| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Peamount United |
| UEFA Women's Champions League | Peamount United |
| Top goalscorer | Stephanie Roche (Peamount United): 24 |
| Biggest home win | Peamount United 13–0Castlebar Celtic |
| Biggest away win | Castlebar Celtic 0–9Peamount United |
| Highest scoring | Peamount United 13–0Castlebar Celtic |
2012–13 → | |
The2011–12 Women's National League season was the inaugural season of theWomen's National League. The season was sponsored byBus Éireann. Originally seven clubs were invited to join the league.[1][2] However shortly before the start of the seasonBray Wanderers/St. Joseph's pulled out due to a lack of competitive players. This left six teams –Peamount United,Castlebar Celtic,Cork Women's F.C.,Raheny United,Shamrock Rovers andWexford Youths – to play the inaugural season.[3]
The season began on 13 November 2011 with Wexford Youths and Castlebar Celtic drawing 2–2, Raheny United defeating Shamrock Rovers 5–0 andStephanie Roche scoring a hat-trick as Peamount United defeated Cork Women's F.C. 6–1. On 12 February 2012 Roche scored six goals as Peamount United defeated Castlebar Celtic 13–0 at home. The return fixture on 15 April saw Peamount United win 9–0 with Roche scoring another hat-trick. The final round of games was played on 22 April 2012.[4]
Peamount United were the inaugural champions, finishing three points clear of second placed Raheny United. They also completed a league double by winning theWNL Cup, defeating Shamrock Rovers 1–0 in the final on 6 May 2012.[5] Roche was the league's top goalscorer with 24 goals in the league itself plus two in the WNL Cup.[6] She scored the winner in the WNL Cup final.[7]Roche formed a "devastating" strike partnership withSara Lawlor who contributed 15 goals to Peamount United's league success. Lawlor was named Player of the Season at the inaugural end of season awards ceremony, whileEmma Hansberry of Castlebar Celtic won the Young Player of the Season.[8]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peamount United(C) | 15 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 66 | 17 | +49 | 36 | 2012–13 UEFA Women's Champions League |
| 2 | Raheny United | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 18 | +21 | 33 | |
| 3 | Cork Women's F.C. | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 20 | |
| 4 | Wexford Youths | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 20 | |
| 5 | Castlebar Celtic | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 57 | −27 | 13 | |
| 6 | Shamrock Rovers | 15 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 38 | −25 | 5 |
| Goals | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Stephanie Roche | Peamount United |
| 15 | Sara Lawlor | Peamount United |
| 13 | Emma Mullin | Castlebar Celtic |
| 8 | Rebecca Creagh | Raheny United |
| 8 | Siobhán Killeen | Raheny United |
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Linda Meehan | Peamount United | ||
| 2 | 2DF | Seana Cooke | Raheny United | ||
| 3 | 2DF | Louise Quinn | Peamount United | ||
| 4 | 2DF | Emma Farmer | Cork Women's F.C. | ||
| 5 | 2DF | Nicola Dunphy | Wexford Youths | ||
| 6 | 3MF | Rebecca Creagh | Raheny United | ||
| 7 | 3MF | Denise O'Sullivan | Cork Women's F.C. | ||
| 8 | 3MF | Emma Hansberry | Castlebar Celtic | ||
| 9 | 4FW | Sara Lawlor | Peamount United | ||
| 10 | 4FW | Rachel Jenkins | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 11 | 4FW | Stephanie Roche | Peamount United |
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