The FAI has confirmed the names of the 15 clubs that will form the new FAI National League, which will kick off next Autumn. This new division of men’s senior football will be the top tier of grassroots football and will create a direct pathway between the grassroots game and the League of Ireland for the first time.
The confirmation of the 15 clubs follows an extensive process which saw an initial 67 clubs/entities from around the country express an initial interest in joining the new league. Following a thorough assessment of the criteria, designed to ensure long-term sustainability and competitiveness, 15 clubs have been formally admitted and will become the league’s founding members. The composition of the new league represents every province in Ireland. The 15 confirmed clubs are: Bonagee United (Donegal), CK United (Carlow/Kilkenny), Cockhill Celtic (Donegal), Home Farm (Dublin), Killarney Celtic (Kerry), Letterkenny Rovers (Donegal), Lucan United (Dublin), Mayo Football Club (Mayo), Mervue United (Galway), Newbridge Town (Kildare) , Salthill Devon (Galway), St. Francis (Dublin), Trinity University (Dublin), UCC Soccer (Cork) and Villa FC (Waterford).
NEW DATE FOR
HALF MARATHON
The organizers of the Dublin City Half Marathon have announced a new date and a ballot-based entry to best facilitate the increased demand for the 2026 event. Last year’s inaugural event was staged on March 30. Such was the sprint to gain a place among the 12,500 entries, the online registration system crashed several times once it opened on Jan. 8 with all entries selling out in just under two hours. The 2026 event will be held over the May Bank Holiday weekend, on Sunday, May 3. Organizers say the later date was chosen to better balance the needs of runners, organizers, and the wider city community. Entries will again be limited to 12,500, and the ballot-based entry is designed to give all interested runners an equal opportunity to take part. However, unlike the Dublin Marathon, which is also organized by the Dublin Marathon Group, the €4 ballot entry fee will be refunded in full to all runners who are unsuccessful in securing a place. The general ballot will decide 11,200 of the 12,500 entries and will open for seven days from Jan. 16 until midnight on Jan. 22 via the event website. Entrants will be notified of their ballot outcome by e-mail between Jan. 28 and Jan. 29.
MINNOWS WINNOWED
OUT BEFORE 3RD ROUND
The FA Cup might no longer carry the same attraction that it once did for the bigger clubs in England, although one of them invariably wins it. But it’s still a great competition for the “minnows” from the non-leagues, as the levels below the 4th tier are known. But at this stage only three of the minnows have made it to the 3rd round which gets under way on tonight; there are 19 games on Saturday, eight on Sunday and the weekend action ends at Anfield on Monday night when Liverpool play Barnsley. FA Cup holders Crystal Palace, who won the cup for the first time last May when they beat Manchester City in the final, are away to Macclesfield on Saturday. In their previous guise as Macclesfield Town, the Silkmen reached the 4th round in 2013 where they lost to Wigan. Elsewhere National League South club Weston-super-Mare are away to League Two club Grimsby, who had own taste of cup glory earlier this season when they knocked Manchester Utd of the League Cup. Boreham Wood from the National League, who are looking to replicate their good run to the 5th round four years ago, are home to Burton Albion from League One.
There are four all Premier League ties: Aston Villv v Spurs, Everton v Sunderland, Newcastle Utd v Bournemouth and Manchester Utd v Brighton, which is a repeat of the 1983 final when BBC radio commentator Peter Jones uttered the famous line ‘‘And Smith must score.’’ Gordon Smith had scored Brighton’s first goal, but his late effort was saved by Gary Bailey, keeping it 2-2. The final went to a replay which United won 4-0. Both games had a combined five Republic of Ireland internationals: the late Tony Grealish, the late Michael Robinson and Gary Howlett for Brighton, with the unused 12th man being Gerry Ryan; United had Kevin Moran and Frank Stapleton, who scored the first goal for his team in the first match, while their unused 12th man was a seventh Irish international, Ashley Grimes. Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside scored one of the United goals in the second game to become at age 18 years and 18 days the youngest player to score in an F.A. Cup Final.
WHITE OUT
OF LEAGUE
Last season’s All-Ireland winning Kerry captain Gavin White is likely to miss the entire National League campaign having undergone surgery on an injured ankle. The Dr. Crokes clubman will require a minimum of three months of rehab and since the Kingdom’s final league game is away to Armagh on March 22, Kerry manager Jack O’Connor will have to wait until the championship to have White fully fit and available again.
LOUGHNANE GETS
222ND WINNER
Irish-born jockey Billy Loughnane broke the 21st century record for winners in a calendar year after he registered his 222nd success on Invited at Lingfield Park on New Year’s Eve. The 19 year-old jockey was reared in Thurles and moved to England with his parents in 2011. His father Mark is a trainer based in Worcestershire. Billy became the first jockey to rack up 200 British winners earlier in 2025, and then set his sights on another feat before the beginning of 2026. Clare-born Kieren Fallon set the previous record with his 2003 tally of 221 winners and while Kerry-born Oisin Murphy came close with 220 victories in 2019, Loughnane has now surpassed those feats. The all-time record winners by a jockey in England is held by Sir Gordon Richards, who partnered 269 winners in 1947.
