Ballina girls win bronze in Barcelona

A brilliant group of young footballers from Ballina claimed third place at a prestigious international tournament in Spain.

Ballina Town U17 girls took part in Football Cup Barcelona earlier this month taking on teams from all over the globe at one of Europe’s leading international youth football tournaments.

The group, led by coach Jack Gilmartin, got off to a flying start with a 3-0 win against GrIFK from Finland, with Kate O’Donnell, Ailbhe Ferguson and Saoirse Ruane on the scoresheet.

‘Jack’s Army’ would advance into the ‘A’ semi-final with victory over Villarreal helping them to secure top spot in the group.

They fell short against stellar Swedish opposition in the semi-final but still had a chance to claim third place overall in the playoff game.

Roxy Ginty hit a spectacular free-kick, the only goal of the game, to secure third place for Ballina Town and the victory also meant they were the top Irish team overall at Football Club Barcelona.

It is a huge achievement for Ballina Town and comes as a fitting culmination to months of hard work put in by the girls team, coaches and the wider Ballina Town club and committee.

This accomplishment follows a stellar spell of success for the club’s girls at underage level. The U16 girls team recently completed a double for the season with their U16 Shield final win over Fahy Rovers bringing their second piece of silverware in 2025 after winning the league title earlier in the year. Saoirse Ruane, Annie Fleming and Sophia Cardillo scored for Town in the win against Fahy Rovers.

Meanwhile, Hannah Gardiner, Haley Hopkins, Grace Blaine, Alanna Durkan, and Caroline Collins were all on the scoresheet for the U12 girls team as they beat Claremorris ‘B’ in the U12 Shield Final. The U14 girls held their own for long stretches against Castlebar Town in the U14 Cup Final but fell short against the impressive Moneen side, who had gone unbeaten all season.