The Irish Defence Forces Soccer team went down 3 -0 against Qatar in their second game of the 2nd CISM Military World Cup in Oman. Ireland had the home advantage in the Al-Seeb Stadium, with a good Irish presence cheering them on from the stand.

Ireland’s new layout had three players coming in with a view to freshen up the team and hold the ball in their half. The recently arrived new striker Portlaoise AFC’s Pte Jody Dillon, (1 Mech Inf Coy) was making his CISM tournament debut.

The game started at pace, with Qatar having a goal ruled offside at the 5-minute mark, the game was being played mostly in the Irish half. Ireland’s first substitution was forced in the 27th minute due to an injury to Pte Craig Wall, 3 Inf Bn (Freebooters), he was replaced by Cpl Michael O’Shea, 1 Bde MP Coy (Cobh Wanderers) in the centre of the pitch. Qatar broke through the wall of Irish players in the 40th minute to go 1-0 up going into the half time break.

Ireland started the second half trying to push out, with a new striker coming on, Tpr Chris Kenny, 1 ACS (Sligo Rovers) for Pte Jody Dillon (9), 1 MIC (Portlaoise AFC) in the 50th minute.

The battle commenced in the Irish half again with Qatar hitting the post on 64 minutes, and a soft penalty claim in the 69th, There were a number of substitutions in the following 10 minutes by both sides, with Ireland bringing on a right midfielder Gnr Ross MacCarthy, 1 Bde Arty Regt (Youghal United), for Pte Sean Gannon, 7 Inf Bn (Dublin Central FC). Qatar also made two substitutes in that period.

More goals were to come from set pieces for Qatar, with their 2nd coming from a corner kick on the 72nd minute and the 3rd goal to finish the game in the 82nd minute. Qatar played out the last 2 minutes of normal time and the 3 added minutes with only 10 men due to a player getting cramp.

In the post-match conference, Irish manager Capt Ian Snee said, “He was proud of his young team, we will assess the USA Vs Mali game later tonight and see where they go from there.”

Ireland need to win their final Group C game against the USA, which is on Saturday 21st January 5pm local (1pm Irish time) in the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium, to try and advance to the quarter final stage.

The CISM Tournament will be broadcasted live on Oman Live and Oman Sport TV Channels, and the tournament has its own dedicated website: http://cismoman2017.om

Team Selection 19th January 2017

1. Cpl Darren Kelly, 2 Bde MP Coy (Cherry Orchard FC)

2. Pte Sean Guerins, 12 Inf Bn (BT Harps)

3. Pte Ricky Fox, 3 Inf Bn (Shamrock Rovers)

4. Pte Mark Horgan, 1 Bde CIS Coy (Avondale)

7. Pte Sean Gannon, 7 Inf Bn (Dublin Central FC)

11. Armn Aidan Friel, No 1 Ops Wing (Longford Town)

13. Pte Craig Shortt, 1 Inf Bn (Birr Town)

6. Pte Shane Dempsey, 3 Inf Bn (Wexford Youths)

20. Gnr David Stack, 1 Bde Arty Regt (Cobh Wanderers)

8. Pte Craig Wall, 3 Inf Bn (Freebooters)

9. Pte Jody Dillon, 1 Mech Inf Coy (Portlaoise AFC)

Subs:

5. Tpr Christopher Kenny, 1 Armd Car Sqn (Sligo Rovers)

10. Cpl Michael O’Shea, 1 Bde MP Coy (Cobh Wanderers)

12. Gnr Ross MacCarthy, 1 Bde Arty Regt (Youghal United)

14. Lt Richard Barber, 27 Inf Bn (St James Gate)

15. Pte Keith Duffy, 28 Inf Bn (Ballina Town)

16. Pte Stephen Whelan, 7 Inf Bn (St Paul’s Artane)

17. Pte Derek Walsh, 7 Inf Bn (Usher Celtic)

18. Cpl David Sweeney, 1 Bde Tpt Coy (Ballincollig FC)

19. Pte Ian Lordan, 12 Inf Bn (Greenwood FC)

23. Lt Kenneth Deegan, Tpt Gp/Sch (Newbridge Town)

The game was the second in three days for Ireland following Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Portugal.

Ireland head coach Dave Connell named an unchanged team from that game as he continues his team’s preparations for April’s crucial European Championships Elite Phase.

The Netherlands proved the perfect test for Connell’s side as they are coming off the back of a semi-final place in the 2016 European Championships.

Similarly to the Girls in Green, Netherlands also came through the qualifying phase for the 2017 edition of the competition with a 100% record, following wins over Turkey, Bulgaria and Moldova. The Dutch also impressively scored 11 goals while shutting their opponents out in all three games.

In a tight first half, Ireland striker Leanne Kiernan went closest to breaking the deadlock. Kiernan’s right footed effort was brilliantly pushed away by Jacinta Weimar in the Dutch goal.

