Clubforce, the Irish business championing club volunteers, sponsored the Dublin and District Schoolboys’/Girls’ League (DDSL) Cup Finals 2022 recently in Dublin. Over 30,000 people came through the gates, exceeding all expectations. 6,000 adults attended the event with tickets processed online (through Clubforce) for the first time. The DDSL Clubforce Cup Finals 2022 was held at the AUL Complex for the first time since 2018. The event took place over the weekend Friday evening, May 13th, Saturday, May 14th, and Sunday, May 15th. There were a total of sixty-six finals played over three days.
Among the titles claimed, the DDSL was proud to announce its first-ever DDSL Girls Cup Finals at U11, U12, U13, and U14 which is significant in the DDSL’s history. It was the first step by the Dublin league to help retain and nurture schoolgirl football talent. The Clubforce Cup was played by the U13 Girls in a very close final between Peamount United and Stepaside FC on Pitch Three. The final score 3-1 to Peamount did not reflect the game played by the less experienced Stepaside who put up a very strong fight against the Peamount winners. Lilian Tobin demonstrated some undeniable talent in the Stepaside goal. Goal scorers were Sarah Reynolds for Peamount and Lucy Jordan for Stepaside. The cup was presented to Captain Chloe Doyle and the team of proud winners by Ian Morris, former DDSL player and professional football player.
Ian was recruited to Leeds United as a young DDSL schoolboy himself, aged 15, before playing at Scunthorpe United, Carlisle United, Chesterfield, Torquay United and Northampton Town in UK. Ian is a Key Account Executive at Clubforce.Player of the match was awarded to a deserving Laura Solomon, no doubt a Stepaside future star. She was presented the DDSL medal by Olivia O’Toole, Irish Football International, second only to Robbie Keane in the number of goals scored for Ireland (54).
Olivia O’Toole commented – “It’s time for girls to get the recognition they deserve in football. Now the schoolgirls have the opportunity to play in the DDSL, I’m looking forward to seeing more talent showcased and prepared for bigger and better things.”
George Victory, DDSL Secretary, said about the event – “Congratulations to Peamount and Stepaside on getting to the finals of the Clubforce Cup, we’re excited about the schoolgirl talent displayed today. We are committed to what we do at the DDSL. It was a first this year to go online with Clubforce. There was scepticism but we exceeded all expectations in terms of sales, we had 30,000 people come through the gates and 6,455 adult tickets sold. A massive success and big time saver.“
