Excitement builds ahead of the SFAI Skechers National Cup draw

The SFAI Skechers National Cup draw for the round of 32 and 16 will take place on Saturday, December 8th in the Carnegie Court Hotel in Swords.

The draw, which will be streamed on Facebook via the SFAI’s page will begin at 2pm with the U12s, and then every half an hour to cover the U13, U14, U15 and U16 competitions.

The full list of fixtures will also be published online on SFAI.ie following the conclusion of the final draw.

Almost 1,300 games have already been played in the SFAI Skechers National Cup this season, and the second half of the competition promises to be just as exciting.

The very best of luck to all teams in the draw on Saturday.

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SFAI Subway Championship Fixtures 01/02 December 2018

With the SFAI Subway Championship well underway in the U13 and U15 competitions, this weekend sees some crucial group games taking place around the country.

In Munster the U12 competition also gets underway this weekend, with many teams involved playing their first game.

Below are the confirmed fixtures at this time….

U12 Munster

02/12/2018 Limerick County v Limerick District 11am – Charleville
02/12/2018 Kerry v North Tipperary 1:30pm – Tralee
02/12/2018 Limerick Desmond v Clare 2pm – Woodfield, Newcastlewest
02/12/2018 South Tipperary v Waterford 3pm – Cahir Park
02/12/2018 Cork v West Cork 5pm – O’Shea Park, Blarney
02/12/2018 Cork v WWEC 12pm – Ballea Astro (Carrigaline)

U13 Munster

02/12/2018 Limerick County v North Tipperary 1pm – Charleville
02/12/2018 Limerick Desmond v Clare 2pm – Holycross, Rathkeale
02/12/2018 Limerick District v Kerry 2pm – University Limerick
02/12/2018 West Cork v Cork 2pm – Skibbereen
02/12/2018 Waterford v South Tipperary 2pm – WIT Arena

U15 Munster

02/12/2018 Cork v South Tipperary 12pm – Moneygourney (Douglas Hall)

U16 Munster

02/12/2018 Clare v South Tipperary TBC – TBC
02/12/2018 Cork v Waterford 12pm – Ballea Astro (Carrigaline)
02/12/2018 Limerick Desmond v Kerry 2pm – Pallaskerry

U13 Leinster

01/12/2018 Wicklow v Drogheda 12pm – Arklow Town FC
01/12/2018 SDFL v NECSL 12:30pm – SDFL HQ, Lucan
02/12/2018 DDSL v Wexford 12pm – Abbotstown
02/12/2018 NDSL v Midlands 1:30pm – Cityjet Park (Ratoath Harps FC)
02/12/2018 Kilkenny v Kildare 2pm – Derdimus Park

U15 Leinster

02/12/2018 Midlands v Kildare TBC – Gainstown
02/12/2018 NDSL v NECSL 11:30am – Cityjet Park (Ratoath Harps FC)

U13 Connacht

02/12/2018 RDYSL v Galway 12:30pm – Ballymoe FC
02/12/2018 Athlone v Longford 1pm – TBC

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REVIEW: SFAI Skechers Ulster Regional Finals

It was a memorable weekend in Letterkenny for the SFAI Skechers Ulster Regional Finals, with 10 teams competing for five cups from the ages of U12 to U16.
Organised with the help of Ulster co-ordinator Martin Kiernan and Donegal Schoolboys League, in particular Tony McNamee, the SFAI want to thank all 10 teams that competed across the three days.

We would also like to thank all those who showed their support and made donations on the gate to Donegal Down Syndrome – a total of 1,000 was raised for the charity organisation.

On the pitch the action began with Bonagee United taking on Keadue Rovers, and after no goals in normal time or extra time, it was left to penalties, and Keadue held their nerve to secure the cup.

Saturday morning saw Carrick Rovers and Carndonagh FC take to the field for the U12 competition, and those who travelled for the game were treated to a real feast of football.

Mark McLaughlin was in inspired form in the opening half for Carndonagh, netting a brace, and although Shane Boylan hit back in the second half, the young Carndonagh players held out to lift the Francis Porter Cup.

It was then onto Leckview Park where Letterkenny Rovers faced Carrick Rovers in the U16 competition. In what was a physical game at times, both teams showed why they had reached the final with some good football.

James Lenty-Gallagher scored the opener for Letterkenny, and Toby Hudson added a second with a low shot that nestled in the bottom corner.