Not to be outdone, Amanda McQuillan came to Ireland’s rescue with a fantastic save to deny Danique Ypema’s half volley from close range.

Ireland continued to press in the second period.  Leanne Kiernan beat the offside trap once again only to be upended on the edge of the area by Kay-Lee de Sanders. Alex Kavanagh struck the resultant free kick inches over the crossbar.

‘It was a fair result overall. I felt we shaded the first half in terms of chances,’ Connell told FAI.ie after the game. ‘They came at us in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half, but we defended very well,’ he continued.

‘There is a nice blend of players in this squad. That is our 5th clean sheet in a row and it is testament to how hard the players are working. All in all, we are happy with how we performed this week and the two results were very good.’

The result ensures a successful trip for Dave Connell’s charges, coming home with a win and a draw in a week that will stand them in good stead ahead of April’s Elite Phase. Next up for the Under-19’s is a double header against the Czech Republic in March.

Netherlands: Jacinta Weimar (GK), Kayleigh van Dooren, Chelsea Kenton, Nance van de Meer, Silvie van der Plas, Nikki Ridder, Mijke Roelfsema, Quinty Sabajo, Kay-Lee de Sanders ©, Cherise Schelts, Danique Ypema.

Substitutes: Lize Kop (GK), Nathalie van den Heuvel, Aniek Nouwen, Nurija van Schoonhoven, Noah Waterham, Sabine Kuilenburg.

Republic of Ireland: Amanda McQuillan (GK), Jamie Finn © (Payne 80), Niamh Farrelly, Chloe Moloney, Niamh Prior, Jess Nolan (Beirne 64), Alex Kavanagh, Lucy McCartan, Roma McLaughlin (Daly 90), Leanne Kiernan, Saoirse Noonan (Ruddy 64). 

Substitutes: Naoisha McAloon (GK), Fiona Donnelly, Sophie Watters, Evelyn Daly, Lynn Craven, Dearbhaile Beirne, Eleanor Ryan Doyle, Tiegan Ruddy, Heather Payne.  

The club was established in 1972 and is represented at all age levels with teams competing in the Cork AUL, Munster Senior League, Cork Ladies League and the Cork Schoolboy/Schoolgirls League.

This was the ninth PDP Workshop delivered in the past five months and 79 coaches attended on the night at Ballea Park.

The club is very enthusiastic for, and supportive of, the FAI Player Development Plan and there was great interaction and discussion on the night. 

Following an indoor presentation by Tom O'Shea on the background and development of the Plan as well as the new Coach Education pathway the coaches then went pitch-side where they saw Ruud Dokter put on a 45 minute practical demonstration of the 5v5 and 7v7 playing formats with players from the club academy. This practical session was very interactive with Ruud also conducting a Q & A with the coaches during the session. 

This was followed by a further presentation on the philosophy behind the plan and the important role played by the coach and the parent when it comes to player development. All in all, a great night with hugely positive feedback from those in attendance. Further Workshops are scheduled during the month of February in Clare, Kilkenny, Wexford and Dublin.

Ireland must try and get the second-place spot, but there are a few variables that need to happen. Already qualified Qatar need to beat Mali, and the Irish have to get a better goal difference to qualify – but it’s possible.

The USA Vs Ireland game will be played in the 30,000 seat Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium on Saturday 21st January at 5pm local time (1pm Irish), with a good crowd expected.

The Irish manager and coaches put their players through light training on Friday morning and took the pressure off the squad by not announcing the team sheet for the final game until hours before kick-off on Saturday.

The CISM Tournament will be broadcast live on Oman Live and Oman Sport TV Channels, and the tournament has its own dedicated website: http://cismoman2017.om

IRELAND'S Defence Forces side exited the CISM World Cup despite a 6-1 win highlighted by an incredibe opening goal in Oman this evening.

In the other game in the group Qatar and Mali played out a scoreless draw so Ireland finish the group in third place with Qatar already qualified with two wins, and Mali going through to the quarter finals on five points.

Despite the disappointment of their exit, the Irish can be proud of their displays in Oman this week and the opening goal from Pte Derek Walsh, 7 Inf Bn (Usher Celtic) was so impressive it could easily go on to become a Puskas Award nominee at the end of the year.

The game started with Ireland going at the USA from the kick-off, with a few shots on target within the first two minutes and were awarded two free kicks from 25 yards in the first five minutes – so we knew goals were coming. Pte Derek Walsh, 7 Inf Bn (Usher Celtic) scored a fabulous goal from play in the 16th minute, and the Irish looked like scoring again, with their new system working.

The USA made a substitution on 32nd minute to try cope with the Irish pressure. Ireland went close again on 44th and 45th minutes but the game broke for halftime at 0-1.

In the second half Pte Ricky Fox, 3 Inf Bn (Shamrock Rovers) scored two goals from the penalty spot, the first on the 50th and second on 58th minute, making it 3 nil. Ireland were on fire.

