The youngsters from Patrician High School, Monaghan (Boys) and Scoil Mhuire Buncrana (Girls) will both carry the hopes of an Ulster victory into the National Finals on Thursday, December 5 in the WIT Arena, Waterford.

There was great excitement in the air as the winners of Donegal, Inishowen, Monaghan and Cavan regions, descended upon the Letterkenny venue to compete for provincial honours.

Two schools had their boys and girls teams lining out which was a fantastic achievement for Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana and Royal School, Cavan.

In the boys section, there was a tightly contested battle among Patrician High School Monaghan, Royal School Cavan, St. Eunan’s College, Letterkenny, and Scoil Mhuire Buncrana, setting high expectations of one another to advance to the day’s final.

The group decider was claimed by Patrician High School, who defeated Donegal representatives, St. Eunan’s College to the joy and celebration of the players.

St. Eunan’s had battled back after a slow start to take the runners-up spot in the group. Royal School, Cavan clinched third place and Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana finished in fourth position.

In the girl’s section, there was no shortage of talent with St. Louis Secondary School, Monaghan, Royal School Cavan, Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana and local outfit Loreto, Letterkenny all in the hunt for silverware.

The tournament was extremely entertaining in this division. It went down to the last game to decide the victorious school.

Scoil Mhuire Buncrana were in devastating form in their opening games and that continued with a 4-2 win against Royal School, Cavan in final game. If the Cavan girls claimed the victory it would have meant a three way tie for top spot.

In the end the runners up position was filled by Loreto Convent, Letterkenny, Royal School, Cavan had to settle for third place and St. Louis Secondary School, Monaghan finished in fourth.

All eight teams who took part on the day represented their school with pride as Schools Futsal continues to grow and thrive across Ulster.

Boys Results
St. Eunan's, Letterkenny 4-6 Patrician High School, Carrickmacross
Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana 2-2 Royal School, Cavan
St. Eunan's, Letterkenny 2-1 Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana
Patrician High School, Carrickmacross 4-3 Royal School, Cavan
St. Eunan's, Letterkenny 5-5 Royal School, Cavan
Patrician High School, Carrickmacross 3-1 Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana

Girls Results
Royal School, Cavan 2-3 Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny
St. Louis Secondary School, Monaghan 0-4 Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana
Royal School, Cavan 3-1 St. Louis Secondary School, Monaghan
Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny 2-4 Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana
Royal School, Cavan 2-4 Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana
Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny 5-1 St. Louis Secondary School, Monaghan

FAI Post Primary Schools First Year Futsal Dates
National Finals - Waterford IT Arena - December 5, 2019

Chelsea’s Thierno Ballo gave Austria the lead before Junior Chikwubuike Adamu made it two on 77 minutes.
 
Ireland ended the match with nine men after Barry Coffey and Adam O’Reilly were shown straight reds by referee Kirill Levnikov.
 
Ireland went into the game knowing a 1-0 win could have been enough for qualification. The first half was an even affair with both sides tussling for possession. Ireland were composed on the ball and looked to use the pace of their forward line to cause the hosts problems.
 
But it was Austria who took the lead on 26 minutes. Ballo saw his effort blocked by the Irish defence. To his fortune the ball found its way back to the midfielder who made no mistake in finding the net with his second attempt.
 
From that point Ireland took control of the game with Noss and Coffey orchestrating the play from the midfield. 
 
Austria had a glorious chance to make it two when a speculative effort was drove towards goal. Marlon Mustapha, who appeared to be offside, managed to steer it first time to Ivan Šarčević who somehow scooped his shot over the bar.
 
Then on 42 minutes it got worse for Ireland when Coffey was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Adamu. From the resulting free-kick Mustapha headed onto the bar before the danger was cleared.
 
After the break it was Ireland who started the stronger of the two sides. With Switzerland beating Gibraltar in the other group game Mohan’s team had to score at least three to progress. Wright had an effort on the hour mark but he couldn’t find the finish and his attempt went harmlessly wide.
 
On 65 minutes they found themselves down to nine men when O’Reilly was shown a red when he was on the end of rugby type tackle on the halfway line and retaliated. It presented Ireland with a huge task and they looked to get back in the game as they sought to attack at every opportunity.
 
However, Austria doubled their lead when Adamu found space in the 18-yard box to place it past Jimmy Corcoran.
 
They were given a glimmer of hope when Switzerland were reduced to 10 men after Patrick Wimmer received a second yellow but it wasn’t to be for Ireland who finished third in Group 10 and miss out on the next stage of qualifiers.

Speaking about the loss Republic of Ireland Under-19 Head Coach Tom Mohan said: "Ill discipline has cost us today. Perhaps, with so much riding on the games, players are losing their heads in the heat of the battle. At this level you have to keep your composure and that wasn't the case.

"Austria are a very good team and I felt we contained them for large parts of the game. The first goal came as a sucker-punch and even with 10 men, we still tried to play and create. My team gave me everything - they never stopped - but it wasn't to be our day."