Sunday saw both games taking place in the superb Ballyare facility, and in the opening U13 final we were treated to a very good tie between Illistrin FC and Carndonagh.

Having already lifted the U12 cup on Saturday, Carndonagh had eyes on the double, but when Oisin Harkin scored first for Illistrin it looked unlikely.

That was until Cormac McLaughlin forced the ball in under the crossbar via a deflection to make it 1-1 – and another followed shortly after that from the penalty spot – this time Brendan McLaughlin scoring.

In the final game Lagan Harps and Cavan Shamrocks resumed their rivalry following the U13 final last year – this time in the U14 showpiece event – and Cavan Shamrocks again came out on top again, winning 3-0.

Check out highlights from all the finals on Facebook via the links below….

U12 ow.ly/TlK530mLaQ8
U13 ow.ly/P8iX30mLaP5
U14 ow.ly/yk8I30mLaAp
U15 ow.ly/q3Wu30mLaSL
U16 ow.ly/iyoN30mLaPO

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All eyes on SFAI Skechers Regional Cup Finals in Ulster this weekend

This weekend Letterkenny is the place to be, with five SFAI Skechers Regional Ulster Cup Finals taking place across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday night, Bonagee United and Keadue Rovers will battle it out for the U15 prize under lights in Dry Arch Park – KO 7:30pm.

Bonagee have beaten off the challenge of Ballyjamesduff and Cavan Shamrocks on their way to the final, while for Keadue, they had to overcome Carrick Rovers in their first game and then Carndonagh FC in their second tie.

On Saturday, the action begins with Carrick Rovers taking on Carndonagh FC in the U12 competition in the Aura Centre – KO 12 noon.

Both sides come into the final in good form in the competition, having scored well in the previous three rounds, and it promises to be a very competitive tie.

Later in the day it is the turn of the U16s, and Carrick Rovers are again involved, this time taking on Letterkenny Rovers in Leckview Park – KO 2:30pm.

As with all the finals, this one should be very competitive, and the game will bring a close to the second day in Letterkenny.

On Sunday morning it will be the turn of the U13s, with Illistrin facing Carndonagh in Ballyare – KO 11am.

Illistrin have made it to the final after wins over Carrick Rovers and close a fought victory over Kilmacrennan Celtic, while for Carndonagh, wins against Cavan Shamrocks, Cappry Rovers and Cockhill Celtic have secured their place in Sunday’s Final.

Ballyare will play host to both ties on Sunday, with the U14 final between Lagan Harps and Cavan Shamrocks kicking off at 1:30pm.

Among the wins for Lagan on the road to the final was a penalty shootout victory over Cappry Rovers, while for Cavan Shamrocks, lots of goals saw them overcome the likes of Monaghan United and Kilmacrennan Celtic.

Entry to all games will be €3 – with all monies raised going to Donegal Downs Syndrome Association.

U15 SFAI SKECHER CUP FRI 23rd NOV
Bonagee Utd v Keadue Rovers 7-30pm
Dry Arch Pk, Letterkenny

U12 SFAI SKECHERS CUP SAT 24th NOV
Carndonagh FC v Carrick Rvs NOON
Aura Centre, Letterkenny

U16 SFAI SKECHERS CUP SAT 24th NOV
Letterkenny Rvs v Carrick Rvs 2-30pm
Leckview Pk, Letterkenny

U13 SFAI SKECHERS CUP SUN 25th NOV
Illistrin FC v Carndonagh FC 11am
Ballyare, Letterkenny

U14 SFAI SKECHERS CUP SUN 25th NOV
Lagan Harps v Cavan Shamrocks 1-30pm
Ballyare, Letterkenny.

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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.

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SFAI Subway Championship 2018/19 officially launched

The SFAI Subway Championship and Plate competition was officially launched recently at Subway’s store in Milfield, Balbriggan.

Joined by young players from Balbriggan FC and volunteers from the North Dublin Schoolboys League, SFAI Chairman John Earley thanked Subway for their continued support of schoolboy football in Ireland.

The competition for those playing U12, U13, U15 and U16 football offers representative teams from all 32 schoolboy leagues across Ireland the opportunity to compete on both a provincial and national stage.

Subway’s support over the past three years has seen the Subway Championship grow considerably in terms of the level of competition, with the SFAI Subway Plate introduced last year.

Teams now get more games to help them develop, with the likes of Longford, Cavan/Monaghan, Kilkenny, Mayo, WWEC and Athlone reaching Plate finals last season.

