Athlone Town to renew rivalry with Shels in President’s Cup clash
Athlone Town women’s team will be aiming to win the President’s Cup for the third year in a row when they face Shelbourne in this Saturday’s curtain raiser to the 2025 season.
With Athlone having won the President’s Cup on home soil for the past two years, Shelbourne will have home advantage for the fixture on this occasion with kick-off at Tolka Park at 3pm.
A very keen rivalry has developed between Athlone and Shelbourne over recent years, with Athlone edging out Shels for the league title last season, and the Dublin outfit inflicting a heavy defeat on the Midlanders in the Women’s FAI Cup final.
With Athlone the defending Women’s Premier Division champions, an exciting season beckons and Athlone also have the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers to look forward to this summer.
Athlone’s first game in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division is at home to Wexford on Saturday, March 8 (kick-off 4.45pm).
The Midlanders will have former Athlone Town player Colin Fortune in charge this season (assisted by another well known local sporting figure, Gordon Brett) following the departure of Ciarán Kilduff to Dundalk.
Defending the league crown won’t be easy, especially with highly rated goalkeeper Katie Keane and key defender Jesi Rossman having departed for pastures new, while last season’s successful captain Laurie Ryan is also not in the squad.
On the positive side, Madison Gibson, Roisin Molloy and Kellie Brennan are among those who rejoined for the 2025 season, along with local stars Kayleigh Shine and Hazel Donegan.
The acquisition of Izzy Groves from London City Lionesses has caught the eye, while the signing of Ireland underage international Kelly Brady could prove to be a shrewd piece of business.
Athlone will be looking for young players to play a more prominent role this season, such as Hazel Donegan, Isabel Ryan, Lucy Fitzgerald, Emma Mooney and Ciara O’Neill.
If Athlone native Chloe Singleton and Kerryanne Brown can make full recoveries from long-term injuries, then Fortune will get two quality players back around the midway part of the season. For now, the focus will be on making a strong start to the campaign - with the President’s Cup clash the first challenge.