Mohan also looked back on the tournament and the progress the Under-19 side has made throughout 2019. He added: "The result is still raw and it has been a rollercoaster year but let's not lose sight of the bigger picture and what has been accomplished.

"We have six players eligible for the Under-19s in the Under-21s side as well as Troy Parrott at senior level. This is excellent to see and shows you the strides being made at underage level in Ireland."

Ireland: Corcoran (GK), McGuinness, McEntee (Richards 90)  Omobamidele, Ogungbo; Coffey, O’Reilly, Noss (Sobowale 82); Ebosele (Gilbert 90),Wright (Tierney 81), Cassidy (Oko-Flex 70).
 
Austria: Maric (GK), Schofl, Aigner, Affengruber, Wimmer; Šarčević (Daniliuc 46), Velimirovic (Hahn 67) Prass, Mustapha (Steiger 46), Adamu (Abdijanovic
90) Ballo (Berger 26)
 
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (Russia)
 

Goals from Shamrock Rovers’ Kevin Zefi and Cork City defender Cathal Heffernan secured the victory for Jason Donohue’s side on a chilly night in Galway.
 
In the first of a double-header between the two teams, it was the hosts who started the better. Captain James McManus came close to breaking the deadlock for Ireland but it was a Zefi wonder goal on 32 minutes that opened the scoring. 
 
The forward collected the ball inside his own half and played a one-two with Caden McLaughlin. Zefi closed in on the angle of the area, skipped past a defender, feinted to shoot to beat another then cooly rolled the ball past Jan Sobczuk in the Polish goal
 
The start to the second half was a much tighter affair with Poland sitting deep and looking to press Ireland.
 
But on the 50th minute came what proved to be the winning goal. Luke O’Brien’s inswinging free-kick wasn’t cleared properly by the Polish defence. Sam Curtis headed the ball back across goal for Heffernan to nod in from close range.
 
The two-goal cushion only lasted two minutes when the visitors struck back through Marcel Szymanski to make the contest a much nervier affair.
 
Alex Nolan of Cabinteely and Rocco Vata of Celtic were introduced later on in the game for their international debuts but the home side managed to see out the contest to record their fourth win in four games.
 
Ireland: Walsh; O’Brien, Curtis, Heffernan, Cowper Gray; Ferizaj (Nolan 64), McManus (C) (Barrett 69), Murphy (Vata 64); Zefi, McLaughlin (Nugent 64), Tetteh (Whitmarsh-O’Brien 52).
 
Fixture 
Thursday, November 21: Ireland v Poland, KO 12pm, Eamonn Deacy Park, Galway United
 

Second-half goals from Lee O'Connor, Adam Idah, Troy Parrott and Zack Elbouzedi saw Stephen Kenny's side secure an important three points to see the side top of Group One on 16 points; a record points total for an Ireland U-21s side.

In truth, Ireland struggled through the first 45 minutes and found themselves behind in the 18th minute. Viktor Gyökeres took the ball down on the left and turned inside to find the bottom corner with a sublime finish, the first goal Ireland conceded at home during this campaign.

The home side only mustered one chance of note before the break. Gavin Bazunu's clearance found Parrott on the left and after he glided past Anel Ahmedhodzic, his cross found Idah but the shot found the side netting.

Kenny made a double substitution at the break as Liam Scales and Connor Ronan were introduced. It sparked Ireland into life and four minutes into the second-half, they were level. Idah found space on the right and his cross found the onrushing Lee O'Connor to sweep the ball home.

Ireland continued their dominance as Elbouzedi's cross almost found Idah in the 60th minute, but he couldn't quite reach the ball. Four minutes later, the Norwich City man had his goal.

Once again, Elbouzedi's wing-play produced the goods as his low cross was powered home by Idah from 12 yards out. Ireland showed no signs of stopping the second-half rout and next, Parrott got in on the act.

In the 74th minute, Ronan capped an incredible game-changing performance with a fantastic lofted-ball to find Parrott and he found the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Three minutes from time, Ireland scored their final goal of the game as Elbouzedi scored the goal his industrious play deserved. Ronan drifted down the left and crossed across the six-yard box to hand Elbouzedi a simple tap-in to seal the victory.

"It was an incredible second-half performance and the team deserves a huge amount of credit," said U-21 boss Stephen Kenny.

"The way we responded after the break was fantastic to see and I'm delighted the players got their reward for fantastic team performance. It was a fantastic camp with six points across the two games."

Republic of Ireland: Gavin Bazunu (GK), Lee O'Connor, Conor Masterson (Liam Scales 46), Nathan Collins, Conor Coventry, Zack Elbouzedi, Jayson Molumby (C) (Connor Ronan 46), Adam Idah (Aidan Keena 89), Jason Knight (Jack Taylor 89), Troy Parrott (Gavin Kilkenny 86), Thomas O'Connor.

