The presentation of the trophy to this year’s Women’s National League title winners, Peamount United, offered none of the high drama that surrounded the climax of the 2021 season. Back then, the club were going for three-in-a-row, but they collapsed on the final day.

Surprisingly, they were beaten comprehensively by an in-form Galway Women’s FC – spurred on by Hot Press blogger, Emma Starr, who was in ‘unplayable’ form that day. As a result, Peamount could only watch as the league trophy was whooshed into a taxi to be whisked from their Greenogue ground in west Dublin to Tolka Park, where Shelbourne had just beaten a very competitive Wexford Youths side to snatch the title. It was an unforgettable night for both Peamount and Shelbourne, for very contrasting reasons.

This year, Peamount left Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne trailing and had the league wrapped up with two games to spare. Their victory saw Peamount’s James O’Callaghan lay claim to being the most successful manager in Women’s National League history. Callaghan has led his club to three titles (2019, 2020, and 2023). Peamount were also the winners of the inaugural Women’s National League in 2011-2012.

After a youth career with the likes of Tallaght Town and Belvedere FC, James O’Callaghan moved as a player to Shelbourne FC, under notable managers Pat Byrne and Jim McLaughlin. He then went to Sligo Rovers, playing under another successful manager, Dermot Keely. Stints at Longford Town and St James’s Gate FC led him to Monaghan Town, where he spent five seasons as left full-back and captain.

“You pick up a lot of information and tips from managers like that – and some things you shouldn’t do as well!” James laughs.

Having spent over 12 years playing in the League of Ireland, he dropped to the Leinster Senior League, and started coaching. On a break from the game, he started to monitor his daughter Lauren’s progress with Peamount United.

“The level of coaching wasn’t great and the level of support they were getting was really poor,” he says. So he began to coach the Peamount under-14s and under-16s – eventually moving up to the ‘Peas’ senior team seven years ago.

“I’d had no interest in women’s football until my daughters started playing,” explains James. “I’m going back nearly ten years – but it was a real eye-opener. I realised that young girls didn’t get the same opportunities as boys. So, that’s what motivated me to get into the women’s side of football.”

The new manager of the Irish international women’s team, Eileen Gleeson, was manager of the senior side in Peamount. She left, taking a number of players with her to UCD (now DLR Waves). There were two short-lived appointments, before James took charge in 2017.

Eileen Gleeson. Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

“I had been with the under-14s and under-16s and so I knew the young talent in the club,” he recalls. “Amber Barrett was in the team at that time. We went into the last game in 2017 against Wexford two points ahead in the league but lost it. We lost the League Cup final, as well! Still, that first season was a great achievement with a lot of young kids in our squad.”

Peamount United has a reputation for developing young talent.

“We have a top of the range system for developing girls in football,” he says. “There is a good pathway at Peamount into the senior team, and beyond. Some get through to the senior team, while others move on. If you look around, there’s a sprinkle of Peamount players throughout the league.

“Even this season, having lost some senior players – Aine O’Gorman and Sephanie Roche to Shamrock Rovers, Kate Mooney to Lewes in England – we brought four fantastic young players through from our academy. Peamount is probably the only club in Ireland that puts women’s football ahead of men’s.”

Would he be tempted to manage the women’s team at established League of Ireland clubs, like Shelbourne or Bohemians, with the backing of more resources?

“In terms of women’s football,” he says, “I’ve always felt that Peamount was the place to be, with its training facilities, its support, its tradition.”

Peamount United vs Sligo Rovers. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE

So it proved in 2023. Disappointingly, Peamount drew with Shamrock Rovers at home in Greenogue. A highlight of the campaign, however, was beating the Hoops, late in the season, in Tallaght.

“That win at Tallaght Stadium was the proverbial ‘six-pointer’,” James observes. “They couldn’t reel us in after that. All the ghosts of the past seasons’ climaxes were in our thoughts, and we started to get a bit nervous when we knew we could win the league! But we did it!”

The 2023 season was a strange one. The season started with the pre-season inaugural President's Cup, which was won amid wild celebrations by Athlone after their penalty shoot win against Shelbourne. In the middle, there was the new All-Island Cup, which was won – and celebrated with great gusto – by Galway United, and a lengthy six-week break for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. And the league was further disrupted by Ireland’s participation in women’s international Nations League matches, as well as by World Cup warm up matches for the national team. Was it difficult for coaches and players to deal with the loss of momentum?

