The League of Ireland SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division kick started the 2024 season on the 9th of March, 2024. 10 out of the 11 teams played their first games of the season.

The Ireland Women’s National Team has been performing well in the recent outings. The FIFA Women’s World Cup which took place in 2023 along with the upcoming Euro 2025 qualifications have ensured the focus stays on the Women’s football.

The League of Ireland and SSE Airtricity announced a rise in the overall prize money of €110,000 for the League of Ireland Women’s division , from €55,000 in 2023 & €20,000 in 2021. 

The 2024 season will witness 11 teams taking part in the league. A look at the winners of previous seasons:-

Peamount United, Shelbourne, Athlone Town, Galway United and recently launched Shamrock Rovers performed well in 2023. It will be interesting to see if there will be changes in the top half of the table by the end of this season. If the results of the game week 1 is considered as a prelude to the tough competition unfolding this season, then surely we might see the points table to get compact along with some movement of the teams in 2024.

The kit manufacturers and jersey sponsors play a vital role in ensuring that all the 11 teams have the much required additional support to get going in the league. The local Irish sports company O’Neills , which was founded in 1918 by Charles O’Neills, takes up the majority stake when it comes to the kit manufacturer for the teams.

Athlone Town FC has gone back to Nike after a gap of two years while Shelbourne FC has joined hands with O’Neills after 30 years. Balon is the other new entrant in 2024 , supporting the DLR Waves team. Jako, Joma, UhlSport, Adidas, Umbro complete the list.

The main jersey sponsors for 2024:-

The USA based Valeo Futbal have made a strategic move to tap the Ireland football market. They have partnered up with Athlone Town FC . There are only a handful of changes in the main jersey sponsor for 2024. DLR County Council logo appeared on the 2024 DLR Waves jersey. The county council has been supporting the local club in their footballing journey. Wexford Youth FC team jersey could be seen with Mac’s in front of their jersey (this along with The Talbot Hotel, Capmion Insurance and Pettitt’s Supervalu as their shirt sponsors) and Treaty United can be seen with sponsor Dawn International Ltd also on the jerseys in their recent pictures.

In addition to the main jersey sponsors, there are a lot of companies , a majority of them being local Irish companies, who are supporting the clubs by taking the sleeve sponsor spots, branding opportunities inside the stadium, etc. Another unique sponsorship seen in the LOI Women’s League is the player specific sponsorship.

The stadiums hosting the respective clubs are seeing an increased footfalls for the Women’s league games. This is an indication of the steady increase of fan following for the league.

The season which kick started last week will go on for the next 8 months with the final Game week to be play by mid October 2024.

The Football Association of Ireland has been active in enhancing the overall experience around the Men’s and Women’s games domestically and internationally. This along with the new pathway programs to improve the grassroots level football has shown that the focus is to bring about a 360 degree augmentation of the footballing ecosystem.

The players in League of Ireland Women’s Division will be hoping to get more support and coverage in this season. With the national team scheduled to play their Euro qualifying games against England, Sweden and France, there will be spotlight on the young as well as experienced talents playing the LOI Women’s league.

The Ireland Women’s national team players are playing in Women’s Super League in England, National Women’s Soccer League in the USA and other international leagues. The route for young players is promising with recent example of Manchester City signing Tara O’Hanlon from Peamount United.

The partnership of Valeo Futbal with Athlone along with the investment of Canadian investment group led by Tricor Pacific Capital in Treaty United FC shows the interest coming from North America to the League.

2024 looks to be an exciting season for LOI Women’s Premier Division. The prize money has doubled, overall reach has increased however there is still a long way to go. The opportunities for players to showcase their prowess as well for brands associated with the league is going to be amazing. The League can definitely has the potential to compete to become one of the best in Europe.

The fixture of 2024 is available. This along with the All Island Cup will give game time and experience for the players, managers.

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(Images and logos: Courtesy League of Ireland brand collateral)