DLR Waves
| Full name | Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Waves | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Waves | ||
| Founded | 2012 | ||
| Ground | UCD Bowl | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 (1,500 seated) | ||
| Manager | Laura Heffernan | ||
| League | League of Ireland Women's Premier Division | ||
| 2025 | 9th | ||
| Website | www | ||
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Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Waves, also referred to as DLR Waves, is a women's Irish association football club based in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It was originally founded in 2012. DLR Waves field several teams; the senior League of Ireland team, the Under 19s LOI team and the Under 17s LOI team. The senior 1st team competes in the FAI Women's Cup and the League of Ireland Women's Premier Division. Between 2014 and 2018, the club played as UCD Waves, before returning to the name DLR Waves.
History
DLR Waves 2012 - 2013
The 2012–13 season saw DLR Waves join the Women's National League as an expansion team. The club was formed with the support of the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council and they played their home games at Jackson Park, Kilternan. DLR Waves were managed by former UCD coach, Larry Mahony, and their squad featured former UCD captain Sylvia Gee.[1][2][3] Initially DLR Waves had mixed success in the WNL. During the 2012–13 season they finished fifth. They were also FAI Women's Cup semi-finalists.[4][5]
UCD Waves 2014 - 2018
Between 2014 and 2018, following a merger, with UCD, the club played as UCD Waves under manager Eileen Gleeson. During this time, UCD Waves reached the FAI Women's Cup final twice, in 2014 and 2017, but lost to Raheny United and Cork City FC respectively. Furthermore, UCD Waves were runners up in the league, placed 2nd in the 2014–15 and 2016 WNL. In 2018, UCD AFC decided to withdraw from the women's league and the club ceased to be known as UCD Waves. DLR Waves was revived as a separate women's-only club using the original name, with DLR Waves replacing UCD in the Women's National League.[5][6]
DLR Waves 2019 - Present
Since 2019, DLR Waves have played in the Women's National League at their home ground Jacksons Park initially, before returning to the UCD Bowl as their home ground in 2021. In recent years, DLR Waves have primarily been a mid-table team, finishing between 4th-6th in the league in the years 2019–2022. Mid-way through the 2023 season, long term manager Graham Kelly left the club for a role at St Patrick's Athletic and he was replaced by Laura Heffernan,[7] the only female manager in the 2023 women's premier division. DLR Waves finished the 2023 season in 8th position.
In October 2023, DLR Waves launched a player academy with local clubs to provide a pathway from grassroots girls soccer into the underage DLR Waves teams. There are eight local clubs involved in the DLR Waves Partner Academy, these are; Shankill FC Girls, Enniskerry Youth Club AFC, Beechwood FC, United Girls Football Club, Park Celtic FC, Granada FC, Mount Merrion Youths FC Girls and Lakelands FC.[8][9]
Honours
Senior team
- Women's National League
- FAI Women's Cup
- Runners-up: 2014, 2017: 2
Under 19s Team
- League Title
- Winners: 2022: 1
Players
Current squad
The current squad, as of January 2026, includes:[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable current or former players
A large number of current or former Irish senior international football players have played for DLR Waves at some stage in their careers, as shown in the table below.
| Player | DLR Waves Years | Current Club | Senior Irish WNT Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eve Badana | 2019–2025 | DLR Waves | 4 |
| Dearbháile Beirne | 2016-2018 | Peamount | 1 |
| Jetta Berrill | 2014-2017, 2019, 2021 | Peamount | 4 |
| Karen Duggan | 2014-2017 | Peamount | 35 |
| Jess Gleeson | 2021–Present | DLR Waves | 4 |
| Dora Gorman | 2014-2016 | Peamount | 16 |
| Ciara Grant | 2014-2016 | Heart of Midlothian | 18 |
| Savannah McCarthy | 2014-2015 | Shamrock Rovers | 11 |
| Chloe Mustaki | 2014-2016, 2017–2018 | Bristol City Women | 8 |
| Áine O'Gorman | 2014-2017 | Shamrock Rovers | 119 |
| Eleanor Ryan-Doyle | 2015-2016 | Durham | 0 |
| Julie-Ann Russell | 2014-2017 | Galway United F.C. | 59 |
| Caroline Thorpe | 2014-2016 | Retired | 24 |
| Claire Walsh | 2017 | Glasgow City | 4 |
Coaching staff
Management team
As of 2024, the manager of DLR Waves is Laura Heffernan,[11] the wider coaching team for the senior team and underage teams are listed in the table below.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Manager | Laura Heffernan |
| Assistant Manager | Rianna Jarrett |
| 1st Team Coach | Sonya hughes |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Jack Henry |
| Physio | Emma Mulholland |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Laoise Traynor |
Former managers
There have been five managers of DLR Waves since it was founded in 2012, as shown in the table below.
| Seasons | Manager Name |
|---|---|
| 2012-2013 | Larry Mahony [12] |
| 2014-2017 | Eileen Gleeson |
| 2017-2018 | Noel Kealy [13] |
| 2019-2023 | Graham Kelly [14] |
| 2023–Present | Laura Heffernan |
Historic league standings
The historic league standings from 2012 to 2025 are summarised in the table below.
| Season | League Position | Teams | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-2013 | 5th | 7 | 16 |
| 2013-2014 | 5th | 8 | 27 |
| 2014-2015 | 2nd | 7 | 41 |
| 2015-2016 | 3rd | 8 | 25 |
| 2016 | 2nd | 7 | 24 |
| 2017 | 4th | 7 | 27 |
| 2018 | 6th | 8 | 22 |
| 2019 | 6th | 8 | 16 |
| 2020 | 6th | 9 | 10 |
| 2021 | 4th | 9 | 39 |
| 2022 | 5th | 10 | 40 |
| 2023 | 8th | 11 | 13 |
| 2024 | 10th | 11 | 16 |
| 2025 | 9th | 12 | 18 |
Supporters
DLR Waves has a small unofficial supporters group, established in late 2022, which attend games and decorate the ground with the club colours. Similar to most League of Ireland supporters groups, the DLR Waves fans produce stickers to promote the club throughout Dublin. The DLR Waves Supporters Logo consists of the UCD Water Tower and two women footballers. The water tower is visible from the UCD Bowl. The Dublin derby game for DLR Waves fans and players is fixtures against Bohemians F.C.[15]
References
- ^ "Bus Eireann Women's National League 2012 launch". www.fai.ie. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ "WNL Season Preview - DLR Waves". www.extratime.ie. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^ "Sylvia Gee picks up Player of the Month". wnl.fai.ie. 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ "Ireland (Women) 2012/13 and 2013". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Waves break new ground". www.gazettegroup.com. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ "DLR Waves revived as UCD pull out of the Women's National League". www.extratime.ie. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Mid-season managerial change at DLR Waves as Laura Heffernan takes charge". 42.ie.
- ^ "DLR Waves Player Academy". DLR Waves Instagram Post. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Community Club Partners – DLR Waves". dlrwaves.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Senior Squad – DLR Waves". dlrwaves.com.
- ^ "About DLR Waves – DLR Waves". dlrwaves.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Hurley, Denis (29 April 2013). "Ref walks off after being ignored". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Noel Kealy | Stats | History | Career Details | Images | extratime.com - The Home of Irish Football - Extratime.com". www.extratime.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "St Patrick's Athletic celebrates fifth FAI Cup win". 21 November 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Fan Group – DLR Waves". dlrwaves.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.