“The gaps were too long,” James says. “Even when we came back in September after the World Cup, there was another gap. We beat Wexford and won the league in October. It was then three weeks before our next match.

“By accident it kind of helped us as we were carrying a few injuries. But there needs to be more planning around internationals, and how that affects the national league. Things are stopping to facilitate the international team, when there’s only one or two national league players as part of that squad. So, there is a case just to continue the league, even with international games going on. If a player gets into the national squad, then maybe they could rearrange the club’s next league fixture, but I don’t think we need all league games to be postponed. I don’t want another season to pan out like this one.”

Peamount’s Erin McLaughlin has now made the national squad.

“She narrowly missed out on selection for the World Cup,” James adds, “and had a bit of an injury in her last international camp. But it’s great that there is a representative of the new league winners in the Ireland squad.”

As a Shels fan, it was especially frustrating that the manager of the national squad Vera Pauw –  clearly in desperate need of creative midfielders – ignored the talents of Shelbourne ace, Alex Kavanagh.

Alex Kavanagh (right) and Noel King. Credit: Eoin Smith/Shelbourne FC

“It’s hugely disappointing,” says James, “because I think there are players in our league who could be in the international squad. I’d like a rule brought in that there would have to be at least four national league players in the Ireland squad, or maybe 25% of the squad. I think it would help our league develop.”

There is a so-called Home-based Squad, introduced to build fitness and get national league players ready to filter into the national squad. However, only two players – Aine O’Gorman and Abbie Larkin, who has since moved to Glasgow City – made the cut for Vera Pauw’s World Cup squad. For the twenty-plus regular national league players who trekked from locations around the country up to Dublin’s Abbotstown facilities on a weekly basis from January to May, it was a kick in the teeth. Some have called for the Home-based Squad to test their mettle in what would be highly competitive friendlies with the Ireland squad.

However, the future of the Home-based Squad is uncertain. Hot Press has asked the FAI for an update on its current status, as the players themselves have been left in the dark. Some are very irate about the prevailing silence since Eieen Gleeson took over from Vera Pauw, albeit on a temporary basis.

“There’s a definite case for an under-23s national squad,” suggests James, “because once players go past 20 or 21 now, they can be forgotten about. I’m talking about really good players.”

Peamount lost two stalwarts of the women’s game here, Aine O’Gorman and Stephanie Roche (Zambra) to Shamrock Rovers at the end of season 2022.

“That happens at the end of most seasons,” James says, “but last season they were more high-profile names and so it got a lot of attention. It’s always tough to take, but probably my busiest time was November and December 2022, the off season, meeting players, having countless cups of coffee, trying to nail down their signatures. But once senior players like Karen Duggan bought into it, we followed up on new players that we thought would add to the squad, like Kate Mooney and Carla McManus.

“We had some notable injuries to top players early in the season as well, which were devastating. But young players from the academy really kicked-on during the season. The likes of Jess Fitzgerald (16) and Ellen Dolan and Freya Healy did brilliantly for us, as well as other young players. They all refreshed the squad and gave some of the more experienced players a new lease of life.”

Ellen Dolan and Jess Fitzgerald, Peamount United vs Sligo Rovers. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

GOOD NEWS

The good news is that the number of highly talented young Irish players coming through is tremendously encouraging.

“The young talent coming through really is incredibly good,” James O’Callaghan says. “And that’s true of all the teams in the league, including Cork City, Sligo and DLR Waves. I could name them in every team.

“I think the level of coaching in the women’s game here has really improved. But it’s important these players keep their feet on the ground, too; that they keep learning their craft, and hopefully then, stay in our league. When people talk about making the league more professional, it should be about making it more attractive for players to stay and not think that they need to get away to England – or wherever.”

It is particularly galling that, most of the time, the Irish clubs who developed and coached these players from the youngest age levels get no transfer fees, no compensation.

“Last August,” James reveals, “we lost the league’s top goal scorer, Kate Mooney, to Lewes, in England, for free. Nobody gets a penny. That happens every year, players going to England, Germany, Scotland. It’s a bad situation. It’d be great to have everyone in our league on proper contracts and a proper wage. This would help retain our talent here. The base funding from the Government and the FAI needs to improve – and then it’s up to the clubs to get their own private investment.”

