The 2025 SFAI Gaynor Cup was the 14th edition of the premier underage inter-league competition for women's association football teams in Ireland. 24 inter-league representative teams from the Republic of Ireland entered, as well as three from Northern Ireland, South Belfast, the previous year's runners-up, Lisburn Castlereagh, and Derry, who were making their debut in the tournament. The competition began on 2 June 2025 with the group stage and concluded on 6 June 2025 with the Cup final. The tournament was staged at the University of Limerick, which had hosted the previous 11 editions. Limerick District won the Cup final, beating DDSL 1-0.
Format The competition consisted of 27 representative inter-league teams, split into 6 groups of 4 teams and one group of 3. Seeding is decided based on the team's finish the year before. The winner's of each group progressed into the Cup quarter-finals, with one team receiving a bye to the semi-final due to an uneven number of teams in the draw, the second-place team goes into the same stage of the Bowl competition, with one team receiving a bye to the semi-finals, as well as the third-place into the Shield, one team once again receiving a bye to the semi-finals, and the fourth place team enters into the Trophy, with two teams receiving a bye into the semi-final stage. Placement matches are played to determine each position for losing quarter and semi-finalists.
Games are played over two halves of 30 minutes, for a total of 60 minutes, with games in the knockout phase going straight to penalties, with the exception of the final, where games go to extra-time before penalties.
Pitches
The image (left) is the pitch layout detailed in the official Gaynor Cup programme. Pitches 1–4 are grass pitches, whilst Pitches 5–8 are AstroTurf. The pitches are located in the Maguire's Fields part of University of Limerick, and have staged the SFAI Gaynor Cup and SFAI Kennedy Cup's since 2013 and 1993 respectively. The finals of each competition took place on either Pitch 1 or 2.
Teams Team Manager Captain Carlow Alan Smith Ellie MaherClare Daniel Doran Roisin Moloney Cork Steven Mulcahy Lily Sexton DDSL Kay McKenna Pixie Keddy & Hattie Farrell Derry Christy McGeehan Grace O'Neill Donegal John Frances Doogan Ava Greer Galway Shane Fitzgerald Kym McNulty Inishowen Alison McGonagle Aimee McLoughlin Kerry Danny Maguire Eabha Maguire Kildare Claire Murphy Katie Murphy Kilkenny Alan Condon Katie Mullins Limerick County Rory O'Connor Clodagh Hourigan Limerick Desmond Alan Faulkner Ciara Loftus Limerick District Donal Magee Grace Geary Lisburn Castlereagh Fiona Mooney Daisy Ferguson Longford Michael Nevin Lucy Mallon Louth Robbie Corr Maisie Ball Mayo John Butler Rheanna Hoban Midlands Henry Hilliard Ellie Buckley NERL Paddy Allen Lucia Kelliher North Tipperary Paul Hearty Zoe Nash Roscommon David Brady Katie Dunleavy Sligo-Leitrim Aisling Herbert Sophie Herbert South Belfast Aaron Agnew Lara Longridge Tipperary South John Cremins Niamh Dunphy Waterford Lucinda Shrubb Maia Stokes Wexford Bernard Clancy Emma Fitzpatrick
Group Stage The draw for the group stage was done on 26th May 2025 on the SFAI Facebook page. The team finishing in the top position in each of the seven groups progress to the Cup, while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th (if applicable), advance to the Bowl, Shield and Trophy respectively. Three points were awarded for a win, with one for a draw and none for a defeat.
All times are local, BST (UTC+1).
In the following tables: Pld = total games played W = total games won D = total games drawn (tied) L = total games lost GF = total goals scored (goals for) GA = total goals conceded (goals against) GD = goal difference (GF−GA) Pts = total points accumulated
Tiebreakers Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in all group matches; Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goals scored in all group matches;
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 4 had 3 teams due to there being an uneven number of teams in the competition.
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Knockout stage In the knockout stage, if a match was level at the end of regular time (two periods of 30 minutes), it was immediately followed by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner, with the exception of each final, where two ten-minute periods of extra-time were mandated.