Subs not used: Conor Kearns (GK), Daniel Grant, Dan Mandroiu, Danny McNamara.

Referee: Karim Abed (FRA)

Attendance: 2760

Second-half goals from Lee O'Connor, Adam Idah, Troy Parrott and Zack Elbouzedi saw Stephen Kenny's side secure an important three points to see the side top of Group One on 16 points; a record points total for an Ireland U-21s side. 

Watch the full highlights on FAI TV above.

The Kildare side will face UCD in the decider after the Belfield Freshers were also in fine scoring form and managed another goal haul when defeating NUI Galway 5-0.

After their 7-0 quarter final defeat of the University of Limerick the previous day Maynooth were again as ruthless as ever to see off their semi final opponents Queens.

A couple of early goals from Eoin O’Neill and Success Edogun gave Maynooth a perfect start and when James Clarke and O’Neill with his second had stretched the lead by half time they were well on their way to reaching another final.

Josh O’Toole and Callum Worfield added two more minutes after the resumption to more or less seal the win with Lord Afrika’s strike completing another 7-0 victory on the hour.

UCD who had comfortably accounted for DCU with a 6-0 quarter final win found their opponents NUI Galway much tougher opponents in their semi final clash.

The opening half was a tight affair that remained scoreless for over 30 minutes until UCD winger Liam Kerrigan ran on to Harvey O’Brien’s through ball to hold off a couple of Galway defenders and finish with some style into the bottom corner of Michael Garrihy’s goal.

Kerrigan then helped set up the UCD second goal early after the break with a brilliant run and cross from the left that fell to Colm Whelan and when his shot struck the post Aaron McGrath seized on it and to fire past Garrihy.

Minutes later Ciaran Behan turned the ball in from another well delivered Kerrigan cross for a 3-0 lead. Star-man Kerrigan then grabbed his second with 20 minutes remaining and Pierce Redmond with the fifth in the closing minutes wrapped up a comfortable win. 

The Spillane Cup final will be an all Munster affair after UCC accounted for DCU with three goals in the final six minutes to over haul the Dubliner’s.

Second half goals from an Aaron Connolly penalty and Matthew O’Donnell’s strike had put DCU in front after Rory Doyle had given UCC an interval lead.

Only for a Darragh Crowley equaliser and a late brace from Conor Bowdren saw the Cork side through to the final.

University of Limerick will be UCC’s opponents after they saw off Trinity College Dublin 5-3 in their semi final.

Conor Butler had them in front before Jem Campion equalised but Kiernan Barry restored the UL advantage with a goal on the stroke of half time.

Second half efforts from Michael Zalemski, Tom Carney and Chris Coady brought the UL total to five and although Brian Hayes managed to net twice in a late Trinity rally they ran out of time.

RESULTS

RUSTLERS IUFU Harding Cup Semi Finals
NUI Galway 0 UCD 5 (L Kerrigan 2, A McGrath, C Behan, P Redmond)
Queens University Belfast 0 Maynooth University 7 (E O’Neill 2, S Edogun, J Clarke, J O’Toole, C Worfield, L Afrika).

RUSTLERS IUFU Spillane Cup Semi-Finals
UCC 4 (C Bowdren 2, R Doyle, D Crowley) DCU 2 (A Connolly pen, M O’Donnell)
Trinity College Dublin 3 (B Hayes 2, J Campion) University of Limerick 5 (C Butler, K Barry, M Zalewski, T Curney, C Coady).

FIXTURES 
All games at Queens University Dub Sports Grounds Belfast)

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20
RUSTLERS IUFU Harding Cup Final
UCD v Maynooth University, (1.30)

RUSTLERS IUFU Spillane Cup Final
University of Limerick v UCC, (11.0).

Goals from Harvey O’Brien, Tomas O’Connor and Colm Whelan delivered the South Dublin University’s 20th success in the Freshers-only competition. It was the first success for Diarmuid McNally’s side since their 2016 victory over DCU.

Both sides came into the game in a rich vein of form, having won their Quarter Final and Semi-Final’s with ease and neither conceding a goal.

In an open game, both sides had clear-cut chances in the opening half hour with leading marksmen Eoin O’Neill and Colm Whelan both testing their opposite goalkeepers.

The opening goal came with ten minutes left in the second half when Harvey O’Brien wriggled free of defender Josh O’Toole and nodded home Ciaran Behan’s corner.

UCD suffered a blow when the later announced player of the tournament Liam Kerrigan was forced off with a shoulder injury following a mistimed challenge. The damage to UCD’s challenge was minimised when just after play was restarted from the injury when Behan swept in another corner and O’Brien’s centre half partner Tomas O’Connor doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Maynooth had plenty of chances to get themselves back into contention during the second half with O’Neill and Leon Kennedy both forcing some top class saves from UCD’s keeper Cormac Henry.

UCD sealed the victory as the game crept into stoppage time when Whelan played a one-two with Behan and finished past Malachy Doyle to begin the celebrations.

