,

JOINT FAI AND SFAI STATEMENT RE CALENDAR SEASON FOOTBALL

The FAI and the SFAI note recent views raised by underage leagues in relation to the calendar season element of the Player Development Plan. The FAI’s PDP consists of 10 principles – principles 1-9 continue to be FAI Board approved policy going forward. Principle 10 is focused on the continuity of football and the most appropriate calendar in which to achieve same.

The Board of the FAI is aware that a number of SFAI affiliate leagues have had difficulty implementing trophy football in the calendar season and feel their leagues would be better equipped to deliver trophy football by following the winter season in line with the school calendar.

Following discussions between the FAI and the SFAI, the Board of the FAI have agreed the following:

  • Any underage league currently playing in the calendar season or about to implement calendar season football may continue to do so
  • Those leagues currently playing in calendar season that have faced serious challenges may consider a return to the winter season
  • Leagues currently playing in the winter season may continue to do so
  • SFAI competitions will remain in their current format

The FAI, in conjunction with the SFAI, are establishing a Committee to look into this particular matter and are aware that any change may pose challenges as the non-alignment of the Schoolboy season with the National League season can lead to difficulties for various stakeholders.

by
,

CONFIRMED: DETAILS FOR U12/U16 SFAI SUBWAY CHAMPIONSHIP AND PLATE FINALS

Following a weekend of thrilling national semi-finals in the U12 and U16 SFAI Subway Championship and Plate competitions, the details for the Finals have now been confirmed.

The ties will take place in Gainstown, the home of Mullingar Athletic on the weekend of May 18th/19th, and we thank the club and Midlands Schoolboys League for their ongoing help and support in staging the finals there.

On Saturday May 18th, both U12 and U16 SFAI Subway Plate National Finals will take place. Up first is the U12 Final between NDSL and Longford which will kick-off at 12.30pm.

The NDSL came through a tough test against Cavan/Monaghan on Sunday while Longford saw off Kerry in their semi-final, eventually winning on penalties.

That will be followed by the U16 final which will involve Clare and Cavan/Monaghan, with a kick-off time of 3pm. Both sides put in stellar performances last weekend to overcome Mayo and the NECSL respectively.

Sunday will see the SFAI Subway Championship National Finals take place, and the U12 final between Donegal and Cork will be up first at 1pm.

Donegal beat Galway on Sunday in Illistrin, while Cork came to Dublin and returned home with a 2-0 win after beating the DDSL in their semi-final.

The last game of the weekend will feature DDSL and Cork in the U16 SFAI Subway Championship, with a kick-off time of 3.30pm.

U12/U16 SFAI Subway Championship and Plate National Finals

Saturday May 18th

U12 Plate NDSL v Longford 12.30pm

U16 Plate Clare v Cavan/Monaghan 3pm

Sunday May 19th

U12 Championship Donegal v Cork 1pm

U16 Championship DDSL v Cork 3.30pm

by
,

Tramore AFC set to host SFAI Skechers South East Regional Cup Finals

Tramore AFC will play host to the SFAI Skechers South East Regional Cup Finals this weekend, with five games taking place across Saturday and Sunday.

The Regional Finals in the South East will feature nine clubs, with Evergreen of Kilkenny playing in both the U12 and U13 finals.

The games begin on Saturday, with the U12s which will see Bohemians take on Evergreen at 12pm.

Gorey Rangers of Wexford will play Waterford side Villa FC in the U14 final at 2pm, and Wexford Albion will face Hanover Harps of Carlow at 4pm.

Hanover Harps will be looking to clinch the regional title ahead of the SFAI Skechers National Cup Final against Stella Maris next weekend.

On Sunday, Evergreen play Tramore at 12pm, while the last game of the weekend will be between Twomileborris St Kevin’s and St Josephs.

SFAI Skechers South East Regional Cup Finals Fixtures:

U12 Bohemians v Evergreen 12pm (Saturday)

U14 Gorey Rangers v Villa FC 2pm (Saturday)

U15 Wexford Albion v Hanover Harps 4pm (Saturday)

U13 Evergreen v Tramore AFC 12pm (Sunday)

U16 Twomileborris St Kevin’s v St Josephs 2pm (Sunday)

by
,

FIXTURES: U12 and U16 SFAI Subway Championship and Plate National semi-finals

This weekend will see eight teams book their place in the U12 and U16 SFAI Subway Championship and Plate National Finals to be played later this month.

The national semi-finals at both ages will be played across Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, with some very exciting ties across the country.

Saturday will see the first of the games as Longford and Kerry play in the U12 SFAI Subway Plate National semi-final in Abbeycartron.

The majority of the other games will take place on Sunday, with the DDSL and Cork SL and Donegal SL and Galway SL playing in the U12 SFAI Subway Championship.

The DDSL and Galway are also in action in the U16 competition – they will play in Eamon Deacy Park on Bank Holiday Monday, while Cork SL take on Inishowen on Sunday.

