The remarkable growth of girls football in Northern Ireland is one of the defining success stories of the O’Neills Foyle Cup. Few clubs reflect that progress better than Lisburn Rangers Ladies.
More than one in four teams competing at this year’s tournament are girls’ sides, underlining both the continued rise of women’s football and the growing appeal of one of the world’s leading youth football competitions.
For Lisburn Rangers under-11 coach Claire McRoberts the tournament represents far more than a week of football. It is another important step in the development of young players who can see a genuine pathway from the club’s Academy through to its Women’s Premiership side.
The club’s senior team, who secured promotion from the Championship before establishing themselves in the topflight and going on to reach several knockout finals, culminating in winning the County Antrim Women’s Cup in 2025, have become role models for the next generation, inspiring young players to believe they can one day follow the same journey.
“The senior team are fantastic with all our girls and they really are such role models for them,” said Claire.
“They always get them involved in their matches, doing things like flag bearing and they come down to the girls’ training as well and get involved with them.
“It really is great to see and I know how much it means to the girls. The senior team are doing fantastic as well. Having won the Championship a couple of years ago they are now making their mark in the Premiership.
“They are a real inspiration for the girls coming through the Academy and it shows that there is a pathway for them.”
This week’s tournament offers Claire’s squad another opportunity to develop both on and off the pitch, with many of the players experiencing a week-long football tournament for the very first time.
While the focus will inevitably turn to results once the first whistle blows, the coach insists the experience itself is what matters most.
“The girls have maybe played in one-day tournaments in the past, but this is their first real taste of a week-long competition,” she explained.
“We’re staying up for the week, but it’s been really handy for us as we’re only coming from Lisburn, so there’s no long travel or anything.
“We have some big games this week and, although it might sound like a cliché, we’ll just take it one game at a time because we don’t really know what level we’ll be coming up against.
“It’s good for the girls to experience different teams and different styles of football. We’re coming here to enjoy it and create memories together rather than put pressure on ourselves to win anything.
“A lot of hard work has gone into raising the money to get us here too and that’s all part of the journey.”
Looking around the tournament this week Claire believes the opportunities now available to young girls are almost unrecognisable from when she was growing up.
She hopes that, by taking part in competitions such as the O’Neills Foyle Cup and seeing players from across Northern Ireland and beyond her squad will return home inspired to continue their own football journeys.
“It’s a brilliant experience for all the girls to be able to take part in the Foyle Cup,” she said.
“I know back in my day there was no way we could have done something like this.
“It’s fantastic to see how much the girls’ game has grown and to be able to give them opportunities that simply weren’t there before. Hopefully this is something they’ll remember for a very long time.”
A record 1,013 teams from across Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe and North America are competing across boys’, girls’ and disability categories from Under-8 to Under-19 level, with 3,942 matches taking place at more than 60 venues throughout Derry/Londonderry, Strabane, Limavady, Claudy, Greysteel, Coleraine, Dungiven, Castledawson, Inishowen and Donegal.
More than 200,000 spectators are expected to attend throughout tournament week, delivering a significant boost to the regional economy through tourism, hospitality, retail and visitor spending.