The extent of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the women’s game is still a matter of huge concern…

“Both Lucy McCartan and Carla McManus were flying for us in pre-season,” James says, “but both did their ACLs. Dora Gorman had a bad knee injury. And Tara O’Hanlon, who had just broken into the Irish squad, but was left out of the World Cup by Vera Pauw, went for a trial with Manchester United, and did her hamstring when she came back in August – and was out for the rest of the season.”

Tara O’Hanlon. Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

As a serial league-winning manager, has he thought about applying for the Ireland manager’s job?

“I don’t think they’d have me!” he laughs. “I think Eileen Gleeson has made a good start and I think they should leave it with her for awhile, anyway, and see how it goes. She was at Peamount and DLR Waves (UCD), and is a vastly experienced coach.”

Does he expect to lose any Peamount players in the off-season?

“I hope not. By winning the league, we get to play in the European Champions League next year, so I hope that will help us to keep our players – and maybe attract new ones,” he says. “In our last time in the Champions League, we lost to Glasgow City on penalties. They were a very good side, as they had been to the quarter finals of the Champions League the previous year.

“It would be great if an Irish team could progress deeper into the Champions League – and I’d like it to be Peamount. That’s why it is so important to make our league professional, because the rewards are huge. The gap is not so big. With the right resources and the right preparation, an Irish team could bridge that gap. It would also have a big impact on the national team as you’d have more home-based players available here.”

ASSESSING THE OPPOSITION

James O’Callaghan’s view of the likely contenders in the 2024 season…

• Starting at the end, Munster teams, CORK CITY and TREATY UNITED, from Limerick, finished the season at the bottom of the table. On the plus side, Treaty have improved massively this season under new coach Alban Hysa (ex Peamount under 19s coach). With new coach Dominic Foley now in situ, they will be hoping to build further in season 2024. But what about Cork, where football always seems to walk a knife-edge?

The Verdict:
“Both sides, especially Treaty, gave us difficult games this season. Cork have a fantastic young side, but they’ve been unlucky with a number of results. They seem to put in a really good 70 minutes and then fade. If Danny Murphy (manager) can keep that team together, they could be a surprise package for next season. Treaty United have come very close to  being competitive this season. Alban’s player recruitment has been good, and he got lucky with a number of Canadians coming in at the start of the season, which was a massive help. We also lost two squad players to him during the mid-season break! They have some new backers coming in, and a new (female) CEO, Ciara McCormack, so it looks very promising for them.”

• SLIGO ROVERS had a very good season in 2022 under Steve Feeney, so it was a surprise that they had such a poor start to the year. They were much improved after the summer and gave Shelbourne quite the fright in miserable weather. On a Wednesday night in October. Sligo led until the 49th minute, when Shel’s Christie Gray scored an absolute piledriver of an equaliser, before an unfortunate goalkeeping error in the 90th minute gave Shels the winner.

The Verdict:
“I was devastated for them having to travel to Dublin on a Wednesday night. Who thought that one up?” James asks. “Conditions were atrocious and that didn’t help the goalkeeper. But it was another example of how difficult Sligo can be to beat. They’re very dangerous on the counter-attack. They got to the semi-final of the FAI Cup and were beaten by a very strong Athlone side. Interestingly, Tommy Hewitt, who did a great job with Athlone in the past few years, has now replaced Steven. Next season will be interesting.”

• DLR WAVES lost long-standing manager Graham Kelly to the St Patrick’s Athletic men’s coaching team during the season, and he was replaced by DLR’s well-regarded senior assistant coach, Laura Heffernan. DLR are consistently raided for talent by other clubs in the league: key players they lost this season included Katie Malone, Joy Ralph and Lyn Craven.

Katie Malone Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The Verdict:
“It’s been really tough for DLR as a standalone club, like ourselves in Peamount,” says James. “They’ve lost a helluva lot of players, especially to Bohemians. Graham leaving this season didn’t help either but, in fairness to Laura, they beat Wexford Youths in the Cup, which was a big result for her. Laura’s doing her Pro-Licence at the moment. She’s an experienced coach and has a lot of young players coming through. They look very promising.”

• A season that started well saw BOHEMIAN FC in the top four before the mid-season break – but they faded badly. Manager Sean Byrne was unwell after the break and the side were led by his trusty assistant, Pat Trehy, but he wasn’t able to stem the late season slide. Byrne and Trehy left in October, having given great service to the women’s side. Former Shelbourne and Athlone coach, Ken Kiernan, has been appointed head coach for the forthcoming season. The club must be feeling the pressure from the prominence of their illustrious League of Ireland ‘neighbours’, Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers.