UCD: Henry, McHugh, Kos, O’Brien, O’Connor, Keaney, Kerrigan (Carmody 43’), McGrath, Whelan, O’Connell (Akinsete 39’), Behan

Maynooth University: Doyle, Finnerty (Macken 83’), Pierce (Burke 57’), O’Toole, Maher, Burns, Alamu-Tajudeen, Clarke, O’Neill (O’Sullivan 86’), Edogun (Afrika 86’), Kennedy (Worfield 69’)

Referee: Kieran Coulter (Belfast)

The scholars from Rice College, Westport (Boys) and St. Clare's Comprehensive School, Manorhamilton (Girls) will both carry the hopes of a Connacht victory into the National Finals ‪on Thursday, December 5 in the WIT Arena, Waterford.



There was great excitement in the air as the winners of Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Galway regions, descended upon the Sligo venue to compete for provincial honours.

In the boys section, there was a tightly contested battle among Summerhill College, Sligo, Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, Rice College, Westport, Glenamaddy Community School and St. Clare’s Comprehensive were all setting high expectations of one another to advance to the day’s final.

The Westport side were too strong for the opposition this afternoon and with four wins from four, took the top spot while runners up Coláiste Bhaile Cháir were awarded runners up spot for their endeavours 

In the girl’s section, there was no shortage of talent with Davitt College, Castlebar, St Clare’s Comprehensive School, Manorhamilton, Salerno Secondary School, Salthill, Ursuline College, Sligo and Glenamaddy Community School all in the hunt for silverware.

Another show stopping performance from the Leitrim side, saw the St. Clare’s crew win all four games with Ursuline College claiming runners up with three victories in the group. St. Clare’s victory created a piece of history today as they became the first school from Leitrim to win a Connacht Futsal title. 

All 10 teams who took part on the day represented their school with pride as Schools Futsal continues to grow and thrive across the province.

POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS FUTSAL DATES

Provincial Finals:

Leinster Girls                      November 12                      National Basketball Arena, Tallaght
Leinster Boys                     November 13                      National Basketball Arena, Tallaght
Ulster                                   November 13                      AURA Leisure Centre, Letterkenny
Munster                              November 19                      Waterford IT Sports Arena
Connacht                             November 20                     IT Sligo 

National Final:                   December 5                        Waterford IT Sports Arena

In the boys division, there were six schools battling it out for glory with St. Francis College, Rochestown, Mount Sion CBS, Crescent College Comprehensive, Borrisokane Community College, St. Patrick’s Secondary School, Castleisland and St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point all in contention for the provincial title.

The first fixture between St. Francis College vs Mount Sion CBS proved decisive in the overall table.

To show how tight the overall section was, it was St. Francis College that edged it tie 1-0with the goal coming in the final seconds of the contest, much to the joy and celebration of the Cork players and staff.

The Waterford side, Mount Sion CBS then won each of their next four fixtures and went from strength to strength as the day went on to eventually finish runners up in a highly entertaining and close contest.

The winners, St. Francis College played some fantastic futsal throughout the day and were eventually crowned Munster Champions registering four wins and a draw in their five fixtures.

Similarly, the girls schools that qualified for the provincial decider were St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point, St. Angela’s Ursuline, St. Mary’s High School, Cork, Thomond Community College, Presentation Secondary School, Thurles and St. Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School, Killarney

There was some great futsal displayed from a number of the qualifiers.  

Presentation Secondary School, Thurles got off to a great start by winning their first three games, but St. Brigid’s of Killarney were determined to keep the pressure on as they only lost the one game themselves. However, that was crucially against Presentation Secondary School, Thurles. 

The Thurles side kept their composure to take the title on their head to head with St. Brigid’s as they were level on 12 points apiece.

St. Francis College, Rochestown and Presentation Secondary School, Thurles will progress to the National Finals which will take place in Waterford IT Sports Arena on December 5.

Provincial Finals:
Leinster Girls                      November 12                      National Basketball Arena, Tallaght
Leinster Boys                     November 13                      National Basketball Arena, Tallaght
Ulster                                   November 13                      AURA Leisure Centre, Letterkenny
Munster                              November 19                      Waterford IT Sports Arena
Connacht                             November 20                     IT Sligo 

National Final:                   December 5                        Waterford IT Sports Arena

Jason Donohue's team had previously beaten the same opponent on Tuesday and Kevin Zefi netted his second in successive games after Rocco Vata had opened the scoring.

Ireland fell behind early on when Poland pounced from a corner kick on six minutes but that did not put the boys in green off their rhythm as they continued to play slick, attacking football.

On 44 minutes, the home side had a penalty that was saved by the Polish keeper but Vata was first to react and slotted in from close range to level the scores.

It was from another set-piece that Ireland profited when, on 64 minutes, Zefi found himself in the right place to fire in from around 22 yards out.

Ireland held onto the lead to wrap up a deserved win and complete a worthwhile test against good opposition.

