The 2026 League of Ireland season will feature a new Women's Development League, with all 12 current SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division clubs to field Under-23 teams, joined by 10 clubs currently participating in the EA SPORTS LOI Academy Development Programme.
The endeavour, which is endorsed by UEFA as part of their Women's League Development Fund, will also afford clubs in the Academy Development Programme the opportunity to create senior teams for the first time.
The 10 clubs joining the Women’s Development League as senior teams are Bray Wanderers, CK United, Cobh Ramblers, Drogheda United, Dundalk, Finn Harps, Kerry, Longford Town, Mayo and St Patrick’s Athletic.
The Development League will remain part of the EA SPORTS LOI Academy Development Programme but will replace the current EA SPORTS Women’s U19 League.
It is hoped that the Women’s Development League will help to strengthen the player pathway by providing more opportunities for players to compete at senior level and enable the players to continue to play at a national level beyond the age of 19.
The format will see each team play 20 games in their respective groups, facing every other team both home and away.
Teams will compete for a spot in the knockout stages, with the ultimate champion to be crowned in the Development League final.
There will be no promotion or relegation to the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division in the inaugural season. However, FAI officials stated that this will be reviewed at a later date, allowing the league to establish itself in its first year.
In addition to the new league format, the 10 new senior clubs will also enter the expanded Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup in the first round, providing them with more opportunities for competitive play.
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