The Sports Direct NIFL Women’s Premiership’s new season begins on Sunday, with the league one of the fastest growing competitions in sport.
Interest and excitement surrounding the Sports Direct Women’s Premiership have never been higher, with a 66% rise in attendances over the past twelve months; over 15,000 fans attended top quality games during the 2023 campaign.
Viewership of online match highlights also reached a record 1.3 million last season, and with more games being broadcast live this year, it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
Gerard Lawlor, NIFL Chief Executive said: “The excitement has been building for months, and we’re finally ready to kick off another eagerly anticipated Sports Direct Women’s Premiership season!”
“The league has been constantly growing and has now become one of the biggest sporting competitions for females here, so we are committed to continuing that growth and increasing our audience to provide fans with more access than ever to the abundance of talent on show across all our clubs.”
Leonard Brassel, Managing Director, Sports Direct Ireland said: “After a successful first year sponsoring the Sports Direct NIFL Women’s Premiership, we are excited & looking forward to kicking the new season off this weekend.”
Glentoran enjoyed a remarkable 2023 season, going unbeaten throughout the campaign to bring the Sports Direct Premiership trophy back to East Belfast last October.
The Glens start the defence of their title at home to Crusaders this Sunday (5 May) at their new home of Blanchflower Stadium, whilst title-rivals Cliftonville start away to Mid Ulster at Stangmore Park.
Newly promoted Lisburn Rangers’ first taste of top-flight football is at Brandywell where they face Derry City, while Larne host Lisburn Ladies on the opening day – with Linfield Women starting their league season the following Friday (10 May) against Lisburn Ladies.
Sports Direct Women’s Premiership Matchday One
Sunday 5 May 2024
Derry City v Lisburn Rangers (3pm)
Larne v Lisburn Ladies (3pm)
Glentoran v Crusaders Strikers (4pm)
Mid Ulster v Cliftonville (5pm)