Pte Walsh, 7 Inf Bn (Usher Celtic) scored his second in the 60th, from here the game was slowing down slightly, everyone was feeling the heat, with water being taken on when play stopped. Pte Craig Shortt, 1 Inf Bn (Birr Town) got Ireland's fifth in the 84th minute, and Ireland had their only lapse in concentration straight after scoring, as they conceded on the 85th with the USA’s only goal. Substitute Pte Sean Gannon, 7 Inf Bn (Dublin Central FC) finished off the scoring on the 90th minute to end the game on a high.

In the post-match press conference, both team managers thanked the host nation Oman for a wonderful tournament and their hospitality. The USA team manager said, “These were two good military teams.”

The Irish team manager Capt Ian Snee thanked his staff and players and especially their families and the travelling supports. He continued. “All my players were fantastic, very disciplined. This tournament is of a huge benefit to my team and staff. We will now look forward to the 3rd CISM World Cup in China in 2019.”

The CISM Tournament will be broadcast live on Oman Live and Oman Sport TV Channels, and the tournament has its own dedicated website: http://cismoman2017.om

Team Selection 21st January 2017

1. Cpl Darren Kelly, 2 Bde MP Coy (Cherry Orchard FC)

2. Pte Sean Guerins, 12 Inf Bn (BT Harps)

4. Pte Mark Horgan, 1 Bde CIS Coy (Avondale)

15. Pte Keith Duffy, 28 Inf Bn (Ballina Town)

11. Armn Aidan Friel, No 1 Ops Wing (Longford Town)

10. Cpl Michael O’Shea, 1 Bde MP Coy (Cobh Wanderers)

13. Pte Craig Shortt, 1 Inf Bn (Birr Town)

3. Pte Ricky Fox, 3 Inf Bn (Shamrock Rovers)

8. Pte Craig Wall, 3 Inf Bn (Freebooters)

5. Tpr Christopher Kenny, 1 Armd Car Sqn (Sligo Rovers)

17. Pte Derek Walsh, 7 Inf Bn (Usher Celtic)

Subs:

20. Gnr David Stack, 1 Bde Arty Regt (Cobh Wanderers)

6. Pte Shane Dempsey, 3 Inf Bn (Wexford Youths)

12. Gnr Ross MacCarthy, 1 Bde Arty Regt (Youghal United)

7. Pte Sean Gannon, 7 Inf Bn (Dublin Central FC)

9. Pte Jody Dillon, 1 Mech Inf Coy (Portlaoise AFC)

14. Lt Richard Barber, 27 Inf Bn (St James Gate)

18. Cpl David Sweeney, 1 Bde Tpt Coy (Ballincollig FC)

19. Pte Ian Lordan, 12 Inf Bn (Greenwood FC)

16. Pte Stephen Whelan, 7 Inf Bn (St Paul’s Artane)

23. Lt Kenneth Deegan, Tpt Gp/Sch (Newbridge Town)

U18 BOYS’ INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

Republic of Ireland 0-2 Australia

Jalloh struck the opening goal just on the hour mark with a neat finish from close in, past the helpless Irish ‘keeper Paul Martin (Presentation De La Salle) after Trevor Ssemakula was allowed to easily get past the home defence.

The second Australia goal arrived ten minutes later and again in a situation similar to the first score, the home defence were slow to react and Jalloh scrambled home from close range after Jake Trew had played him in on goal.

Defeat for the Irish in their first serious outing of the season may be a disappointing start with the Centenary Shield series coming up, but in truth, had their finishing been a bit more clinical they might have earned something from this game.

Winger Neil Farrugia (St. Andrew’s College) had the bulk of their chances and they might have led at the break with Farrugia and Seán McDonald (Clonkeen College) both missing the target on a couple of occasions.

Australia with a lesser percentage of the play in that half rarely threatened apart from Mitch Dobson’s header and a low drive by Ssemakula that was deflected out.

Farrugia and McDonald both went close on the resumption before the Irish were rocked by Jalloh’s two goals in a ten minute spell that quickly turned the game in favour of Australia.

Although the home side showed plenty of effort and manager Paddy O’Reilly rang the changes, the lack of a clinical finisher let them down.

Farrugia came close in a late push, first with a powerful header that was turned out for a corner and later goalkeeper Domenic Nascimbin got down smartly to gather a dipping shot.

On another day Farrugia might have grabbed a couple of goals but it just wasn’t to be and the Irish move on to play Wales in Dublin next month, their opening Centenary Shield fixture scheduled for the same venue on February 16 (KO 7pm).

Before that opener, O’Reilly will have one last look at his provisional select as they take on St. Patrick’s Athletic in a trial game on February 9 in Abbotstown. There are a number of players that didn’t feature yesterday that may still be on the managers radar including Conor Layng (Athlone Community College), Evan Murphy (St. Enda’s College, Salthill), Brian Maher (St. Paul’s College, Raheny), Owen Wall (St. Kieran’s College, Kilkenny), Connor Gormley (Loreto CS, Milford) and Ryan Lambe (Rockwell College, Cashel). It won’t be an easy task to whittle down the squad for the coming season.