Republic of Ireland: O'Leary; Heffernan, Curtis, Hughes (O'Brien 46), Kelly; O'Brien Whitmarsh (Murphy 47), Vata (Ferizaj 70), Barrett (Tettah 73); Zefi, Nugent (McLoughlin 55), Nolan (McManus 58).

Mick McCarthy's team will have to travel away to take on Slovakia in a Play-Off Semi-Final on March 26, 2020 with that game being decided on the night. The winner will then be away to either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Northern Ireland on March 31, 2020.

With Aviva Stadium set to host four games as part of next summer's main event, McCarthy is fully aware of the supporters' hopes of qualifying for a tournament on home soil.

"Somebody said to me the other day: “You know, Mick, the country’s right behind you, you’ve got to do it for the country”. I thought, “Yes, I know I have”," stated McCarthy.

"Nothing extra could make me want to win a game of football, to be quite honest. That’s for me personally. But for the nation, for Ireland, it does mean a lot more, of course."

Ireland have met Slovakia four times - sharing three draws and claiming one win - but McCarthy admitted that there is plenty of time to get his homework done before they face off again in the Play-Off Semi-Final.

"I haven’t had much time to assess it as yet. It’ll be a difficult game, no doubt. They were in Wales’ group, so I’m sure we’ll be able to get some intel, [some] info on them. We can get it anyway, from our analyst," said McCarthy.

"[It will be a] tough game, people have been saying to me: “You’ll be playing one of the poorer sides, one of the third teams in the group.” Yeah, I said: “Exactly like us, that’s what we were”.

"So I think it’s a level playing field, to be quite honest. With the set-up they’ve got, they’ve got the home tie."

Information regarding tickets and confirmation of venues will be announced in due course.

EURO 2020 Play-Off Semi-Final
March 26: Slovakia v Republic of Ireland

EURO 2020 Play-Off Final
March 31: Bosnia and Herzegovina or Northern Ireland v Slovakia or Republic of Ireland

A trip to play Bosnia and Herzegovina or Northern Ireland awaits the winners in the Path B final.

Ireland now face two matches on the road in their bid to make next summer’s finals when two fixtures are guaranteed at the Aviva Stadium for the Path B winners.

But McCarthy is focused only on the task his team will face in Slovakia next March.

“The only game that matters to us now is Slovakia,” said McCarthy after attending the draw in Nyon on Friday.

“If we win the first game against Slovakia then I will fancy our chances anywhere else. We will have our analysis done on all three teams but our focus is on Slovakia first and getting ready for them in the New Year.

“We know what we have to do, we have to go there and win the game. Home advantage is just that but if we play as well as we did against Denmark then I will settle for that. We set the bar high on Monday night and that is the standard we will have to play at to win two games.”

Ireland fans will have to wait until December 20th for final confirmation of the match venue in Slovakia.

FAI officials met with their Slovakian counterparts in Nyon to discuss the venue and ticket allocation for visiting fans.

An FAI spokesman said: “Slovakia have intimated the game will take place in Bratislava but they have some final checks to make on the ground there before they can confirm it as the venue.

“We have also opened talks with them on the allocation of tickets and will update our fans as soon as we can. We are guaranteed 5 per cent of the tickets but we are negotiating for more.

“Tickets will be allocated to supporters based on away attendance records from the last two campaigns. We will announce the application process as soon as we know our allocation.”

150 coaches from men's and women's teams around the country attended the two-day Conference, which was organised by the FAI's Coach Education Department.

Saturday's sessions began with a presentation from Pauw on her time with the Women's National Team, before Connor brought the coaches on the IT Carlow pitches for a practical session before his spoke to the coaches about Ireland's EURO 2020 campaign so far

The FAI's High Performance Analyst Ger Dunne presented on the video analysis that goes into a campaign, and how international teams can plan for future games.

Under-21 manager Stephen Kenny gave a passionate presentation on his time with the side so far, before Under-18 Head Coach Andy Reid took part in a Q&A session on his coaching philosophy and his playing career.

Day 1 concluded with a presentation from Dundalk manager and Pro Licence student Vinny Perth on his first season in charge of the SSE Airtricity League champions.

Sunday's sessions started with a presentation and practical session from Celtic coach and Pro Licence student Damien Duff. The former Ireland international took the coaches for a practical session and spoke about his coaching career so far.

2019 FAI Club of the Year Colemanstown United gave a presentation on how their coaches work at the Galway club, and how grassroots clubs can improve both on and off the field.

Ireland Under-19 Head Coach Tom Mohan and Under-17 Head Coach Colin O'Brien took part in a Q&A session about their seasons so far and coaching of an international team.

The Conference concluded with a presentation from Alan Irvine. The Scottish manager presented to the crowd on the preparation required of working at a Premier League team. Irvine had previously worked at the likes of Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and West Ham United.

