#DanskeWomensPrem: Reigning champions Glentoran begin with narrow win
#DanskeWomensPrem: Reigning champions Glentoran begin with narrow win Photo: NIFL
The eagerly awaited Danske Bank Women’s Premiership 2021 season kicked off on Wednesday evening with all six top-flight sides in action.
Glentoran began their defence of the league title with a hard-fought victory at home to Belfast rivals Crusaders, but the title favourites had to wait over an hour to break the deadlock.
Teenage midfielder Danielle Maxwell – one of the league’s multiple Northern Ireland international stars – opened the scoring in the 65th minute with a finish at the back post.
Last year’s runners-up Linfield got off to an impressive start with a comfortable 3-0 victory at home to Sion Swifts Ladies with striker Alison Smyth netting a brace.
Goals for NI senior women as the Women’s Premiership season begins
The eagerly awaited Danske Bank Women’s Premiership season kicked off on Wednesday evening with all six top-flight sides in action.
Glentoran Women began their defence of the league title with a hard-fought victory at home to Belfast rivals Crusaders, but the title favourites had to wait over an hour to break the deadlock.
Teenage midfielder Danielle Maxwell - one of the league’s multiple Northern Ireland international stars - opened the scoring in the 65th minute with a finish at the back post.
Last year’s runners-up Linfield Ladies got off to an impressive start with a comfortable 3-0 victory at home to Sion Swifts Ladies with striker Alison Smyth netting a brace.
Senior women’s futsal team prepare for Euro qualifiers in Lithuania
Northern Ireland’s senior women’s futsal team are gearing up for three Euro qualifiers in Lithuania next month.
Team boss Keith Gibson has put together an 18-strong training squad ahead of the three matches which will be whittled down to 12 before his team travel to eastern Europe.
The matches from 5-8 May against Lithuania, Slovakia and top seeds Serbia are in Group A of the preliminary round of the UEFA European Women’s Futsal Championship 2022.
The winners of three Women’s Futsal Euro preliminary rounds next month (postponed from May 2020) will advance to a main round in October, joining 13 teams given byes. From the main round four teams will emerge for a four-team knockout final tournament in March next year.
Euro 2022: Northern Ireland s part-time players with full-time dreams
By Chris Andrews
image copyrightGetty Images
After a whirlwind week, Northern Ireland s senior women s team are still coming to terms with their greatest achievement - qualification for next year s Euro 2022 finals
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For many observers, it is an underdog success story.
A squad made up of healthcare staff, teachers, shop workers, civil servants, students and more, all striving to play at the highest level, all making sacrifices to chase their dreams.
On Tuesday, when the final whistle went in the play-off against Ukraine, it was all worth it.
BBC News NI has been speaking to four members of the team about their lives away from football, how they deal with the work-life-football balance and how it feels to return to some kind of normality after Tuesday s triumph.