CWSSL launches new 3v3 Football Skills Festival to promote girls’ game in Cork

A new showcase for Cork’s emerging girls footballers will take place this weekend when the CWSSL 3v3 Football Skills Festival is staged at the Virgin Media Park Indoor Dome in Ballyphehane on Sunday, November 23.

The event, open exclusively to CWSSL member clubs, will cater for players born between 2015 and 2019, giving hundreds of young girls a chance to sharpen their touch, show off their skills and play in a purpose-built indoor setting.

Run in partnership with Coerver Coaching Munster and the Full Circle Football Group, the event combines 3v3 games with a dedicated Skills Zone designed to encourage creativity, close control and confidence on the ball.

Crucially, it also forms part of the ongoing fundraising drive for the new Cork Schoolgirls Soccer Centre at Casement Park, the future home of girls’ football in the county.

For Derek Coughlan of Coerver Coaching, the weekend represents both a celebration and a statement of intent.

“It’s our first kind of event,” Coughlan said. “We're hoping that we replicate our own version that we had last week, where we had with ten pitches going non-stop from 11am until 3pm.” 

He credits the CWSSL and its volunteers for bringing the girls’ game in Cork to this point.

“What the CWSSL, the league and the clubs have done, to get girls football to where it is today is remarkable really. The amount of girls that are playing football in the last five years is phenomenal. And for the guys, for everyone involved in the CWSSL, all the committees, the league, the clubs, all the volunteers, what they've done is something else.

NEW ERA

“And I suppose for us, we want to assist CWSSL in ushering in a new era. Because the league have brought it to a stage where we are able to put on these events now and for girls only, where we can have these 3v3 mega events for young female football players.

“So for us, the 3v3 is just one of the elements that we can bring to the mix. And this will be just that launchpad for what we're going to do down the line with our academies. And we will have more of these events as we go.” 

Having previously served as the FAI Development Officer for women and girls in Cork, Coughlan says there’s deep pride in helping shape the next chapter.

“For me, there's a lot of pride,” Coughlan said. “We're honoured to be given the responsibility in helping the league and the clubs to bring us to the next level again.

“I suppose we're going to strive to positively impact the players and coaches of all ages and abilities throughout Cork, whether it be through the academy or coach aid workshops or high performance programmes and these 3v3 Ireland mega events. 

So there's a lot going to be happening and next Saturday is the starting point, and hopefully we can get a big number of girls in at the weekend.

Teams of three or four players can register via tinyurl.com/CWSSL3v3, while individual entries can be made by emailing info@coerver.ie.

A Skills Zone will run alongside the matches, where players can test their technique and compete for spot prizes – a fitting mix of fun, flair and development for Cork’s next generation of girls footballers.