End of an Era: Sion Swifts Ladies to leave the Melvin sports complex

By Ryan Brolly

Sion Swifts Ladies are a shining light for football in the north west of Ireland, they hold the honour of being one of the two teams from County Tyrone playing in the top divisions of football within the Northern Irish game, which is dominated by clubs east of the River Bann. Since their inception they have played their home games at the Melvin sports complex in Strabane where they have delivered a promotion to the top tier of women’s football, the Women’s Challenge Cup in 2017 alongside multiple title challenges with institutions of the game like Linfield and Cliftonville. This ground has seen multiple senior internationals such as Nicole McClure, Kirsty McGuiness, Caitlin McGuiness and Tyler Toland line out. However, with new Club Licensing rules coming into effect for the 2024 season Sion will have to leave Strabane in search for a suitable venue for home games approved by the IFA. 

Ahead of their final game at Melvin and of the season where they finished in fourth the club posted a statement to get people to attend the match against Mid Ulster Ladies F.C. which they went on to win in an enthralling 5-2 victory. The club explained that ‘for the foreseeable we must play our home games away from home’. While introducing rules to match UEFA’s regulations for clubs can work to drive professionalism within the game here in terms of finances and facilities which could result in positives for the national team it will provide unnecessary challenges for community driven clubs with minimal financial backing like the Swifts who are still trying to grow the club and now face some challenges when stability is key. 

Since the announcement of their move away from Strabane the team have also announced the departure of long term successful coach Tony McGinley and his assistant Shearnan McCay showing the intention to overhaul the club as they enter into this new era away from the home that has brought them much success as they have risen through the ranks to become one of the key players in women’s football not just in the north but the entirety of Ireland. 

Ryan Brolly is a History and International Relations student at Queens University Belfast and Sport Editor at The Scoop