The Verdict:
“We played Bohs just after the World Cup break,” says James, “and they were only eight points behind us. We narrowly came out on top, but if they’d beaten us, they’d have been in the top three and would’ve been really kicking on. Sean’s health wasn’t great and that impacted them, plus they lost a couple of players in the break, which was unfortunate. I was devastated to hear Sean and Pat had moved on. He’s a fantastic coach, who put a lot of work into women’s football. And he does great work for the FAI with developing players on a weekly basis over in Irishtown Stadium.”

• WEXFORD FC (formerly Wexford Youths FC) won the treble in 2018 under then-manager, Tom Elmes (now manager of the Ireland Women’s Under-16s). They were without the exceptionally talented teenager Ellen Molloy for much of the season through injury, but have a great conveyor belt of talent. The current Wexford squad has a nice blend of youth and experience, but underachieved this season, finishing mid-table. New manager, Hugh Strong, former Shelbourne under 19s coach, will be looking to add fresh impetus in 2024.

The Verdict:
“In terms of trophies won, Wexford are the most successful side in the history of women’s football in Ireland,” says James, “so they were many people’s favourites for the title at the start of the season. They made some good signings. On paper, they’ve a really good squad, but they lost their manager, Stephen Quinn, during the season. We sealed the title playing them in Wexford. They were good, but we had a little more about us on the day. They are a top, top side, on the hunt for a new manager.” Hugh Strong has since been named Wexford manager for next season.

• A resolute and talented team in recent times, under manager Tommy Hewitt, ATHLONE TOWN FC were league and cup final runners-up in 2022 and won the inaugural pre-season President’s Cup 2023, winning the final on penalties against Shelbourne. While they lost players to the likes of Shamrock Rovers and Wexford in the off-season – notably, last season’s Player of the Year, striker Emily Corbet – they have a very effective recruitment policy. Surprisingly, Hewitt departed during the season and was replaced by former men’s League of Ireland striker, Ciaran Kilduff. Their reputation as dangerous and hard-to-beat remains intact. They’re one of the highest scoring teams in the country.

Emily Corbet

The Verdict:
“We let Athlone beat us on penalties in the FAI Cup, so we could focus on the league!” James laughs. “The fact is that Tommy Hewitt did a great job managing them. They’ve added to the squad during the season, including a few Americans.  They were back in the Cup final again this year, in a rematch of last year’s final with Shelbourne, and won in a penalty shootout. As that confirms, they had more belief in themselves this year. They could be real contenders in 2024.”

• The Moran family and key volunteers had kept Galway Women’s FC going for years without the resources of a League of Ireland men’s side or major sponsorship. However, they wound up the club voluntarily, releasing the players at the end of 2022. Many then signed for a new women’s team under the GALWAY UNITED banner. The ‘new’ Galway had an excellent 2023 season under the delightfully named Phil Trill, winning the inaugural All-Island Cup (involving teams from north and south of the border). In a great season for the club, the men’s side were promoted to the Premier Division, under the experienced coaching team of John Caulfied and Ollie Horgan.

The Verdict:
“A bit like Peamount, at the start of the season, Galway were written off by many,” says James. “They were wrong. Phil (Trill) is a crafty coach and he’s put together a really good squad, so they’ll be worth watching next year. They’re very strong defensively, but he’s added attacking firepower. Julie-Ann Russell is also back and playing well. Phil needs to sort out his dress code, though! He likes to wear the odd pair of chinos (laughs)!”

• One of the founding clubs of the Women’s National League back in 2011-2012, SHAMROCK ROVERS opted out at the end of the 2013-2014 season, instead putting resources into developing their U17s and U19s teams. Still, when they rejoined the league at the start of 2023, most of their squad were acquired from 2022 double-winners Shelbourne, Peamount, and Athlone. Even the promising teenagers, Jaime Thompson and Orlaith O’Mahony, who came through from the Rovers underage teams, were previously with Peamount. They had a mixed first season back, finishing third in the league but losing to Shelbourne in the FAI Cup semi-final. Whether manager Collie O’Neill’s tenure will be regarded as a success by the club remains to be seen.