Cup Path The draw for the Cup path quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on the evening of 3 June, after the end of the group stage. One team, Roscommon were drawn to have a bye to the semi-finals, with the remaining six teams drawn into three quarter-finals. Bracket
Quarter-finals
5/6/7 Play-offs The three losing quarter-finalists, Waterford, Mayo and Wexford all played each other for the 5th, 6th and 7th places.
Semi-finals The 3 winning quarter-finalists advanced to the semi-final stage, joining Roscommon, who had advanced automatically with a bye. The draw for the semi-finals was conducted immediately after the quarter-final draw on 3 June.
Third place match
Final
Bowl Path The draw for the Bowl path quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on the evening of 3 June, after the end of the group stage. One team, Midlands were drawn to have a bye to the semi-finals, with the remaining six teams drawn into three quarter-finals. Bracket
Quarter-finals
12/13/14 Play-offs The three losing quarter-finalists, NERL, Limerick County and Kildare all played each other for the 12th, 13th and 14th places.
Semi-finals The 3 winning quarter-finalists advanced to the semi-final stage, joining Midlands, who had advanced automatically with a bye. The draw for the semi-finals was conducted immediately after the quarter-final draw on 3 June.
Tenth place match
Final
Shield Path The draw for the Shield path quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on the evening of 3 June, after the end of the group stage. One team, Sligo-Leitrim were drawn to have a bye to the semi-finals, with the remaining six teams drawn into three quarter-finals. Bracket
Quarter-finals
19/20/21 Play-offs The three losing quarter-finalists, Kilkenny, Carlow and Longford all played each other for the 19th, 20th and 21st places.
Semi-finals
Seventeeth place match
Final
Trophy Path Six teams entered the Gaynor Trophy, the six 4th place teams in the group stage. 2 teams, Derry and Clare, were handed a bye to the semi-final stage, with the remaining four contesting two quarter-finals. Bracket
Quarter-finals
26th place match The two losing quarter-finalists, Inishowen and Lisburn, played each other for 26th place.
Semi-finals
Twenty-fourth place match
Final With it being a final, and therefore having the possibility of going to extra-time, the game was 0–0 at full-time, and was therefore the only game in the tournament to go to extra time, with a Hillary AAdeniran goal winning it for Louth.
Statistics Goalscorers In total, 213 goals were scored, with two credited as own goals. Goals scored from penalty shoot-outs are not counted.
Ellie Byrne was awarded the Pádraig Hartnett Golden Boot for scoring six goals.
6 goals
Ellie Byrne (Wexford)
5 goals
Ava Hogan (Roscommon)
Leah Waters (Longford)
4 goals
Vittoria Tullia Pascolini (Waterford)
Isabella MacLeod (DDSL)
Emma Fitzpatrick (Wexford)
Niamh Dunphy (Tipperary South)
Nessa Kirby (Kerry)
Ellie Harty O’Brien (Galway)
Sophie Herbert (Sligo-Leitrim)
Anna O’Grady (Limerick Desmond)
3 goals
Saoirse Reynolds (Mayo)
Emily Carpenter (Carlow)
Mia Quille (Cork)
Maia Stokes (Waterford)
Kasey Deegan (DDSL)
Rhiann Nolan-Cantillon (Limerick District)
Matilda Carroll (Galway)
Cliodhna Martin (Galway)
Brooke Quirke (Kilkenny)
Jean O’Kane (Limerick Desmond)
2 goals
Tara McDaid (Donegal)
Laurie Finnegan (Midlands)
