The rise of Sion Swifts Ladies: Putting the west on the map
Ryan Brolly
Sion Swifts Ladies have had a meteoric rise to the upper echelons of the women’s game in Northern Ireland since their foundation in 2010.
They are the only Irish League representatives from Tyrone and play their home games in the newly refurbished Melvin Sports Complex in Strabane, a long trip for many of the other sides in the league who are based in or much closer to Belfast.
For years Sion have shown that teams from the west of the country, who are under-represented in Northern Irish football, can compete at the top level.
The Swifts gained their place in the Northern Ireland Women’s Premiership in 2015 and have gone from strength to strength since then. They managed to win their first major honour just two years after promotion in 2017, lifting the Women’s League Cup, after beating Newry City 2-0 at Windsor Park in the final.
They have also contested two title battles with close rivals at the time, Linfield Ladies also in 2017 and then in 2019. In the second of those two campaigns it would end in heartbreak for Sion, who were cruelly denied the title by a seven goal swing on goal difference on the final day which saw the Blues once again lift the trophy after a thrilling battle.
In 2020 they continued to punch above their weight and sustain another challenge for the league crown. They ended up finishing in 3rd position as the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sion have also had an incredible level of talent in their ranks over the years. They were able to boast the inclusion of the first Women’s Premiership player to appear at a World Cup, with Jamaica shot stopper Nicole McClure.
She gained notoriety when within a 24 hour period she played for Jamaica in a 4-1 defeat to Australia in Grenoble during the 2019 Women’s World Cup, only to travel back to Northern Ireland and keep a clean sheet as Sion beat Crusaders Strikers 4-0 the following day.
The Swifts have also been key in the development of the next crop of young talents. A notable export is Republic of Ireland International Tyler Toland.
Her performances for the Strabane side grabbed the attention of English Women’s Super League side Manchester City, who made a move for the midfielder in 2019.
Toland has since he has played for Scottish giants Glasgow City and Celtic. She is now playing in Spain for Levante.
They currently have another rising star in their ranks in the form of Cora Chambers. The young forward, who was included in Northern Ireland’s full-time training camp ahead of last summer’s European Championships, has become a potent finisher in the Women’s Premiership, hitting 11 goals last term for the Swifts.
Despite her clinical nature in front of goal last campaign, the 2022 season was a rare slump for the Swifts. They finished 5th in the table and were forced to compete in the lower section of the Premiership post split with inconsistency costing them. They managed just eight wins and suffered seven losses across the season.
They fared much better in cup competitions, which proved a welcome respite when their league form was on the decline.
They were beaten finalists in the Challenge Cup, but did lift their second League Cup trophy with a dramatic victory over Cliftonville Ladies in extra time.
With professionalisation, in earnest, coming into the league this year the stature of the game in Northern Ireland and competitiveness between the top teams is only going to increase. The sides based in Belfast like Cliftonville, Crusaders, Linfield and Glentoran also have the advantage of location and backing from their male sides which Sion lack.
Tony McGinley has proved himself to be a quality coach at this level, exhibited by the various title challenges and success in domestic cup competition.
If he can keep talents like Cora Chambers within his ranks and add some more promising youngsters they should be back competing at the higher end of the table next season.
Ryan Brolly is a History and International Relations student at Queen’s University Belfast and a Sport Reporter for The Scoop.