Fair Play to the Girls
12 August 2009
7th Annual Carrickfergus International Ladies Football Festival a great success.
The week of the 28th July to 1st August witnessed some excellent footballing skills as Carrick Rangers FC hosted the 7th Annual Carrickfergus International Ladies Football Festival, with more than 130 sporting women taking to the pitches at Taylors Avenue and Haslett Park to bring a whole new dimension to ‘the beautiful game’.
These girls were doin’ it for themselves and the battle for the honours and the silverware were tougher than ever before with record team entries from some of the strongest female teams around. The Carrickfergus International Ladies Football Festival attracts some of the top teams and budding stars of women’s football from across Europe, competing for honours and building credibility for a sport which has traditionally been male dominated.
The ladies certainly called time on the outmoded idea that the only women who have an interest in football or footballers are WAGs and as soccer fans from across Northern Ireland came along to enjoy the sporting spectacle they were able to see for themselves how women are tackling this last male sporting bastion.
With five teams from outside of Northern Ireland competing in the competition, the pressure was on for local teams to keep the main cup at home for the 2nd consecutive year. However after hard fought matches against teams that had recently returned from Europe, the Festival Cup was won by Keynsham Town Ladies FC from Bath in England. Last years Cup winners, local team, Crusaders Newtownabey Strikers, did however manage to secure a place in the Plate final against Northside United from Limerick and win with a goal in the last five minutes.
Famously known as the Beautiful Game, the 5 a side competitions were this year sponsored by Rayz Beauty Salon, which has recently opened in the Joymount area of Carrickfergus. Again a record number of entries saw 28 five a side teams compete in the Under 12, Under 14 and Senior competitions adding to the atmosphere and anticipation of the Cup and Plate finals on Saturday 1st August.
With the dust barely settled on the 2009 festival, organisers are already in discussions for plans for the 2010 Carrickfergus International Ladies Football Festival - dates will soon be announced on the Carrickfergus Borough Council website.
Competition Winners
Festival Cup Final:
Keynsham Town Ladies FC (Eng) 2 v 1 Irish Universities (ROI)
Festival Plate Final
Crusaders Newtownabey Strikers (NI) 2 v 1 Northside United (ROI)
Under 12 Five a Side
Linfield Girls (winners) v Crusaders Newtownabey Strikers
Under 14 Five a Side
USA(winners) v Foyle Girls
Senior Five a Side
Mid Ulster Ladies (winners) v USA Seniors
To view more pics from the football tournament, visit our Gallery
For further information please contact:
Christine Barnhill
Telephone: 028 9335 8051
E-Mail: barnhillc@carrickfergus.org
Web: http://www.carrickfergus.org