The FAI Club Mark is an award based on best practice in management, operations and administration of your club off the field. The programme aims to support and encourage clubs to improve standards with the result of having stronger clubs and a stronger game.

Mucklagh Soccer Club was established in 2005, and with use of land in Charleville Estate, generously provided by Rev David Hutton Bury and his family, began a proud history of achievement in soccer. Having received Club of the Year Awards from the Midlands Schoolboys/Girls League in 2012 and 2017, the club has also enjoyed much success at both league and National Cup level.

Teams have received ‘Fair Play’ Awards at the Festival of Football in both Scotland and Wales, and girls squads have enjoyed huge success at both club, league and All-Ireland Community Games levels over many years .Club members have recently won FAI National titles in Girls Competition with Killina Secondary School and Mucklagh N.S., and the club are proud to say a former club member has recently been selected for the U17 Women’s National Team

There are 165 members, with 10 teams from U7 to U17 CCFL level. The club provides approximately 12 children in the wider community with a richly beneficial ‘Sports For All’ program, and has a newly established ‘Walking Soccer’ program. A recent partnership with local secondary school, Killina Presentation School, has also greatly enhanced our club.

Mucklagh Schoolboys/Girls Soccer Club would like to extend their gratitude to Gary Seery, the Regional Development Officer for Co Offaly, for his continued support and input to the club, and for facilitating and delivering the coaches education courses to Mucklagh Soccer Club.

The committee, along with coaches and our many volunteers, have worked tirelessly to achieve the criteria and standards required to achieve the FAI Club Mark Award. This is an important step in providing a safe and excellent learning environment for all club members, and Mucklagh Soccer Club will proudly maintain these standards into the future. We look forward to working towards the next stage of the process which is the FAI One Star Award.

If your club is interested in attaining the award or finding out more please complete this short registration form.

Picture courtesy of Ger Rodgers

Officially launched at FAI General Manager Noel Mooney and the Chair of the National Referee Committee Gerard Perry, the plan hopes to see an increase in referees working around Ireland in the coming years.

The Strategic Plan will also introduce a 'Respect the Ref' campaign, while there are plans to appoint Referee Liaison Officers to all affiliated grassroots leagues in Ireland.

“The Referee Strategy was created so that we can build on the foundations established by previous plans and to keep pace with the developments across all football programmes," said Perry.

“We hope to facilitate the recruitment and retention of referees by integrating more with league structures.

“The aim is to recruit, retain, support and develop referees to reach the highest standards and service the needs of the game."

Ger McDermott, FAI Club and League Development Manager, says the Strategic Plan is crucial to the future of refereeing in Ireland.

"The five-year strategy is essential to provide us with a roadmap to ensure we recruit, support and retain the number of referees required to service the needs of the game as we grow participation," said McDermott.

"We must also ensure that all referees are afforded the opportunity to develop to the best of their ability, in line with their ambitions.

"As we implement the strategy, respect for our referees will be integral to everything we do. Our objectives will be achieved through collaborative work between all stakeholders in the game."

FAI General Manager Mooney said: "In implementing this strategy, respect for our referees must be at the heart of everything we do. We all have a responsibility to do what we can to change our existing culture which, in turn, will see our players, referees, coaches, parents and supporters continue to enjoy the beautiful game."

Click here to read the 2020-2025 FAI Referee Strategic Plan

In 2019, over 36,000 kids took part on camps all around the country. Beginners get to learn the fundamental football skills needed to be a player and receive a fun and dynamic introduction to playing the beautiful game. The programme allows coaches the opportunity to put their skills to the test on the most popular youth programme in the country.

Click here to apply. Please fill in the application form and feel free to share it with anyone who would also be interested in coaching on our camps.

The deadline for applications is February 14th 2020.

Please be aware that in order to coach on our camps you must be cleared by Garda Vetting with the FAI, have completed the Safeguarding 1 workshop with the FAI or Sport Ireland and have a minimum coaching licence of PDP1/Kickstart 1 or equivalent.
 

James Scott's team will act as hosts for Group 3 games that will also involve Austria, Denmark and Serbia as the prize of qualifying for the finals tournament in Sweden is put on the line.

The venues for those games will announced in due course, while Scott already knows that his team will travel to Portugal next October to kick off their 2020/21 UEFA Qualifying Round games.

Dave Connell's Women's Under-19s will travel to Czech Republic next April for their Elite Round games, where a spot at the finals tournament in Georgia is up for grabs.

Connell previously guided a Women's Under-19 team to the European Championship semi-finals in 2014 and will be hoping to reach another tournament after beating Ukraine and Montenegro already in qualifying.

For the next season, the Women's Under-19s are scheduled to go to Greece for their Qualifying Round games, with England and Kosovo also in their group.