The Australian contingency march on. They travel North tomorrow for the match against Northern Ireland Schools set to take place in Seaview on Monday with a 3pm kick off pencilled in. 

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SCHOOLS: Paul Martin (Presentation De La Salle Bagenalstown), Tunmise Sobowale (Mt Sion CBS Waterford), John Mahon (Coola Post Primary School, Sligo), Shane Blaney (St. Eunan’s College, Letterkenny), Darryl Walsh (St. Declan’s Community College), Alec Byrne (Carrigaline Community School), Colm Walsh O’Loghlen (Rice College, Ennis), Ronan Manning (Calasanctius College, Oranmore), Michael Murphy (St. Paul’s College, Raheny), Neil Farrugia (St. Andrew’s College Blackrock); Seán McDonald (Clonkeen College, Blackrock).

SUBS: Neill Byrne (Dunshaughlin Community College) for Walsh O’Loghlen (h-t), Vinny Quinlan (Gorey Community School) - for Murphy (h-t), John Martin (Presentation De La Salle, Bagenalstown) - for Manning (h-t), James Carroll (St. Oliver’s Community College, Drogheda) - for Sobowale (62 mins), Jamie Bell (St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar) - for P Martin (62 mins), Stephen Nolan (St. Aidan’s CBS, Whitehall) - for Byrne (70 mins), Seán McBride ((St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar) - for McDonald (70 mins).

AUSTRALIA SCHOOLS: Domenic Nascimbin; Daniel Blachura; Mitch Dobson, Alex Gollan, Ben Morrison; Nathan Philips, Chris Heckenberg; Trevor Ssemakula, Zac Duncan, Oliver Puflett; Jake Trew.

SUBS: Hassan Jalloh (for Heckenberg h-t), Alex Malfara (for Blachura h-t), Angus Long (for Ssemakula 78 mins), Blake Currey (for Puflett 82 mins), Kieren Strachan (for Duncan 89 mins), Tilmann Stewart, Cooper Banks-Fay.

REFEREE: Mark McEvoy (Dublin)

Centenary Shield 2017 Fixtures

Thursday, February 16        Republic of Ireland vs Wales, Home Farm FC, Whitehall, Dublin

Thursday, March 2               Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland, Belfast

Thursday, April 6                 Scotland vs Republic of Ireland, Stirling Albion

Thursday, April 13                Republic of Ireland vs England, Home Farm FC, Whitehall, Dublin

In what is a repeat of last year's game, SSE Airtricity League Premier Division champions Dundalk will be seeking revenge over Irish Daily Mail FAI Senior Cup winners Cork City, who claimed a 2-0 victory in 2016.

Due to pitch renovations at Oriel Park, the game will be played at Turner's Cross for the second successive year and a big crowd is expected as Friday night domestic football returns for the first time in the new year.

Named in honour of the President of the Republic of Ireland, this annual game enables the two top clubs from the previous season to do battle ahead of the SSE Airtricity League starting on Friday, February 24.

"The excitement ahead of the new SSE Airtricity League season is building and there is no better way to kick things off than seeing two of the best performing clubs from last year compete in the President's Cup," said Fran Gavin, FAI Director of Competitions.

"The new season is highly anticipated with the return of the SSE Airtricity League, Irish Daily Mail FAI Senior Cup, EA SPORTS Cup, as well as our teams entering into UEFA Champions League and Europa League qualifiers. It promises to be another memorable year.

"To get it all started, we have an excellent match-up in the President's Cup, which has become an important competition since being introduced in 2014. Our President, Michael D Higgins, is a fantastic supporter of the domestic game and we are delighted to host this game in his honour."

Tickets for the President's Cup game on Friday, February 17 will be available from the respective clubs.

2017 President's Cup

Dundalk v Cork City
Friday, February 17
Turner's Cross
KO 19:45

The purpose of the workshop was to illustrate best practices in terms of media relations, digital media, and marketing of clubs with case studies from clubs in the UK & Ireland that are impressing in the industry.

The evening began with an overview of the 2016 season’s media output with the FAI’s Communications Executive Kieran Crowley and Digital & Social Media Editor Darragh McGinley showcasing the growth that each of the 20 league clubs achieved digitally during the season. 

A preview was then given to the work being doing in developing the brand new SSE Airtricity League website as well as the promotional plans for the upcoming season.

SPFL club Aberdeen were represented by Communications Consultant Dave Macdermid, and Marketing Executive Scott Gormal, to showcase how the side have increased attendances through organic marketing campaigns while their subscription based online TV channel, Red TV, has acted as a significant revenue generator.

