Gallagher (The42.ie) - ‘I thought I was going to die. It was so peaceful and there was no pain. I could've fell asleep and never woke up again’
• Larry Ryan (Irish Examiner) - 'If we’re doing this for the boys, we should be doing it for the girls'

Best Digital Initiative 

• Raf Diallo (Off The Ball) - Inside Ireland's U15s - Ireland's youngest team
• Gavin McLaughlin (Dundalk Sport) - Dundalk FC - Chasing Doubles
• Eoin Luc O'Ceallaigh (The42.ie) - Humans of the LOI

Best Publication

• Dundalk Sport - Taking Back The Throne
• Kerry's Eye - 2018 Victory Shield Programme

Best Photograph

• Steve Alfred - Bicycle
• Steve Alfred - Celebrations
• Michael P Ryan - Teamtalk 

The winners of all four categories will be announced on Friday, July 26.

The FAI worked with Ashbourne United on a pilot club/school link programme las year in a bid to help the club and schools can work together to promote the game in local communities.

FAI Development Officers (including Meath DO Barry Ferguson) trained the TY students from Ashbourne Community School on a PDP 1, while they also received their Safeguarding 1 course credentials.

As a result of the qualifications, the club coaches and the TY students now coach on a weekly basis in a number of local Primary Schools as part of the TY work experience module.

Pupils from St Declan's NS, St. Mary's NS and Gaelscoil Na Cille NS all get training from the coaches, some of whom went to the schools previously as pupils.

Speaking in Ashbourne, club Chairman Dermot Lambe said; "This project has enabled us to get kids at both ends of their soccer career. It's enabled us to get younger kids in playing soccer right from a very early age in third, fourth, fifth and sixth class."

Mark Scanlon, FAI Schools National Coordinator feels the progamme in Ashbourne can be developed throughout the country.

"By developing a programme like this, where the local Transititon Year students are helping out coaching in the local primary school, it means we can bring a lot more coaching programmes to primary schools and obviously it also gives the TY students a great chance to get some work experience, to get involved in coaching, and the added bonus with this programme then is the fact that it's linked into the club so it completes the whole community aspect that we're looking for."

The draw, which was at the Aviva Stadium, was completed by Republic of Ireland U-21 manager Stephen Kenny and Garrett Brennan, Extra.ie Editor.

Before the draw, it was announced that Extra.ie are the new title sponsors of the competition. Extra.ie features news reports, sport, business and entertainment articles and is one of Ireland's leading digital platforms and will be the sponsor of the competition for the next two years.

"We're delighted to announce extra.ie as our new title sponsors of the FAI Cup," said FAI Competitions Director Fran Gavin.

"This is an exciting sponsorship for the competition and we look forward to working with extra.ie to help bring this fantastic tournament to new levels in 2019.

"I'd like to thank Paul Henderson at DMG Media for his support and all of the staff at extra.ie as we look to build on last year's success where we saw over 30,000 supporters at the Aviva Stadium for the final."

Garrett Brennan, Extra.ie editor: "As the first digital sponsor of such a prestigious tournament, Extra.ie will look to keep the Extra.ie FAI Cup at the forefront of Irish soccer throughout 2019, covering all the ups and downs of this historic competition on the road to the Aviva Stadium in November.

"From the players and managers, right down to the die-hard fans, we will be looking to keep the cup to alive before, during and after the 90 minutes of action, through our website and social media platforms."

Holders Dundalk are set to travel to Cobh Ramblers whilst Cork City face a tough test away to First Division side Cabinteely. Finn Harps face a difficult test at Shamrock Rovers whilst Premier Division side Waterford will travel to non-league side Maynooth University Town.

There will be a Midlands derby as Athlone Town travel to Longford Town with First Division side Bray Wanderers set to travel to Richmond Park to face St. Patrick's Athletic, with the full draw below.

