PREVIEW: 2023 LADIES’ FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Who will emerge from the chasing pack and emerge as this year’s winner of the Ladies’ Footballer of the Year award sponsored by Encirc?

Some brilliant footballers have received the award in recent years. Moneyglass’s Orlaith Prenter landed last year’s trophy while Donaghmoyne’s Cathriona McConnell took the plaudits for 2021.

Others named in recent times include Termon’s shooting star Geraldine McLaughlin, Shannon McQuaid of St Macartan’s and a certain Armagh attacker by the name of Aimee Mackin – twice – for her scoring exploits with Shane O’Neill’s.

There are a swathe of contenders to pick up the prize at this year’s ceremony, which will be held on Friday week at the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan.

Clann Éireann had a historymaking year, winning the Ulster Senior Ladies Championship under the watchful eye of Greg McGonigle, who is nominated for our Ladies’ Manager of the Year award.

They’ve got five players on our Ladies Team of the Year selection, namely Armagh skipper Clodagh McCambridge, an absolute rock at the back, influential half-backs Roisin Mulligan and Caite Towe, top midfielder Niamh Coleman and their inspirational skipper Niamh Henderson.

Bredagh, beaten Ulster finalists, have two candidates for the individual prize – Orla Duffy, comfortably one of the finest exponents of defensive play in the province, and their ace score-getter Eva Hicks.

Steelstown came up trumps in the Intermediate ranks of Ulster and they have three girls on our final 15, that being Aoife McGough, promising youngster Dara McKeever and Orla McGeogh. They overcame Glenavy in the Ulster final, represented on our Ladies’ Team of
the Year by brilliant forward Grainne McLaughlin.

Then at junior level, it was an extraordinary season for the Lavey ladies, another Derry club. Their goalkeeper Niamh McKenna and forward Carla Collins are in the running for the big individual award, as is Ava Caulfield from Dungloe, who lost the Ulster Junior final by a
single point.