The success of Irish teams competing in Women’s sport continued last night with the progress of Raheny United to the knockout stages of the European Women’s Champions’ League.
This is the second time in three years, and indeed the second time in history that an Irish club has made it to the last 32 of the premier competition in Europe.
Peamount United qualified prior to the establishment of the Women’s National League but lost 5-0 on aggregate to Paris St Germain.
Raheny could face the same side, Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool or Wolfsburg when the draw is made on Friday 22nd August for matches to be played in October.
Clare Shine was to the four scoring three of the last four goals that secured Raheny’s qualification from the group stage. She features prominently in coverage on the main UEFA website where the Women’s qualifying is second only to the appointment of new Italian manager Antonio Conte.
“It’s a great achievement and I don’t think the girls actually realise the enormity of what they have done,” said manager Casey McQuillan.
“They have worked very hard to do this and they were determined to win the final group match and finish on maximum points.”
Sponsorship of the Women’s Champions’ League mirrors that of the Men’s with brands such as Heineken and Mastercard to the fore, and is indicative of the huge strides that Women’s soccer is making in Europe and around the world.
Earlier this summer, Ireland laid down a marker for the role that our women can play in that future when beating England and Spain en route to the semi final stage of the U19 European Championships.
The new domestic season gets underway on Saturday, August 24th and a new sponsor will be unveiled at the League launch next Wednesday, August 20th. Raheny United themselves are sponsored by eFlow who have been strong and consistent supporters of Women’s and youth sport over that past three years.
Image credit Inpho.ie / Cathal Noonan