Extra.ie FAI Cup First Round Draw

UCD v Letterkenny Rovers
Shamrock Rovers v Finn Harps
St. Patrick's Athletic v Bray Wanderers
Cobh Wanderers v Limerick
Maynooth University Town v Waterford
Lucan United v Killester Donnycarney
Bohemians v Shelbourne
Cabinteely v Cork City
Cobh Ramblers v Dundalk
Crumlin United v Malahide United
Collinstown v Galway United
Longford Town v Athlone Town
Glebe North v Sligo Rovers
Derry City v Wexford
St. Michael's v Glengad United
Drogheda United v Avondale United

Fixtures to be played the weekend ending Sunday, August 11

Captain Gary Messett and Cherry Orchard’s Dillon Sheridan netted a hat-trick each with Oisin Merritt, Aaron Tier, Ryan Nolan and a Finnish own goal rounding up an impressive victory for Paul Breen’s side.

Ireland were three goals up by half time with Messett getting two and Rathmichael FC’s Ryan Nolan finding the target. Knowing that goal difference could be a factor to seal qualification from the group, Ireland went on the hunt for more goals and they did so in devastating fashion. Dillon Sheridan hit a second-half hat-trick as they scored a further seven to open their World Cup campaign in style. 

Next up for the Boys in Green is one of the tournament favourites Iran and head coach Paul Breen warned his side will face a much different test. He said: “I’m delighted with the win and I’m pleased with some of the football that we played. Gary (Messett) was central to our creativity and that allowed others to go on and score. 

“This is a very tight group and it could come down to the USA game on Friday and so the players were fully aware that goal difference could be a factor. There was no let-up in the second half from the lads and it’s the best possible way to start a World Cup.

“Iran are a very strong team and it will be a totally different challenge to Finland. We know that and it’s down to us to go out there and show what we can do.”

Republic of Ireland: Mark Barry (GK), Darragh Byrne, Carl McKee, Gary Messett (C) James Naughton, Ryan Nolan, Oisin Merritt.
Substitutes: Joe Markey, Alan Moore, Dillon Sheridan, Sam Carroll, Darragh Ruane, Josh Treacy, Aaron Tier

Finland: Janne Helander (GK), Heikki Rantala, Johannes Silkonen (C), Mikael Jukarainen, Aleksi Asikainen, Simo Mykkanen, Ville Kuronen.
Substitutes: Timo Halmesmaki, Antti Hovi, Juho Ovaska, Bulcsu Szekely, Nico Savolainen

IFCPF World Cup result
Ireland 10 v 0 Finland 

Fixtures
10/07/2019: Iran v Ireland (10am Irish time), Seville
12/07/2019: Ireland v USA (6.10pm Irish time), Seville
13 - 14/07/2019: Quarter Final, Seville
16/07/2019: Semi Final, Seville
18/07/2019: 16th – 10thplace play-offs, Seville
19/07/2019: Final/3rd to 8thplace play off, Seville

Republic of Ireland CP squad:
Goalkeeper: Mark Barry (Raheny United)
Defenders: Joseph Markey (Carrick Rovers), Darragh Byrne (Home Farm), Darragh Ruane (Mervue United), Joshua Treacy (Celbridge Town)
Midfielders: Gary Messett (C) (Arklow Town), Ryan Nolan (Rathmichael FC), Oisin Merritt (Ballybofey United), Carl McKee (Swords Manor), Alan Moore (Oldcastle United)
Forwards: Dillon Sheridan (Cherry Orchard), Aaron Tier (Geraldines FC), James Naughton (Unattached), Sam Carroll (Ardmore Rovers).

After the game finished 0-0, goalkeeper Amanda McQuillan was the hero as she scored the first penalty and saved the third Chinese penalty from Ruonun Yin. Eleanor Ryan Doyle  stepped up and netted the subsequent spot kick to send Ireland to their first semi-final of the Universiade since 2007 and only the second time the team has reached that stage. 

The one guarantee that the team will have is that they will play a match for a medal with the first three teams honoured.
 
Dave Connell made no changes to his lineup from the victories over Brazil and South Korea and Ireland started off with plenty of possession as China set up deep in their own half for the opening 45 minutes. There were very little opportunities for either team as Ireland struggled to break down the Chinese defence and the Asian side offered little on the counter attack.
 