Speaking at the event recently, SFAI Chairman John Earley highlighted the importance of the SFAI Subway and Championship Plate, noting Subway’s sponsorship and their appetite to see schoolboy football develop further in Ireland.

He said: “We are delighted with Subway’s support over the last three years, and we look forward to working alongside them in the years to come.”

He continued:”The Subway Championship has always been very competitive, and continues to be, but we wanted to provide more games for our leagues representative teams when the group stages have finished.

“Subway helped us develop the Plate competition and it was a huge success last season, and it is that success we want to build upon in the future.”

Subway have also provided kits for league representative sides, this year the U16 group will be the lucky recipients, while the SFAI have been working with the FAI to deliver coaching courses specifically designed for those coaching SFAI Subway teams.

With over 100 league representative teams at four age groups taking part in the SFAI Subway Championship and Plate this season, the competition will see finals in February and May.

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First SFAI Subway Coaches course takes place in Cork

The SFAI, in conjunction with the FAI Coach Education Department, held the first of a number of courses aimed at SFAI Subway Coaches in Cork Wednesday 10th October.

Designed and delivered by the FAI’s Rob Sweeney, coaches from a number of leagues attended, with three key areas covered.

Further courses will take place in Dublin (17th October) and Galway (24th October), while discussions are ongoing to host further courses around the country.

For more information, current and past SFAI Subway Coaches should contact niall.oregan@fai.ie

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FEATURED: Highlights from Freebooters v New Ross Town U15 SFAI Skechers National Cup

This week the SFAI travelled to Kilkenny for the U15 SFAI Skechers National Cup clash between Freebooters and New Ross Town.

The visitors were making their debut in the competition this season, having never entered before, and they navigated their way through the opening round when they overcame another debutant, Slievenamon Celtic.

In their second round tie against Freebooters they showed well for periods but the homeside always looked like the team that would make the breakthrough.

They had to wait, however, until the final minutes to get their nose in front, and they then doubled their advantage soon after to seal the victory and their place in the third round.

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Kilmacrennan Celtic and St Kevin’s Boys kick off huge weekend of Skechers National Cup action

The SFAI Skechers National Cup continues this weekend, with a huge number of ties taking place across the country.

In the Ulster region the action got underway on Thursday evening when Kilmacrennan Celtic beat Bonagee Untied 2-1 to advance to round three of the U13 Ulster region competition.

Others including Ballyraine and Illistrin will contest games on Saturday, while in the DDSL region, St Kevin’s Boys kicked off the weekend on Thursday night when their Saturday side took on their Sunday team in the U12 competition.

The DDSL sees a full list of fixtures at all ages, as is the case in Cork and North Leinster, while in other regions such as the South West, South East and Connacht, ties at alternative ages will be played.

As always, if you are attending a game this weekend please feel free to update us with scores, results, team pictures and videos as the games unfold.

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SFAI Subway Championship 2018/19 competition kicks off

The much anticipated start to the SFAI Subway Championship is almost here, with a host of games taking place this weekend.

This season the U13s and U15s are up first, and there is no shortage of great games to look forward to.

Munster, as is so often the case, will be highly competitive, and the U13s are split into two groups, with Limerick Desmond, North Tipperary, Limerick County, Limerick District, Kerry and Clare making up group one.

Group two sees Cork, Waterford, West Cork, WWEC and South Tipperary battle it out, with the top two in each group moving on to the provincial championship semi-finals, while the remaining teams will move into the plate competition.

There are plenty of notable ties this weekend, including Clare v Kerry, Limerick District v Limerick County and Cork v Waterford.

In Leinster it will be equally as interesting at U13 level, as the SDFL, Carlow, Wicklow, NECSL and Drogheda do battle in Group One and Wexford, Midlands, KDUL, DDSL, Kilkenny and the NDSL fight it out in Group Two.

The opening weekend of fixtures includes the KDUL visiting Abbotstown to play the DDSL, Wexford facing the Midlands, Drogheda taking on NECSL and Wicklow welcoming Carlow to Celtic Park.

Also in the U13 Subway Championship, the Connacht provincial competition will see two games taking place on Sunday, with Longford playing host to Mayo and RDYSL traveling to Athlone, while Galway are idle.

The Ulster competition will begin slightly later, with games beginning in that in October.

All confirmed fixture details for both the U13 and U15 competitions are available on SFAI.ie under ‘Subway Championship’.

 

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