The Verdict:
“I was a fan of Rovers men’s team back in the day,” says James. “I used to sell programmes at Glenmalure Park (‘Milltown’). So I was always disappointed that they hadn’t a women’s team and felt it gave a bad impression of the club in terms of equality and participation in sport. So I was delighted when they came back into the league. Their recruitment policy has been very aggressive. It was tough to take at the start for Peamount, but I’m around long enough and I know what football can be like. You have to do your own business as well, and I like to think that the way the season has gone, we’ve been quite successful in that area. That said, Rovers have been playing a nice possession-based brand of football, and Collie has them well coached. It’s a really good squad, top players. They’ll be contenders.”

• SHELBOURNE FC won the league in 2021 in dramatic circumstances, pipping Peamount on the last day of the season; and they were double-winners in 2022. Shamrock Rovers raided their squad at the end of last season, signing a number of Shels players. Shels have also lost players to England’s Women’s Super League, including young talents, Jess Ziu and Jessie Stapleton. To counterbalance this drain, they brought in a number of very effective ‘imports’, including Canadian striker, Christie Gray, who scored some wonderful goals this season; and American, Maggie Pierce, who played as right-back, number 10, and centre-half during the season, was excellent in each position, making her a worthy contender for the league’s Player of the Season award. Alas, for the second year in a row, Shels made an early exit from the Champions League, and they were losing finalists in the FAI Cup final this year. Noel King recently announced that he is stepping down from his role as manager. League of Ireland veteran Eoin Wearen has since taken charge.

The Verdict:
“They’ve been a fantastic side, worthy league champions the past two years,” says James. “They’re a very experienced team, with good young players coming through. The club’s academy has produced some really good young players over the years. It’s very hard, though, to win the league three years in a row. Peamount nearly did it, too, but success can bring with it a downside: it’s very hard to keep that motivation going. It’s very difficult to keep the intensity going  in your training sessions every season.”

• PEAMOUNT UNITED are League of Ireland Premier Division Champions 2023, and fully deserving of the title. A fine footballing side, while they lost key players to Shamrock Rovers, they recruited well themselves. As the old Beamish advert had it, they’ve provided ‘consistency in a world gone mad’ in 2023.

The Verdict:
“I would hope to be here,” James says. “I need to sit down with the club and see what sort of plan we can come up with. Next season will be a Champions League season for us, which is a big carrot. I have a really good connection with the players and it would be hard to walk away from that. In saying that, it’s important that resources are put in place for the team. Being a standalone club without the backing of the men’s teams, that brings pressure on Peamount to bring private investment and sponsorship, to push things on. We have players coming from Clare, Leitrim, and elsewhere for training as well as matches, and players are working full-time. It’s really a huge, huge effort the players put in, so they need to be rewarded.

“It took a real club-wide effort to get to this point, too,” James adds. “I’d like to give huge credit to Denis Commins (co-founder and current groundsman), Kate Thompson (Chairperson), Elaine Harrington (PR and Promotions), Barbara Ryan-Doyle (Kit), Bill Manus (Co-founder and Shop Operator), and to the volunteers, and everyone in the club.”

And the future of the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division itself?

“I think the league needs a watershed moment, like the senior international team had a few years ago (2017),” says James. “We’ve seen the amount of publicity, profile and funding the Irish women’s senior team is getting now. They’re the equal of any international team in Europe. It’s fantastic to see, but that hasn’t filtered down to our national league.

“I even feel a bit of detachment myself from the national team now, the way it’s after going. I’m not feeling it the way I should, probably. That’s why, when I say a watershed moment is needed. There needs to be a big announcement that there’s going to be huge funding pumped into it from the Government, the FAI, UEFA, private investors and so on. Groundbreaking ideas are needed. TG4 has been great with live games during the season, but RTE needs to be covering our league too. There are great players in our league. And the more of these players we can keep in the league, the more the league gets the benefit of the Irish team’s success, the more the fan-bases and crowds in the league here will follow.

“The players that have gone away aren’t going to massive contracts,” James adds. “A number of players have gone, but they haven’t necessarily become better players. Are these players benefitting from leaving their homes and their clubs here? The players here need a minimum level of reward for playing in our league. There is potential for our women’s league to be one of the best in Europe. There’s great players coming through, great coaches are in place now, some brilliant matches are happening, and the league is really competitive.”

It’ll be interesting to see what happens…

James O'Callaghan. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.