DON Hurley is hopeful the reintroduction of the West Cork League (WCL) U18 League will go from strength to strength.
Five clubs have signed up to this season’s shortened U18 league – Ardfield, Beara United, Bunratty United, Castlelack and Drinagh Rangers – though the plan is to roll out an extended version when the new WCL season kicks off in September.
‘We have done well to get five teams involved for this season, which will be short with each team playing home and away games,’ explains Don Hurley, the current WCL Vice-chairman who is also involved with the Drinagh Rangers team.
‘A lot of these players have a lot of other commitments between the West Cork League, the West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League and other sports, so we are conscious of that. We are getting games played, which is great, and the big hope is to start a full season in September when the new West Cork League season starts, and then be able to run a longer league.’
There are many benefits to running an U18 league in West Cork soccer, Hurley explains, and chief among them is how it can bridge the gap between underage soccer and junior soccer, and by doing that keep players involved.
‘The biggest value of the U18 league is that it helps close the gap from players playing at U16 level and then playing with adults at junior level,’ Hurley says.
‘This is to keep players playing the game. When players reach the age of 16 and play U16 in the West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League, and then the gap is too big to move on to junior soccer, they could end up giving up the game – and nobody wants that.
‘If anything, we want more players playing the game and we all know about the benefits of sport and keeping young people involved in sport for as long as possible. We don’t want to see players stop playing at 16.
‘Even for players who do play junior soccer regularly, this is a chance to play with their friends and people of their own age.’
The West Cork League ran an U19 league up until the 2023 but it was shelved the following season due a lack of numbers. The hope is that WCL clubs can see the short-term and long term benefits of fielding U18 teams so more will sign up for the 2025/26 campaign.
‘Hopefully we will get more clubs involved and make this U18 league stronger. There was a time when you had eight or ten clubs playing in a league at this age group and it would be great for the West Cork League if we can reach that level again,’ Hurley adds.