Matt Hudon, Colchester United Media Officer, illustrated how his club has managed to steadily increase home attendances every season for the past four years. This was despite the team only having a 42% home win ratio during that period, including being relegated to the EFL League Two.

Hudon displayed various community initiatives and kids club programmes that ensured crowds at the Colchester Community Stadium continued to engage with the club off the field despite the poor results on it.

Welsh Premier League champions, The New Saints, were the third club to speak at the workshop. Stewart Bloor, Media and Communications Officer spoke in depth regarding the commercial activities his club operates locally and ways in which SSE Airtricity League clubs could potentially run similar ventures.

Galway United’s Media Officer Vinny O’Connor discussed how his club has embraced the digital era and emphasized how the Tribesmen publish certain content to the correct social media channels tailoring for the needs of the specific audience on that platform.

O’Connor impressively showcased Galway’s use of video to promote the club with high quality photography, visual graphics and the clubs 52-page match day programme other notable publications.

David Sneyd from the Irish Daily Mail represented the Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland. Sneyd gave clubs an insight into the media’s point of view and ways in which clubs could alter press releases and communications in a manner in which would see further coverage given to the clubs.

The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that the Republic of Ireland's 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Wales on Friday, March 24 at Aviva Stadium is officially sold out.

The Group D game will see Martin O'Neill's team take on Chris Coleman's UEFA EURO 2016 semi-finalists, in one of the most anticipated international fixtures of the year.

Ireland currently sit top of the group, following three wins and one draw, as they prepare for home qualifiers against Wales (March 24), Austria (June 11), Serbia (September 5) and Moldova (October 6), as well as trips to Georgia (September 2) and Wales (October 9).

Tickets for the home clash with Wales initially went on sale on November 21, 2016 through the DUO Package, which included the 'Three' International Friendly against Iceland on March 28 at Aviva Stadium, with the remainder of tickets released on pre-sale to Season Ticket holders, Supporters Clubs, Club Ireland members, Jack Charlton Lounge patrons, Football Family and Sponsors.

Due to phenomenal demand - particularly around the Wales game - the DUO Package sold out in record time. This followed on the back of a record-breaking year for the FAI Season Tickets with the 2016/17 campaign reaching almost 14,000.

For the last two campaigns, the cost of the FAI Season Ticket did not change and with prices starting at €130 it proved to be incredible value for supporters who want to secure their seat for every Ireland home game.

The 2017/18 FAI Season Ticket campaign will be launched by May, retaining the same number of exclusive offers that includes access to Women's Senior & Men's Under 21 home internationals, discounts off FAI Shop plus various sponsors, Aviva Stadium tour, and priority for tickets.

Also, to clarify on the ticket allocation to Wales supporters, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) reached an agreement with the FAI last November to provide 3,500 tickets for the game in Aviva Stadium. The same number of tickets would then be allocated to the FAI for Ireland supporters travelling to Cardiff in October.

Tickets for the 'Three' International Friendly between Ireland and Iceland on March 28 will be available from February 1 via Ticketmaster.ie 

This third success was a hard earned one as the holders had to survive a first half penalty miss by Jamie Hollywood for Blanchardstown before Niall McCabe struck to grab the vital score in the closing minutes.
Waterford IT and IT Blanchardstown will now go forward into the semi-final draw for the FAI Futsal Cup where the ultimate winners will represent the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Futsal Cup.While Waterford IT will also have the option of entering the European Universities Futsal Cup finals.

Waterford had to work hard in the five team round robin games before managing to reach another final and at one stage they might have missed out to surprise packets DIT.
Goals from Ben Duffy and McCabe got the home side off to a comfortable win over Cork IT in their opener.
Then successive draws against DIT (0-0) and IT Sligo (2-2) saw them drop points in contrast to IT Blanchardstown who became pool leaders after getting off to an impressive start with two wins a draw.
Cormac Breslin kept Waterford in contention for a top two finish and a place in the decider when he netted a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Blanchardstown who went on to top the pool.
Waterford’s place in the final was eventually confirmed when DIT needing at least a 2-0 win could only draw 1-1 with IT Sligo in their final game.
The final proved to be a tight affair Dean Reidy and Breslin were off target with first half chances before Blanchardstown were awarded a penalty but Hollywood smashed his effort off the crossbar.
The home side controlled most of the second half and skipper Ian Sinnott blasted two free kicks wide and Shane Nolan saw his short well saved by Ian Molloy.
The winner came when Breslin broke from defence to run on and set up McCabe who slotted a low drive past Molloy.

WATERFORD IT: Mathew Connor, Ian Sinnott, Ben Duffy, Cormac Breslin, Shane Nolan, Fawza Ishola, Dean Reidy, Graham Byrne, Niall McCabe, Craig Dunphy. Head Coach Paul O’Brien.