2019/20 UEFA Women's Under-17 Elite Round
Group 3
Austria, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Serbia

Hosts: Republic of Ireland
Dates: 20-29 March 2020
Match Days: 23rd, 26th, 29th March 2020

2019/20 UEFA Women's Under-19 Elite Round
Group 7
Czech Republic, England, Norway, Republic of Ireland

Hosts: Czech Republic
Dates: 6-14 April 2020
Match Days: 8th, 11th, 14th April 2020

2020/21 UEFA Women's Under-17 Qualifying Round
Group 3
North Macedonia, Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Wales

Hosts: Portugal
Dates: 30 October - 8 November
Match Days: 2nd, 5th, 8th November 2020

2020/21 UEFA Women's Under-19 Qualifying Round
Group 12
England, Greece, Kosovo, Republic of Ireland

Hosts: Greece
Dates: 19-27 October 2020
Match Days: 221st, 24th, 27th October 2020

The competition now in its 12th year has grown steadily with participation at an all-time high. The competition caters for boys and girls in first year.

Competitions commenced in October with schools progressing from County to Provincial levels and now onto the National series.

As part of the FAI Schools development programme, futsal is used as a way of introducing youngsters to the game of football and thus increasing grassroots participation within the sport. Over 5,800 students have taken part in the FAI Schools futsal Initiative inside a three-month period in Post Primary Schools throughout the Republic of Ireland.

The climax of the Post Primary School’s event will see the cream of school’s futsal on display in Waterford next week.

The focus will be on our national talent with eight schools competing for the coveted title of National Futsal Champions for 2019. Schools from Donegal, Wexford, Leitrim and Tipperary will do battle in the Girls section while Monaghan, Cork, Louth and Mayo will all challenge for top spot in the Boys section.

The four finalists in the girl’s category have created wonderful excitement in their respective schools with their progression to the National stage. Scoil Mhuire Secondary School, Buncrana, Presentation Secondary School, Wexford, St. Clare’s Comprehensive School, Manorhamilton and Presentation Secondary School, Thurles are all within striking distance of the silverware.

St. Clare’s Comprehensive in Manorhamilton made history by becoming the first school in Leitrim to be crowned Connacht Champions. The Leitrim students maintained their 100% record in the Connacht Final generating eleven goals, only conceding once. Niamh Gallagher’s charges will be hoping to replicate such form in the National series.

A major milestone for the other competitors, Presentation Secondary School, Wexford as they are the first Girls Champions in the County. They follow in the footsteps of previous Wexford qualifiers, Good Counsel College, New Ross who were runners up in the boy’s division two years ago and Wexford CBS, who experienced the same podium finish 10 years ago. The Wexford aces had a tough battle to qualify out of Leinster with some brilliant opposition in their category. The students managed 12 points out of a maximum fifteen. They won four games, losing out to Coláiste Bhríde, Carnew who looked impressive. The Wicklow team drew 1-1 in their opening game with Eureka Secondary School, Kells but slipped up against Loreto Secondary School, Kilkenny to finish on ten points in the League table.

The Wexford starlets topped the group as a result and went on to play a final against the Dublin Champions as group two winners. Wexford kept their composure to overcome Kishoge Community College of Lucan 2-0 to capture gold. Two of the other qualifiers reached this level some years ago, as then debutants Scoil Mhuire Secondary School, Buncrana won the title in 2015, marking an incredible journey for the Inishowen players. In their Ulster showpiece, the team averaged four goals a game with three wins from three. Can they maintain this record next week will be the big question.

The Thurles institution were in contention in 2011 when they came runners up in a thrilling tie. The girls didn’t have an easy progression in their provincial showing. Both themselves and St. Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School, Killarney were level on twelve points apiece following their five group games. The Thurles girls only won the decider on their head to head when they secured a solitary goal against the Kerry school in an earlier match. Will the experienced gained in the earlier rounds, stand to them next week?

The boys draw will be a closely fought encounter with Rice College, Westport, St. Mary’s Diocesan School, Drogheda, St. Francis College, Rochestown and Patrician High School, Carrickmacross all bidding for glory. Mentors Hobbs and Brett guided the Drogheda outfit to the same stage in 2016 and 2018 with a fourth-place finish on both occasions. The duo will see the return of their Munster rivals who they competed against three years ago.

St. Francis College came second that year while twelve months later they were crowned 2017 National Futsal Champions. A third appearance for both Schools next week.

St. Mary’s impressed in Leinster which sixteen goals scored in their group, only conceding twice. The Drogheda outfit won four out of their five games to book a place in the Leinster Final against Mountmellick Community School. The Louth Champions came out on the right side of a five goal thriller, progressing 3-2 to advance to next week’s finale. The Roco lads seized thirteen points out of a possible fifteen in their Munster exhibition. The Rochestown players dropped points against St. Joseph’s SS, Spanish Point in their final game. Eoin Kelly, Jamie O’Brien and Jimmy Harte will be key to their goal scoring endeavours.

