The Sports Direct Women’s Premiership in Northern Ireland kicks-off again this Sunday.
Interest and excitement surrounding the tournament have never been higher, with a 66 percent rise in attendances over the past twelve months.
More than 15,000 fans attended games during the 2023 campaign.
Viewership of online match highlights also reached a record 1.3 million last season, and with more games being broadcast live this year, it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
“The excitement has been building for months, and we’re finally ready to kick off another eagerly anticipated Sports Direct Women’s Premiership season,” said Gerard Lawlor, NIFL Chief Executive.
“The league has been constantly growing and has now become one of the biggest female sporting competitions here, so we are committed to continuing that growth and increasing our audience to provide fans with more access than ever to the abundance of talent on show across all our clubs.”
“After a successful first year sponsoring the Sports Direct NIFL Women’s Premiership, we are excited and looking forward to kicking the new season off this weekend,” added Leonard Brassel, Managing Director, Sports Direct Ireland.
Glentoran Women enjoyed a remarkable 2023 season, going unbeaten throughout the campaign to bring the Sports Direct Premiership trophy back to East Belfast last October.
The Glens start the defence of their title at home to Crusaders this Sunday (5th May) at their new home of Blanchflower Stadium, whilst title-rivals Cliftonville start away to Mid Ulster Ladies at Stangmore Park.
Newly promoted Lisburn Rangers first taste of top-flight football is away to the Brandywell to face Derry City Women, and Larne Women host Lisburn Ladies on the opening day – with Linfield Women starting their league season the following Friday (10 May) against Lisburn Ladies.
Sports Direct enjoyed a first season of football sponsorship on both sides of the border last year, supporting the Sports Direct FAI Cups for Men and Women as well, all the way through to a sold out Aviva Stadium for the Men’s final in November and Athlone Town’s win in the Women’s Cup at Tallaght Stadium the following week.
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