IT BLANCHARDSTOWN: Marcin Kowalczyk, Ian Molloy, Karl Byrne, Daniel O’Donovan, Aaron Brazil, Dylan Byrne, Adam Clarke, Jamie Hollywood, Curtis Durnin, Steven Ball. Head Coach Jamie Moore. Assitant Coach Conor Parnell.

Referees: Gerry Behan, Darren Coombes, Alan Patchell.

The 26-year-old has had a meteoric rise through the ranks of refereeing with his progress to the international stage coming after just three seasons on the SSE Airtricity League panel.

Hennessy has been invited to a FIFA Referees seminar in Malaga this weekend to prepare for his elevation to the top tier of the refereeing ladder.

 “This year I’ve been selected for the FIFA Panel of Referees from Ireland. Each country is given a specific number of referees on the panel and I’ve been chosen to be one of those representatives this year," said Hennessy, who has been on the SSE Airtricity League panel since 2013.

“The first step is that you have to go to an introductory course run by UEFA and I’ll be heading to Malaga this weekend for my introductory course. We’ll go through fitness tests, Laws of the Game, different modules from UEFA and FIFA instructors so I’m really looking forward to that."

Hennessy was an official on UEFA WU17 and UEFA U19 tournament games in the past two years and will look to use that experience to his advantage in the year ahead.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be on two UEFA mini-tournaments already, one was the Women’s U17 tournament in Cork and the other was the U19 men’s tournament in Galway last year. They were really good experiences. I got to work with referees and observers from other countries and got to see how they work so it was a really good introduction to what’s required at that level," said Hennessy.

“In your first year as an international referee you generally get an underage tournament, whether that’s U17s or U19s, and then after that it’s how your progress goes. I’m lucky to have been given an opportunity to go to Malaga for a week with the Ireland U19s next month for a tournament which will be another good introduction to what life is like in those tournaments.

“We’ve had referees in the past who’ve done really well at UEFA level such as Damien MacGraith and Alan Kelly and our current crop of international referees are doing quite well in Europe at the moment and I would have been in touch with them prior to getting the badge and prior to attending this course."

The Limerick-based school teacher has refereed in the Clare Schoolboy League and Clare District League. He progressed to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division panel in 2015 and officiated at the U19 League Final between Cork City and Limerick the same year.

“I started refereeing in small sided games when I was 14, I sat the beginners test when I was 15 and then when I was 16 I registered with the FAI. We have local observers who give you advice and instructions to try and improve," he added. 

"After that I was invited onto the School of Excellence which operates under the guidance of Ian Stokes and he does a really good job of helping referees to develop and fulfil their potential. From there you get put on the panel and then you are looked after by the Elite Referees Committee and they’d appoint observers to look at us and run workshops at regional and national level which helps us progress. 

“I work as a teacher in Ardscoil Rís in Limerick. Fortunately the school have been really good to me and are supportive of my refereeing career. It can be difficult to balance that with work, your training and life outside of the game.

“In regards to my aims for 2017, I hope to perform consistently throughout the year and give my best in every game I go into. Everything else is outside of my control."

Current Irish referees on the FIFA International Panel: REFEREES: Neil Doyle, Paul McLaughlin, Paula Brady, Robert Harvey, Robert Hennessy. ASSISTANT REFEREES: Allen Lynch, Emmet Dynan, Wayne McDonnell, Michelle O’Neill, Robert Clarke, Sinead Forde, Dermot Broughton, Mark Gavin, Darren Carey, Darragh Keegan. FUTSAL REFEREES: Simon Rogers, David Berry.

The 3-1 result in favour of the holders was a hard fought victory earned by two fine second half goals from Clare Kinsella and skipper Rachel Graham’s early opener. 

Graham’s sharp finish past Brooke Dunne gave Carlow a dream start but it didn’t last for long as Maynooth struck back with an equaliser from Lauren Kealy.

The second period was a tight affair with few real chances until Graham broke quickly to make ground and play in Kinsella who made no mistake with a low drive.

Emma Byrne had a chance for a Maynooth equaliser but put her shot wide and later Barrett did something similar with a close range free.

Carlow sealed the win in the closing stages when Kinsella rounded off a fine performance by notching a third goal and her sixth of the tournament.

Carlow had earlier suffered a comprehensive 2-0 defeat to Maynooth in the first of their five team pool games with in form Amber Barrett grabbing both goals.

However skipper Graham later named Player of the Tournament rallied her side for the second game against IT Sligo and Kinsella smashed home two goals with Rebecca Horgan netted the other as Carlow got back on track for a top two finish and a place in the final with a 3-1 win.

Two goals from Graham and a Becky Cassin neat finish give Carlow a 3-2 victory over UL to leave them needing a win against UCD in their final pool game to join table toppers Maynooth in the decider.While a draw would send the Belfield side  through.

Kinsella had Carlow in front by the break only for UCD to battled back and draw level with a Claire Walsh effort from her own half.