The second half sprung to life early on when McQuillan was forced into action to make a smart save from Xi Xiong. Once the game settled back in, normal service resumed with China blocking any Irish attempt to break through the lines as Ireland enjoyed 73 per cent possession.

Jess Gargan almost broke the deadlock when her inswinging corner struck the near post and spun across goal. Eleanor Ryan Doyle hit the crossbar with a header but the ball wouldn’t bounce back for the TU Dublin striker and the danger was cleared. Ryan Doyle would have the last chance of the game but to her frustration her free kick on the edge of the box sailed over the bar.
 
Penalties ensued and McQuillan stepped up first and convincingly netted. Yingying Yang  of China saw her spot kick go over the bar. Smyth-Lynch and Lynn Craven converted their attempts either side of Shueyue Chen’s successful penalty. Yin was China’s third taker and McQuillan stayed big and got across her line to block the attempt allowing Ryan Doyle to go forward and set up a semi-final against either Italy or North Korea
 
Ireland: McQuillan, Dwyer, Fox, Doyle, Mustaki, Farrelly, Kelly (McGuinness 85), Gargan (Craven 87), Smyth-Lynch, Meaney, Ryan Doyle.
 
Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)

Ireland will travel to California to take on Jill Ellis’ side at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, August 3.

The game will take place at 7pm local time (3am Irish time) and will be the USA’s first match on home soil after winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France on Sunday.

It will be just the third time that the USA Women’s National Team has played at the famous Rose Bowl.

On Sunday, the USA became just the second team to retain the Women’s World Cup trophy in a 2-0 win over the Netherlands.

Ireland captain Katie McCabe said: “It's a great opportunity for us to be asked to go over to play the USA. It will be great preparation for us to test ourselves against the best in the world ahead of our European Championships campaign. Also, it will be good to get the squad back together after not having seen each other in a while. It will all help towards getting us ready for the game on September 3rd.”

FAI General Manager Noel Mooney said the game will be a great test for the Irish players ahead of their UEFA European Championship qualifiers which kick-off in September.

Mooney said: “To play the greatest team in Women’s international football in the Rose Bowl in front of a huge crowd is going to be a great test for our team but we have confidence that Ireland can compete well and hopefully dampen the party mood there a little with a big performance and result. We may or may not have our new manager in place but we believe that this will be a great experience for the squad and they will do themselves proud.

“We are really looking forward to the European Championships Qualifiers kicking off in Tallaght against Montenegro on the 3rd of September. Playing the USA, back-to-back FIFA World Cup winners is quite a game for us and will hopefully be a help in our aim of competing ourselves in the UEFA European Championships in England in 2021.”

Tickets for the game go on general sale on Saturday, July 13, at 10am Pacific Time (6pm Irish time) through ussoccer.com.

The successful applicant will be tasked with leading the team to qualification for the UEFA 2021 European Championships finals in England and improving Ireland’s position in the UEFA and FIFA rankings. Also, they will be an established manager with a successful track record in football.

FAI General Manager Noel Mooney said: “We are determined to give our team the very best chance of qualifying for the UEFA European Championships in 2021, which take place on our doorstep in England. 

"This is a key leadership position within the FAI and Irish football. It is crucial for us is to recruit the right person to lead our Women’s Senior International Team to unprecedented success, while playing a significant role in the ongoing development of our elite International players and the education of elite coaches.

"We've made significant progress with the WNT and we're eager to continue that as we look to qualify for a major international tournament for the first time, starting with the qualifier against Montenegro at Tallaght Stadium in September."

More details on the job are available via the careers page on the FAI website here with a closing date for receipt of applications at noon on Wednesday, July 17 2019.

Interviews are expected to commence on the week beginning Monday July, 22 2019.

FAI President Donal Conway, Governance Review Group Chair Aidan Horan and others presented to local stakeholders in the football family the report, which includes 78 recommendations to improve Governance at the Football Association of Ireland.

It is the first of a number of stops for the roadshow ahead of the AGM on Saturday, July 27 and FAI TV spoke to President Donal Conway and Governance Review Group Chair Aidan Horan at the event.

Watch the video on FAI TV now...