Athlone Town to take part in new Women's National Under 17 League

Athlone Town have been granted a place in the new Women's National Under-17 League.

The new Continental Tyres Women's National Under-17 League is set to start in July 2018 and will be the first national underage women's league in Ireland.

Seven Continental Tyres Women's National League teams will be represented in the league with Wexford Youths, Peamount United, Shelbourne Ladies, UCD Waves, Galway United WFC, Cork City WFC and Limerick Women's all included.

Four additional teams have been awarded a place in the Women's National Under-17 League with Athlone Town, Greystones United, Donegal Women's League and Sligo Rovers set to complete the 11-team line-up.

The league will begin in mid-late July 2018 with a truncated season before the start of the first full season in March 2019. 

FAI Head of Women's Football Sue Ronan said: "This is another huge step forward for Women's football in Ireland. 

"The Gaynor Tournament continues to grow from strength to strength but it's important we look to strengthen our elite player pathway with the new National Under-17s League. The gap between the Women's National League and elite grassroots football is a big one so now the creation of this league will help breach that gap.

"By creating the Under-17 league, we'll be able to see more elite players from the Gaynor Tournament progress to the next stage of their development with the 11 sides positioned across the country. 

"The inclusion of Donegal Women's League, Greystones United, Athlone Town and Sligo Rovers is not just recognition for the great work these clubs are already doing in Women's Football but also recognition for the talent in these areas.

"We've seen all of these areas perform well in recent Gaynor Tournament's and it's important that we've got as many clubs around the country as possible to give everyone in Ireland a chance to play in the league."