Junior League season set for radical change
The Waterford Junior League centenary.
The Waterford and District Junior League will enter a short season starting with the President’s Cup final between league champions Villa and cup champions Hibernians on August 1 with the new one-round campaign to begin on August 7.
It comes after clubs in the league voted in favour of a change to calendar football from 2025 with the short one-round season to be played in order to ensure games up to the end of November where there will be no relegation or promotion in the Premier Division for that short season.
With the FAI set to implement the playing of calendar football in 2026, the league committee gave the clubs the option of moving the season earlier in order to look at the optics ahead of the proposed changed. The option of a move back to the traditional winter season will also be looked at if required.
It comes after the weather played havoc with the fixture schedule last season with a number of leagues not finished to conclusion when they were won, but following a mammoth effort from clubs, players, referees and administrators, the season finished only a couple of weeks behind the same period last year.
The 2023/2024 season was a busy one for the league with the Centenary celebrations that saw the implication of the Presidents Cup, the release of a book written by Cian Manning, a centenary dinner dance before concluding with a celebratory awards night last weekend.
At the AGM of the league last week, it was revealed to clubs that the league are currently in the process at purchasing the grounds at Ozier Park, workLAB Connors Park – the home of Villa FC, and also Ben Wadding Park – the home of Bohemians over the coming months with more to follow on that in the future.
Commenting on the Centenary season just gone, league chairman Damien Tiernan said: “I would like to thank everybody who contributed to a brilliant season for our league. The league committee got through a trojan amount of work not just to get the season finished, but also with the many events to mark our centenary.
“As club delegates, you can be rightly proud of the part you all have played not just over the past year but over the past 100 years – especially those of you who were delegates back in 1924 and continue to represent your clubs.
“I want to thank you the clubs for everything ye have done to help and support us in our work, the referees for all their hard work and assistance, to the Schoolboys League, and Women’s League. We believe we have established really good working relationships with as we promised here last year with both bodies.” Tiernan continued: “We are very excited with the year ahead with delegates voted overwhelmingly 60 votes to 29 at the EGM to change our season to Calendar year football from 2025 Committee members have been working very hard and on the short season coming up to allow the change next year.”
“Committee members also working very hard with representatives of the Holy Ghost, with whom we have a lease for Ozier, Connors Park and Ben Wadding Park. We are in the process of organising the sale of the properties to the Waterford and District Junior League.
“We’ll have updates on the sale process as it happens and this will give security of ownership to the League for generations to come. This is another example of this committee not just looking back and celebrating the past but looking forward to the future footballers and footballing families.”