Zoe Nash (North Tipperary)
Kayla Costello (Roscommon)
Michela Moynihan (Cork)
Goda Gambickaite (Carlow)
Laura O’Mullane (Cork)
Ellie Cregan (Kerry)
Orlaith Flynn (Kerry)
Lily Codd (Waterford)
Kate Mannix (Waterford)
Faith Dawson (DDSL)
Amy Nash (Cork)
Kate Mc Ging (Mayo)
Erin O’Connor (Limerick County)
Alannah Daly (Kerry)
Lillian Slattery (Kerry)
Mairead Mulkerins (Galway)
Ava Gallagher (Galway)
Siun Cullinan (Galway)
Lavena Fogarty (Kilkenny)
Madison Deane (North Tipperary)
Susan Martin-Vaquero (Sligo-Leitrim)
Sonyia Vijandra (Limerick Desmond)
Rosie Fox (Louth)
Michaela Sexton (Clare)
Hillary Adeniran (Louth)
Emily McLaughlin (Inishowen)
Neasa Reidy (Limerick Desmond)
1 goals
Niamh Morrish (DDSL)
Roise Dorgan (NERL)
Siofra Curley (NERL)
Zoe McNamara (Limerick District)
Sarah Connolly (Longford)
Paige Morgan (Limerick District)
Aoife Grant (Limerick District)
Grace Geary (Limerick District)
Sarah Hayes (Limerick District)
Anna Meaney (Limerick District)
Tara Hanrahan (North Tipperary)
Aoibhinn Cregg (Roscommon)
Ciara Hilliard (Midlands)
Isabel Mooney (Midlands)
Ellie Buckley (Midlands)
Moya Kilmartin (Midlands)
Aizea Keane (Clare)
Anna Madigan (Clare)
Hailee Tanner (North Tipperary)
Lauren Gunning (Roscommon)
Leah O’Donoghue (Kildare)
Amy Martin (Kildare)
Kayla Coade Flynn (Wexford)
Farrah Madigan (Tipperary South)
Ellie Malone (Louth)
Anna May Lynch (Tipperary South)
Arina Sucaci (Kerry)
Ella Callaghan (Inishowen)
Grainne Keogh (Carlow)
Natalia Deka (Carlow)
Isabelle O’Connor (Kerry)
Adah Gill (Inishowen)
Clodagh Hourigan (Limerick County)
Roisin Farrell (Limerick County)
Clara Cullinan (Waterford)
Willow McMorrow (Sligo-Leitrim)
Teagan Fallon (Sligo-Leitrim)
Ruby Hallinan (Waterford)
Aoibhe Galvin (DDSL)
Amelia Tobin (Wexford)
Fiadh Daly (Wexford)
Aisha Samadi (Wexford)
Molly Dooling (Mayo)
Lily-Rose Noonan (Limerick District)
Daisy Fleming (DDSL)
Aoife Madden (Cork)
Fia Comerford (Cork)
Ava Hickey (NERL)
Lily Byrne (NERL)
Ava Harty (Kerry)
Alice O’Connor (Kerry)
Lia Nolan (Kildare)
Caoimhe Buckley (Limerick County)
Holly Grennan (Midlands)
Doireann Scully (Tipperary South)
Mairead Mullins (Galway)
Katie Brogan (Galway)
Emma Walsh (Kilkenny)
Abby Magowan (South Belfast)
Sophie Nelson (South Belfast)
Jenna McSherry (North Tipperary)
Aoibhe Meegan (Kilkenny)
Kate Murphy (Carlow)
Amy Lateef (Donegal)
Ellie Fegan (South Belfast)
Darcy Grayson (South Belfast)
Emilie Sylvester (South Belfast)
Aoife Conlon (South Belfast)
Ellen McLaughlin (Inishowen)
Rhia Smith (Lisburn)
Maisie Ball (Louth)
Aimee McLaughlin (Inishowen)
Elise Vang (Limerick Desmond)
Own goals
Roscommon-Rebecca Greene (against Cork)
Louth-Mia van der Westhuizen (against Derry)
Final standings
Broadcasting About 50% of the games were live-streamed on the SFAI YouTube channel, with cameras on Pitch 1, Pitch 2 and Pitch 6. The games on Pitch 1 were accompanied with commentary. The coverage was provided by Full Time Productions. Clips were also posted on the SFAI Facebook page.
Aftermath In the wake of the tournament, and with the Kennedy Cup to follow the next week, the SFAI YouTube channel was mass reported and taken down by YouTube, along with all of the livestreams and video clips housed on that channel. A documentary about the tournament's winners, Limerick District, along with the Kennedy Cup, was announced to have been filmed and was being produced, due to be released in 2026.
References