Carlow pressed for the vital winner and it finally arrived when Graham and Kinsella combined for Kinsella to coolly slot the ball past Jennifer Moore.

Meanwhile DCU retained the Plate helped in no small measure by a fine goal scoring display from Aisling Frawley.

The Dublin side defeated UCC 4-1 in the final with Frawley grabbing two of the goals to bring her overall total in the tournament to 11.

Maynooth University: Brook Dunne, Eimear Lafferty, Emma Byrne, Lauren Kealy, Rachel Smith, Ciara Walsh, Rachel Doyle, Amber Barrett, Cliona Owens, Hannah Flatley. 

IT Carlow: Lauren Dwyer, Amy Walsh, Rebecca Horgan, Becky Cassin, Rachel Graham, Nicole Redmond, Bronagh Kane, Jennifer Ferrari, Niamh Ni Cheallaigh, Aoife Moloney, Hayley Cox, Clare Kinsella.

Referee: Gerry Behan

Noel King's side have been grouped with Germany, Norway, Israel, Azerbaijan and Kosovo. The Kosovans will come to Ireland for the opening fixture in Group 5 on March 25.

The nine qualifying groups for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Italy and San Marino include a record 54 teams and the nine group winners will qualify automatically for the finals. The four runners-up with the best records against teams first, third, fourth and fifth in their group will go into the play-offs and be drawn into two ties to decide the last pair of qualifiers.

"Germany are a torment for any team but when is it ever an easy draw? In the last qualifiers they played ten and won ten. We have played well against them in the past without getting a point but some of our underage teams over the years have got results against them," said King.

"The rest of the teams in the group are no mugs. Norway are a huge challenge, Israel are an excellent side and Azerbaijan beat Russia 3-0 in the last competition. Kosovo are a new team and I'm sure they will be very patriotic so will be a tough test for everybody.

"We feel we can be competitive in this group. I feel there are teams we can beat in this group and I include Germany in that - on the right day obviously.

"We've an opening game against Kosovo and that'll be their first ever U21 game so it's going to be tough. It's a new campaign - everybody has to be up for it. We’ve retained a lot of players from the last campaign, six or seven of them have that experience which is a help, and we've got to be positive going into a campaign."

The fixtures have been provisionally agreed as follows:

2017

March 25: Ireland v Kosovo

September 5: Azerbaijan v Ireland

October 5: Ireland v Norway

October 9: Ireland v Israel

November 14: Norway v Ireland

2018

March 27: Ireland v Azerbaijan

September 7: Kosovo v Ireland

September 11: Ireland v Germany

October 11: Israel v Ireland

October 16: Germany v Ireland

Venues to be confirmed.

Announced at the FAI Media Workshop this week, which was attended by representatives from the SSE Airtricity League clubs and press, the new website is set to launch ahead of the 2017 season.

The platform will display a number of new features, including minute-by-minute updates of all Premier and First Division games, will be optimized for mobile users with new player profiles and will feature an extended section on the SSE Airtricity U19/U17 Leagues.

Due to the construction of the new website, the current website, which will continue to bring you the latest news from around the SSE Airtricity League, will not be updated for 2017 season as we continue to progress with the improved interface.

We apologise for any inconvienence in the interim period as we look to improve our service to SSE Airtricity League supporters with a new digital platform.

The Dutch host Ireland's youngest international side in two testing fixtures on Tuesday and Thursday at DVS’33 Ermelo.

Ireland drew drew 0-0 and lost 2-1 in two games against Poland at this age group in November but Donohue and his staff have worked hard with the squad this month to prepare for the Dutch challenge.

“There’s five changes from the Poland game and we're giving players plenty of opportunities to express themselves on this stage," said Donohue.

"Unfortunately we lost Cormac Moore and Alex Dunne to injuries recently and we wish them well and will work with them to help them back to full fitness."

Donohue is happy that the work the Irish squad has put in can pay off in Ermelo next week.

“Preparation has gone very well with the cooperation of the clubs and leagues to allow us bring the players to IT Carlow for training days and thanks also to Paul Osam for bringing the Ireland U16s together to play a similar style to how we expect Netherlands to play," he said.

“We’re looking at different style of play as regards to how we played against Poland and in doing so looking to develop their playing knowledge with another style of play.

 “In preparation for these games we’ve had five sessions and the game against the U16s. The staff have worked really hard to make sure we’ve developed the team dynamic which is important with a group like this.