The Cork crew notched up nine goals in five games, only conceding once in that 1-1 draw to the Clare Champions at the end of the day. Carrickmacross scholars Patrician High School made their debut in 2010, coming third on that occasion. They’ve had a long wait to make a return to the topflight and one that they will relish. Their provincial decider saw them secure three wins from three with thirteen goals scored and eight conceded. They’ll need to tighten up in defense if they’re to make a mark next Thursday.

A new venture for Westport side, Rice College but they won’t be phased by the big occasion. The Connacht stars had a fantastic run in their provincial outing as they averaged five goals a game and were undefeated. Last year, it was a Connacht whirlwind of success with St. Attracta’s Community School, Tubbercurry, Sligo (Girls) and St. Louis Community School, Kiltimagh, Mayo (Boys) claiming gold. Previous to that, it was an all Munster affair with Presentation Secondary School, Ballyphehane, Cork (Girls) and St. Francis College, Rochestown, Cork (Boys) reigning supreme. Who will clinch the headlines come Thursday afternoon?

The competition has proven to be very successful at local level and this is evident with the huge numbers of entrants and the sheer quality of futsal being demonstrated. The competition has caught the imagination of everybody involved and should prove highly entertaining for the travelling supporters when the games commence at 1pm.

For further information on the event please contact Diane Fay, FAI Schools on 086 0404 952.

GIRLS SECTION

SCOIL MHUIRE SECONDARY SCHOOL, BUNCRANA | Leah Deehan, Heidi Gill, Aine Jordan, Jodie Loughrey, Ciara McGee, Amy McBride Duncan, Kayla McElaney, Sorcha Doherty, Sarah Marie Duffy, Nicole McDaid
TEACHERS | Davey Hone & Breege Grant

PRESENTATION SECONDARY SCHOOL, WEXFORD | Maeve Kenny, Tara Cullen, Zara Corrigan, Arwen Murphy, Jane Murphy, Aisling Roche, Emma Cullen, Angel Doyle, Eva Corrigan, Ella Crotty
TEACHERS | Michael Doran & Cian Doyle

ST. CLARE’S COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL, MANORHAMILTON, LEITRIM | Katelyn Gilgunn, Lauren Devaney, Emma Fox, Iona Pudney, Eimear Keaney, Áine McLaughlin, Sophie Dalton, Ciara Nolan, Katie Stephenson, Sarah McGagh, Allie White, Erin Chester
TEACHER | Niamh Gallagher COACH | Muireann Devaney

PRESENTATION SECONDAY SCHOOL, THURLES, TIPPERARY | Caitlin Shelly, Emer Dwan, Ciara Shelly, Amy Reddan, Grace Fanagan, Ella Coppinger, Laragh Griffin, Reah Sweeney, Victoria Cantwell, Blathnaid Lloyd, Lucy Callanan, Sarah Byrne
TEACHERS | Barry Ryan & Cian Treacy

BOYS SECTION

ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE, ROCHESTOWN, CORK | Joe Lyons, Matthew Kieran, Eoghan Murphy, Jimmy Harte, Oscar McCarthy, Ronan Dooley, Eoin Kelly, David O’Kelly, Jamie O’Brien, Jayden Adair Bell, Noah Sowinski, Finnán Gallagher
TEACHERS | Stephen Bermingham & David Donovan

RICE COLLEGE, WESTPORT, MAYO | Peter McNally, Cillian McGing, Conor Reynolds, Conor Cannon, Alex Halpin, Andre Ludden, John Murphy, Luke Durkan, Joey Holmes, Conor Ketterick, Tom Lambert, Matthew McNamara
TEACHERS | Brian Flannery & Darragh Connolly

PATRICIAN HIGH SCHOOL, CARRICKMACROSS, MONAGHAN | Dion O’Gorman, Shane Boylan, Luke Povall, Daniel Breen, Adam Mullins, Mark Hanratty, Seán O’Brien, Conor McGeown, Max Ward, Ben Murtagh
COACH | Francis Matthews PRINCIPAL | Patrick Joseph Duffy

ST. MARY'S DIOCESAN SCHOOL, DROGHEDA, LOUTH | Oran Collins, Kyle Morris, Sam Heeney, Leon Luzha, Alex Divine, Paul Galvin, Eamonn Armstrong, Ethan Burke, Andrew Olajide
TEACHERS | Barry Hobbs & Gavin Brett

The two countries will be joined in the group by Spain, who will play their three group games in Bilbao, and the winner of the play-off that includes Republic of Ireland v Slovakia and Bosnia & Herzegovina v Northern Ireland.

The opening game will take place on June 15 where Poland face off against the Play-Off Winner, while the same opponent will meet Sweden on June 19 in the Dublin venue.

Sweden will take play Poland on June 24 before a Last-16 game - between the winner of Group B and the runner-up of Group F - closes out the Aviva Stadium's involvement in the tournament.

EURO 2020 at Aviva Stadium
June 15: Poland v Play-Off Winner Path B
June 19: Sweden v Play-Off Winner Path B
June 24: Sweden v Poland
June 30: Winner Group D v Runner-up Group F