In the U16 SFAI Subway National Plate, Mayo SL welcome Clare SSL to Ballyheane and NECSL host Cavan/Monaghan on Sunday.

The full list of fixtures can be found below, and we wish all those taking to the field the very best of luck, enjoy the occasion.

The dates for the finals are the 18th/19th May, with the fixtures TBC next week.

U12 and U16 SFAI Subway Championship and Plate National semi-final Fixtures:

U12 SFAI Subway Championship National semi-finals (May 5th)

Donegal v Galway 2pm – Letterkenny

DDSL v Cork SL 2pm – Ballyowen Park

U12 SFAI Subway National Plate semi-finals (May 5th)

NDSL v Cavan/Monaghan 2pm – Oscar Traynor Centre

Longford v Kerry SL 1pm – Abbeycartron

U16 SFAI Subway Championship National semi-finals

Galway v DDSL 2pm – Eamon Deacy Park (May 6th)

Cork v Inishowen 12pm – Ballea Astro, Carrigaline (May 5th)

U16 SFAI Subway Plate National semi-finals (May 5th)

Mayo v Clare SSL 2pm – Ballyheane FC

NECSL v Cavan/Monaghan 12pm – MDL Grounds

by

Several clubs secure place in SFAI Skechers National Cup Finals

With several SFAI Skechers National Cup semi-finals taking place over the weekend, nine of the 10 finalists have now be confirmed.

The U12 National Final will be an all Dublin affair, with both Shamrock Rovers and St Kevin’s advancing after tough ties against Aisling Annacotty and Mervue United respectively.

In the U13 SFAI Skechers National Cup, Douglas Hall await the winners of the one outstanding match which sees Tramore welcome Leixlip United to Waterford next Saturday.

Both Belvedere FC and Cherry Orchard will play for the U14 SFAI Skechers National Cup when they meet in the final – both sides navigated their way past tricky opponents in the semi-finals.

Hanover Harps will be looking to become the first boys team from the Carlow District Juvenile League to lift a national cup, and they will face Stella Maris in the U15 Final after they travelled to Kerry and returned with a very impressive win.

Finally, the U16 SFAI Skechers National Cup Final will be between Midleton and Salthill Devon – Midelton required penalties to overcome Douglas Hall, while Salthill beat Letterkenny Rovers.

Details for the finals will be confirmed later this week and will be communicated to the appropriate league secretaries.

by

SFAI Skechers National Cups semi-final pairings confirmed

The semi-final pairings for the SFAI Skechers National Cups have now been confirmed, with 10 games across five age groups set to take place over the next two weekends.

In the U12 age group, Shamrock Rovers welcome Limerick side Aisling Annacotty to Dublin, while Mervue United travel to St Kevin’s Boys to take on the current holders.

In the U13 competition, Douglas Hall face Castlebar Cetlic and Tramore take on Leixlip United – with all four sides recording impressive quarter-final wins.

Belvedere will play host to Westport United in the first U14 semi-final, while Cherry Orchard will welcome Cork side Ringmahon Rangers to Elmdale.

Stella Maris travel to Kerry to face St Brendan’s Park in the U15 competition, while the other tie will see Hanover Harps from Carlow play St Kevin’s Boys.

Finally, the first U16 semi-final will be an all Cork affair as Douglas Hall and Midleton face off, while the second tie will be between Salthill Devon and Letterkenny Rovers.

 

by

THE DRAW: SFAI Kennedy Cup 2019

The Draw for the 2019 SFAI New Balance Kennedy Cup took place today (Saturday) in Ennis, Co. Clare.

SFAI Chairman John Earley was joined by SFAI Vice-Chairman Pat Kelly and the Mayor of Ennis, Clare Colleran-Molloy, in the Auburn Lodge.

The draw for the group stages saw some exciting groupings emerge, with Wexford, Waterford, Wicklow and the WWEC in Group One.

Group Two sees the NDSL, Limerick District, West Cork and the RDYSL together, while Group Three involves Galway, SDFL, North Tipperary and Inishowen.

The Midlands, Dundalk, Mayo and NECSL are in Group Four, while last year’s runners up, the KDUL are in Group Five with Kerry, Clare, Limerick County.

The 2018 winners the DDSL are joined by Kilkenny, Athlone and Drogheda in Group Six, while Limerick Desmond, Donegal, Sligo/Leitrim and Carlow are in Group Seven.

Finally, in Group Eight, Cork SL are joined by CMUL, South Tipperary and Longford.

The full breakdown of the draw will be available on KennedyCup.ie in the coming days, and we wish all those leagues preparing for the competition the very best of luck.

The action kicks off on June 11th in University of Limerick, with game beginning on the Tuesday and the Finals taking place on Saturday June 15th .

by

All you need to know ahead of the 2019 SFAI New Balance Kennedy Cup Draw

The SFAI New Balance Kennedy Cup 2019 draw will take place this Saturday in the Auburn Lodge Hotel in Ennis, Co. Clare following the SFAI Council Meeting.

