One season ends, a new one begins

THE SuperValu West Cork Schoolboys League will kick-off a brand-new season at the end of April and run league, cup and shield tournaments until November 2019.

Abiding by new SFAI rules, the WCSL is moving to the new March-November season a year ahead of every other schoolboys league in the country coming into line in 2020. West Cork’s decision to run a mini-season between September and March has now concluded.

Starting a little later than anticipated, a new 2019 WCSL campaign is tentatively scheduled to kick off before the end of April involving the U12, U13, U14, U15 and U16 age-groups. Similar league structures to the previous mini-season will be utilised once again, with SuperValu cup and shield knockout tournaments also making welcome returns.

The structure of the new campaign sees the SuperValu U12 Premier League being contested by six clubs, U12 Division 1A by eight and U12 Division 1B by nine different teams. Six clubs will take part in both the U13 Premier and Division 1 Leagues. A similar structure and number of competing teams will contest the U14 Premier and Division 1 leagues.

This coming season’s SuperValu U15 Premier and U16 Premier League will involve six and eight teams respectively. All leagues will be played on a home and away basis apart from U12 Division 1B, where each side plays one another once before a first versus second clash for the title.

It is the dawn of a new and exciting era for schoolboys’ football in West Cork, which will no doubt prove challenging but ultimately rewarding for hundreds of schoolchildren playing on better pitches and in warmer weather conditions.

U12 – Premier League: Ardfield, Dunmanway Town, Lyre Rovers, Skibbereen Celtic, Bunratty United, Clonakilty AFC; Division 1A: Castlelack, Drinagh Rangers, Skibbereen AFC Phoenix, Kilmichael Rovers, Sporting Bantry Bay Rovers, Atletico Bantry Bay Rovers, Riverside Athletic, Lyre Rovers B; Division 1B: Beara United, Skibbereen AFC Dynamos, Skibbereen AFC Eagles, Dunmanway Town B, Togher Celtic, Riverside Athletic B, Bantry Bay Rovers C, Bantry Bay Rovers D, Sullane FC.

U13 – Premier League: Bantry Bay Rovers, Dunmanway Town, Lyre Rovers, Skibbereen AFC, Kilmichael Rovers, Drinagh Rangers; Division 1: Bunratty United, Sullane FC, Riverside Athletic, Bantry Bay Rovers B, Clonakilty AFC, Skibbereen AFC B (TBC).

U14 – Premier League: Ardfield, Bantry Bay Rovers, Bunratty United, Drinagh Rangers, Dunmanway Town, Castlelack; Division 1: Ardfield B, Togher Celtic, Lyre Rovers, Riverside Athletic, Beara United, Kilmichael Rovers.

U15 – Premier League: Ardfield, Bunratty United, Lyre Rovers, Riverside Athletic, Castlelack, Drinagh Rangers.

U16 – Premier League: Ardfield, Drinagh Rangers, Beara United, Dunmanway Town, Skibbereen AFC (TBC), Lyre Rovers, Sullane, Bantry Bay Rovers.