2022 Women's National League (Ireland)
The 2022 Women's National League known as the SSE Airtricity WNL for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the 12th season of the Women's National League, the highest women's association football league in the Republic of Ireland since its establishment in 2011. Shelbourne are the defending champions, having won their second league title the previous season. Expansion team Sligo Rovers competed for the first time, bringing the league up to ten clubs.[2]
| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 March 2022 – 29 October 2022 |
← 2021 2023 → | |
Teams
| Team | Home town/suburb | Stadium | 2021 finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 7th |
| Bohemians | Dublin (Coolock) | Dalymount Park | 6th |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 8th |
| DLR Waves | Dún Laoghaire | UCD Bowl | 4th |
| Galway | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5th |
| Peamount United | Newcastle, South Dublin | Greenogue | 2nd |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 1st |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | NA |
| Treaty United | Limerick | Markets Field | 9th |
| Wexford Youths | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 3rd |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town |  Tommy Hewitt |
Laurie Ryan |
Nike | Palfinger |
| Bohemians | Sean Byrne |
Sinéad Taylor |
O'Neills | Premier Property Group |
| Cork City | Paul Farrell |
Becky Cassin |
Adidas | Jackie Lennox Chip Shop |
| DLR Waves | Graham Kelly |
Jessica Gleeson |
Jako | CDS - Clare Distribution Services |
| Galway | Stephen Lally |
Savannah McCarthy |
Acerbis | Só Hotels |
| Peamount United | James O'Callaghan |
Áine O'Gorman |
O'Neills | SPAR Kelly's Newcastle |
| Shelbourne | Noel King |
Pearl Slattery |
Umbro | Hamptons Homes |
| Sligo Rovers | Steve Feeney |
Emma Hansberry |
Joma | Avant Money |
| Treaty United | Don O'Riordan |
 Michaela Mitchell |
Umbro | None |
| Wexford Youths | Stephen Quinn |
Kylie Murphy |
Jako | Energia |
Format
The ten teams play each other three times, with a mid-season break from 12 June to 1 July 2022.[3]
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peamount United | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 12 | Qualification for the UEFA Women's Champions League |
| 2 | Shelbourne | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 9 | |
| 3 | Wexford Youths | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | |
| 4 | DLR Waves | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 7 | |
| 5 | Athlone Town | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | |
| 6 | Bohemians | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 4 | |
| 7 | Galway | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | |
| 8 | Sligo Rovers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 3 | |
| 9 | Cork City | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 | |
| 10 | Treaty United | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 |
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards.
Results
Matches 1–24
Teams play each other twice.
Matches 19–27
Teams play each other once.
Statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | References | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| March | |||
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| WNL Player of the Year | ||
| Young Player of the Year | ||
| WNL Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
| Defenders | ||||||||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||||
Broadcasting
In February 2021 the Football Association of Ireland announced that all WNL matches would be streamed free of charge on the new LOITV platform.[4]
See also
- 2022 FAI Women's Cup
References
- "SSE Airtricity extends title sponsorship of League of Ireland". The Irish Times. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- McDonnell, Daniel (10 December 2021). "Sligo Rovers to make step up to Women's National League for 2022 season". Irish Independent. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "SSE Airtricity Women's National League 2022 Season Fixture List" (PDF). Football Association of Ireland. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- "FAI announces new broadcast deals". Football Association of Ireland. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.