The draw, as is always the case, represents the beginning of the countdown to the competition, which will begin in just over 100 days on Tuesday 11th June 2019 in University of Limerick.

Last year’s tournament saw 640 players from 255 clubs represent 32 schoolboy leagues from across Ireland – with the DDSL lifting the Kennedy Cup trophy on the final day, while Cork, Kilkenny, the NDSL and Galway also took home honours.

This year’s draw will follow a similar format, with the top eight listed teams in pot one and so on across pot two, pot three and pot four.

The group draw will be streamed live on the SFAI Facebook page from 2pm on Saturday March 2nd, and will be available in the news section to view shortly after that on both SFAI.ie and KennedyCup.ie.

The format of the knockout stages will be available on both SFAI.ie and KennedyCup.ie in the days that follow.

This year it has been agreed that in the opening group games, Team 1 will play Team 3 and Team 2 will play Team 4 – see the group stage format below.

Game One: 1 v 3 and 2 v 4
Game Two: 1 v 4 and 2 v 3
Game Three:  1 v 2 and 3 v 4

The team listings with draw numbers were communicated to all SFAI affiliated leagues earlier this week – below are the numbers to watch out for when the draw takes on March 2nd 2019 from 2pm live on the SFAI Facebook page.

  1. DDSL
  2. Cork
  3. Kildare
  4. NDSl
  5. Midlands SL
  6. Galway
  7. Limerick Desmond
  8. Wexford
  9. Donegal
  10. Kerry
  11. CMUL
  12. SDFl
  13. Waterford
  14. Dundalk
  15. Kilkenny
  16. Limerick District
  17. Sligo/Leitrim
  18. Clare
  19. Athlone
  20. South Tipperary
  21. West Cork
  22. North Tipperary
  23. Mayo
  24. Wicklow
  25. Inishowen
  26. Limerick County
  27. Longford
  28. Carlow
  29. NECSL
  30. Drogheda
  31. RDYSL
  32. WWEC
by

SFAI Skechers National Cup Quarter and Semi Final Draws

The SFAI Skechers National Cup quarter and semi-finals draws took place this evening in the Red Cow Hotel.

The draws have thrown up plenty of interesting ties, and we wish all those involved the very best of luck.

The draws are as follows:

U12 Quarter-Finals

A. St Kevin’s Boys v Belvedere FC

B. Aisling Annacotty v Ballina Town

C. Shamrock Rovers v Mallow United

D. Southend United or Tallaght Town v Mervue United

Semi-Finals: CvB and AvD

U13 Quarter-Finals

A. Southend United v Douglas Hall

B. Aisling Annacotty v Castlebar Celtic

C. Tramore AFC v Carrigaline Utd

D. Westport Utd v Leixlip United

Semi-Finals: AvB and CvD

U14 Quarter-Finals

A. St Kevin’s Boys or Shannon Town v Belvedere FC

B. Ringmahon Rangers v Douglas Hall/Maree Oranmore

C. Kilcullen or Westport United v Shamrock Rovers

D. Cherry Orchard v East Meath United

Semi-Finals: AvC and DvB

U15 Quarter-Finals

A. Douglas Hall v Hanover Harps

B. Stella Maris v Ringmahon Rangers

C. St Kevin’s Boys v Ardee Celtic

D. St Brendan’s Park v Kellsblackwater or Cherry Orchard

Semi-Finals: DvB and AvC

U16 Quarter-Finals

A. Villa FC v Salthill Devon

B. Midleton v Mervue United

C. Bohemian FC v Letterkenny Rovers or Mullingar Athletic

D. Crumlin United v Douglas Hall

Semi-Finals: DvB and AvC

by
,

Date confirmed for SFAI Skechers National Cup round of 32 draw

The SFAI Skechers National Cup round of 32 draw will take place at the SFAI Council meeting on December 8th in Swords, Co. Dublin.

As has been the case for some years, the draw will be streamed live on Facebook following the meeting, with 160 teams at five ages in the hat.

Up to now, the opening rounds have seen teams entered facing opponents from their own region, but the December draw will mark the beginning of the open draw.

Recent seasons have proven hugely competitive right across the country, and there is no doubt several clubs will feel they have what it takes to make the latter stages of the SFAI Skechers National Cup this season.

Below are the already confirmed dates for the round of 32 games, round of 16 games, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals (NB: games should be played by these dates).

Round of 32         26/27 January 2019

Round of 16         16/17 February 2019

Quarter Finals     09/10 March 2019

Semi Finals      06/07 April 2019

Finals                 11/12 May 2019

The draws for the regional play-offs, semi-finals and finals will take place this Wednesday, 07th November 2018.

Dates for these finals will be confirmed by regional co-ordinators in due course.

Check out SFAI.ie for updates.

by