Senior and U-20 All-Ireland winners set for club action

14 in-a-row the target for champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne

LADIES FOOTBALL is surfing the crest of a wave in Galway after the annexing of senior and U-20 All-Ireland titles in the space of a month. It was a magnificent double for the county and the fact that more than 60 players have added national medals to their CVs will add a layer of intrigue to the local Senior, Intermediate and Junior Football Championships which throw in around the county this weekend.

The Galleon Restaurant in Salthill have once again come on board as sponsors and the vast majority of opening round ties take place on Saturday with a small number down for Sunday. Visit https://galwaylgfa.sportlomo.com for up-to-date fixture times.

SENIOR

Senior sees the eight participating clubs split into two groups of four in a seeded format. Semi-finalists from 2025 were pooled together in Senior A with the remaining four starting off in Senior B.

Reigning 13 in-a-row Galway, eight in-a-row Connacht and five in-a-row All-Ireland champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne are once again the most overwhelming of favourites. They're joined in Senior A by Claregalway, Salthill-Knocknacarra and Maigh Cuilinn. Corofin, Dunmore MacHales, Annaghdown and last season's Intermediate winners Caltra Cuans make up Senior B.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne's defence of the Fergal Tierney Cup starts at home to Claregalway and they can select no fewer than 11 members of Galway's 37-player senior panel. That includes three sets of sisters in Louise and Nicola Ward; Olivia, Siobhán and Niamh Divilly; and Lynsey, Hannah and Eva Noone. Add Aisling Madden, Ailish Morrissey and Katelyn Mee to that list, U-20 winner Aoibhinn Madden, plus a host of outstanding former and non-county players and it's the most formidable club team that ladies football has ever known.

Claregalway have been their closest challengers in recent times and include All-Ireland senior winners in goalkeeper Leah O'Halloran, centre half-forward Kate Slevin, plus sisters Chellene and Andrea Trill who both featured off the bench at the business end of the intercounty campaign.

Ellen Power, a regular starter for Galway before being introduced in the final, is the star turn on a Maigh Cuilinn side that will have home advantage in Baile Dóite against Kate Thompson's Salthill-Knocknacarra.

Corofin have two members from Galway's inside forward line in Róisín Leonard and two-goal final hero Leanne Coen. They travel to face a Dunmore MacHales outfit that has Sophie Healy in their ranks along with three U-20 winners in Katie Slattery, Isabelle Murray and Rebecca Noone.

Galway and Connacht Intermediate champions Caltra Cuans return to senior football with two members of Daniel Moynihan's extended panel in Maryanne Jordan and Aoife Ní Cheallaigh, both of whom were struck down by cruciate injuries last season. Caoimhe McCabe, Ellen Jordan, and Aisling and Saoirse Murray were all in Kevin Joyce's successful U-20 panel. They host an Annaghdown team spearheaded by the Quinn sisters, Brónagh and Ríona.

Format wise, three qualification spots are on offer from Senior A. They will advance to the semi-final stage along with the top team from the Senior B round-robin. The last four line-up sees first in Senior A play against first in Senior B, with the second and third-placed teams from Senior A also squaring off.

Senior B table toppers will be promoted to Senior A for 2027 with the bottom team in Senior A moving in the opposite direction. A standalone Senior B final will also be contested by the first and second-place finishers in the round-robin. Third and fourth in Senior B will go head-to-head in a relegation final to determine who gets demoted to Intermediate ranks.

INTERMEDIATE

There's no shortage of All-Ireland stars on show in this season’s Intermediate Football Championship. Galway captain Kate Geraghty and subs Aoife O'Rourke and Éabha Smith are the county seniors available to Tuam Cortoon, while they can also call on U-20 medal winners in Sarah Banks and Saoirse Melia. They start off at home to Naomh Anna Leitir Móir who have experienced Galway defender Sarah Lynch on board.

County senior panellist Siún McGovern is a key player for Division 2 League champions Bearna Na Forbacha and their opening round fixture is at home to recent All-Ireland Intermediate 7s winners Oughterard, the home club of All-Ireland U-20 winning captain Klara Banek.

Group 2 consists of reigning Galway and Connacht Junior champions Menlough-Skehan and St. Fursey's who include senior Aoife Molloy along with three U-20 final starters in Keeva Reynolds, Ava Heneghan and the prolific Alisha O'Malley. Also in the same group are St. Brendan's and a Naomh Mhuire side dropping down from Senior B that can call on Galway senior sub-'keeper Sacra Mannion and Hannah Mangan.

In an unchanged format ,the top two will qualify from each group. A seeding system is in operation with first-placed teams playing second at the semi-final stage. The competition winner will move up to Senior B next year. The bottom-placed team in each group will play off to decide who is relegated to Junior A.

JUNIOR A

The Junior A, B and C Football Championships follow the exact same format as Intermediate with eight participating clubs in each grade divided into groups of four before moving on to the knockout stages. A 'one up, one down' format is also in place across each Junior grade.

Clonbur, Claregalway B, Caherlistrane and Gráinne Mhaols are in Group 1. Group 2 consists of Glenamaddy-Williamstown, St. James', Salthill-Knocknacarra and a Monivea-Abbey side containing county senior panellist Darina Keane.

The first round pairings in Group 1 are Clonbur v Claregalway B and Caherlistrane v Gráinne Mhaols. In Group 2, it's Glenamaddy-Williamstown v St. James', and Salthill-Knocknacarra B v Monivea-Abbey.

JUNIOR B

Milltown's Shauna Hynes and fellow Brendan Martin Cup winners in Ballinasloe's Emma Mitchell and Micheál Breathnach's Shíofra Ní Scanláin are the county seniors involved in Junior B level. Galway U-20 goalkeeper Eadie Ryan plays her club football with Kilconly.

Kilconly, Micheál Breathnach, Ballinasloe and Kilkerrin-Clonberne B are in Group 1. In Group 2, it's Killannin, Mountbellew-Moylough, Annaghdown B and Milltown.

First round pairings: Kilconly v Micheál Breathnach, Ballinasloe v Kilkerrin-Clonberne B, Killannin v Mountbellew-Moylough, Annaghdown B v Milltown.

JUNIOR C

Junior C pits An Spidéal, An Cheathrú Rua, Cárna-Caiseal and Caltra Cuans B in Group 1. It's St. Mary's (Killererin), Tuam Cortoon B, Corofin B and Loughrea, who have Galway's third-choice 'keeper in Orla O'Connor, in Group 2.

First round pairings: An Spidéal v An Cheathrú Rua, Caltra Cuans B v Cárna-Caiseal, Loughrea v Corofin B, Tuam-Cortoon B v St. Mary's.