“Their introduction to international football came against Poland and now we’re facing one of the top nations in youth football. It’s a major opportunity for the players to show that we can compete with these nations."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U15 SQUAD:

Conor Carty (St Francis)

Aaron Davis (Ratoath Harps)

Festy Ebosele (Villa FC)

Jack Funge (St Kevins Boys)

James Furlong (St Joseph's Boys)

Harry Halwax (St Joseph's Boys)

Matthew Healy (Corinthian Boys)

Joseph Hodge (Manchester City)

Brandon Holt (Belvedere)

Cian Kelly (St Joseph's Boys)

Sean Kennedy (Tralee Dynamos)

Seamas Keogh (Benbulben Celtic)

Cian Leavy (St Francis)

Sean McEvoy (St Kevin's Boys)

Armstrong Okoflex (Arsenal)

Troy Parrott (Belvedere)

Ayodeji Sotona (Man Utd)

Timi Sobowale (Villa FC)

FIXTURES

U15 International Friendly

Tuesday, January 31

Netherlands v Republic of Ireland, DVS’33 Ermelo (3.00pm Irish)

Thursday, February 2

Netherlands v Republic of Ireland, DVS’33 Ermelo (2.00pm Irish)

The application process will be open until February 26 and it allows young coaches the opportunity to put their skills to the test on one of the most popular youth programmes in the country.

Please be aware that in order to coach on our camps you must be cleared by Garda Vetting with the FAI and be certified in the Child Protection in Sport Awareness Workshop. Further information and instructions on Garda Vetting can be found here

In 2016, over 30,000 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.

More seasoned players will focus on more technical and skill-specific training and everyone will come together in the afternoon to participate in mini-leagues and small-sided games.

If you would like to apply to become a coach on the SportsDirect.com FAI Summer Soccer Schools programme, you can apply here

An Ireland XI, that included former internationals Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, took on Chris McElligott's Ireland Amputee Team in an exhibition match at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown. Here's how they got on:

The Irish Amputee Football Association (IAFA) was set up in April 2011, with the help and support of Oisin Jordan (FAI National Football For All National Coordinator). 

The aims of the Irish Amputee Football Association are:

• To develop a National Irish Amputee Football league
• To promote and develop the sport of Amputee Football in Ireland
• To help towards the further development of persons interested in Amputee Football across Ireland

The IAFA operate under the FAI's Football For All programme and will provide any person with an amputation, congenital deficiency, or other limb affecting disorder with the opportunity to access Amputee Football at grassroots, club and national level.

Training sessions are open to both male and female amputees of all ages. 

The IAFA are members of the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF) and founding members of the European Amputee Football Federation (EAFF) and compete Internationally.

Further information on Amputee Football can be found on the IAFA's official website - http://www.irishamputeefootballassociation.com/contact-us.html 

The Dutch took the lead in the ninth minute when Bryan Brobbey converted from close range after his side got down the right flank.

Irish keeper Harry Halwax made an impressive stop to deny Ryan Gravenberch in the 12th minute then Ireland had the home defence worried on occasion through Troy Parrott, Brandon Holt and Armstrong Okoflex.

Brobbey got his second goal in the 27th minute when he ran onto a ball over the top and poked the ball past the advancing Halwax for a soft finish.

Belvedere striker Parrott found the net for Jason Donohue’s side in the 29th minute after Holt's free from right was headed goalwards by Okoflex and Parrott turned home the rebound off the Dutch keeper.

Okoflex was denied an equaliser by keeper Rutger Bax after good work by Parrott three minutes later but unfortunately the Irish conceded a penalty in the 40th minute to go in 3-1 down at the break.

Parrott then hit the post with a decent effort in the 48th minute and the Irish thought the ball had crossed the line before it eventually went out on the opposite side of the goal.

Brobbey got his hat-trick in the 62nd minute after intercepting a poor Irish clearance and it was 5-1 in the 65th minute when Melayro Bogarde headed hjome from a corner.

The sides will meet again at the same venue on Thursday.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Harry Halwax; Seamus Keogh, James Furlong, Timi Sobowale, Cian Kelly, Joe Hodge, Sean Kennedy, Brandon Holt, Troy Parrott, Armstrong Okoflex, Jack Funge.

Subs: Ayodeji Sodona, Matthew Healy, Sean McEvoy, Festy Ebosele, Aaron Davis, Conor Carty, Cian Leavy

FIXTURES

U15 International Friendly

Tuesday, January 31

Netherlands 5-1 Republic of Ireland, DVS’33 Ermelo

Thursday, February 2

Netherlands v Republic of Ireland, DVS’33 Ermelo (2.00pm Irish)

The game, which is a bonus game for FAI Season Ticket holders, takes place in Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, March 28 at 19:45.

Quarter-finalists at UEFA EURO 2016, Iceland - who are placed 21st in the FIFA World Rankings - will make their fourth visit to Dublin in what will be the first meeting of the teams since September 1997.

The game will arrive four days after Martin O'Neill's team will have played Wales in their first FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier of 2017 - which will also be hosted at Aviva Stadium.

This is the second 'Three' International Friendly announced, so far, for 2017 as Ireland will take on Uruguay on June 4 and it will be offered to 2016/17 FAI Season Ticket holders as a bonus game. 

With sales already surpassing the 30,000 mark for this game, supporters are advised to secure their tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are available to purchase from Ticketmaster HERE