Best Irish Sports News Websites for Women’s Sports Coverage
Finding reliable coverage of women’s sports through traditional Irish sports news outlets has become easier in recent years. More sports websites now provide updates, match results, and in-depth features on women’s teams and athletes. Some websites focus entirely on women in sports, while others include this topic alongside coverage of men’s competitions.
Beyond traditional sports, women’s involvement in industries like online gambling is also growing, but media coverage of their role remains limited.
Women in Gambling: Are They Getting the Coverage They Deserve?
While online casinos and sports betting are massive industries, the role of women in gambling – whether as players, executives, or industry leaders – often goes unnoticed in mainstream coverage. Women are making strides in casino game development, online gambling security, and leadership roles in major betting companies, yet their stories rarely receive the same visibility as men in the industry. Even in Ireland, where gambling laws continue to evolve, discussions around responsible gambling often overlook how it affects female players. With more women engaging in online gambling and shaping its future, Irish sports news platforms could play a bigger role in highlighting their contributions.
For those looking for dedicated women’s sports coverage, some platforms focus entirely on female athletes, events, and competitions. Below are the best websites in Ireland that provide consistent coverage of women in sports.
Best Websites Dedicated to Women’s Sports in Ireland
Just Women’s Sports
AT A GLANCE | |
KEY SPORTS | NWSL (soccer), WNBA (basketball), NCAAW, LPGA, WTA |
FOCUS | Professional women’s leagues, international coverage |
FEATURES | Live scores, videos, podcasts, in-depth analysis |
AUDIENCE | Global sports fans with interest in Irish female athletes |
Just Women’s Sports (justwomenssports.com) stands out as a professional platform covering female athletics worldwide, including Irish athletes competing internationally. The website boasts impressive statistics with over 4.1 million total audience, 105 million monthly reach, and 214% year-over-year audience growth.
The site organizes content by major leagues, including NWSL, WNBA, NCAAW, LPGA, and WTA. Their basketball coverage includes updates on Irish players in international leagues, making it a valuable resource for following basketball in Ireland’s emerging women’s talent abroad. Their coverage includes:
- Live scores and game updates
- Feature articles on top athletes
- Video content and interviews
- Podcast material for on-the-go listening
What makes Just Women’s Sports particularly valuable is its professional approach and backing from notable investors, including athletes like Billie Jean King, Allyson Felix, and Irish soccer star Sam Kerr. For those following Ireland soccer news and women competing globally, the site provides a consistent international context that many local outlets miss.
Their stated mission is to “make awesome content that engages current fans, brings new ones to the space, and cements these teams and athletes as household names.”
Sports Women (Closed)
AT A GLANCE | |
KEY SPORTS | Gaelic Football, Camogie, Soccer, Hockey, Rugby, Golf |
FOCUS | Women’s sports news and promotion |
FEATURES | News reports, player profiles, historical coverage |
AUDIENCE | Irish women’s sports enthusiasts (2015-2017) |
It was a pioneering Irish website dedicated to promoting and reporting on Sports Women that ran for approximately three years. Founded by Sharon Hutchinson, a former international hockey goalkeeper, it aimed to address the poor coverage of sports or women in Irish media.
The site covered numerous sports, including:
- Gaelic Football
- Camogie
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Hockey
- Rugby
- Athletics
- Golf
The site featured coverage of “Baseball/Softball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” highlighting the sport’s Olympic return after 12 years. The article covered Japan’s gold medal victory over the USA and the symbolic importance of hosting games in Fukushima following the 2011 disaster.
Another notable historical feature was “Mary Queen of Scots, The Mother of Golf,” which explored how the 16th-century Scottish monarch earned her nickname in golfing history. The article detailed how Mary began playing golf in France and brought the term “caddie” (from French “cadet”) to Scotland. Most controversially, she was seen playing golf just days after her husband Lord Darnley’s death, behaviour that fueled rumours of her involvement in his murder and eventually contributed to her downfall and execution.
Though no longer active, Sports Women represented an important milestone in Irish women’s sports coverage. The site featured profiles of famous Irish women in athletics alongside its unique historical content. Some reports even covered partnerships with lady insurance Ireland companies that sponsored women’s sporting events. Its closure highlights the ongoing challenges in sustaining female sports media, even as interest grows.
HerSport
AT A GLANCE | |
KEY SPORTS | Rugby, Soccer, GAA, Athletics, Hockey, Cricket |
FOCUS | Irish women’s sports advocacy and news |
FEATURES | News, interviews, #DoItForHer campaign, awards |
AUDIENCE | Irish women’s sports fans and advocates |
HerSport.ie is currently one of the leading dedicated women’s sports websites in Ireland. The platform focuses exclusively on Irish women’s athletics and sports with a mission of “leveling the playing field for girls to see a future in sport.”
For fans following Irish women’s rugby results, HerSport provides comprehensive match coverage and player interviews. The site goes beyond game reports to cover lifestyle topics like fitness trends and profiling lifestyle sports women’s runners who are breaking barriers in athletics.
HerSport backs its coverage with compelling statistics about the current state of women’s sports in Ireland:
- Only 6% of sports media coverage in Ireland goes to women in sport
- Twice as many girls drop out of sport than boys by age 14
- 60% of Irish people want to see more visibility for women in sport
- Only 7% of girls are meeting recommended physical activity levels
Beyond news coverage, HerSport offers:
- Video interviews with female athletes
- A podcast series on women in sports
- The HerSport Awards presented by Lidl
- An MVP membership program offering event tickets and partner discounts
The site’s #DoItForHer campaign actively promotes attendance at women’s sporting events, noting that over 50% of Irish people have never been to a women’s sporting event. For fans wanting comprehensive coverage of Ireland women in athletics, HerSport delivers both content and advocacy in one accessible platform.
Beyond Women’s Sports: Irish Websites That Cover All Athletes
RTÉ Sport
As Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ Sport delivers comprehensive coverage across major sporting events with increasingly improved women’s content. When looking for Irish breaking news, RTÉ is often the first source of important updates, especially for major tournaments and competitions. Their platform offers reliable reporting on Irish women’s rugby results with professional video highlights and post-match analysis from former athletes.
While men’s sports still dominate headlines, RTÉ provides consistent coverage of women’s international competitions, particularly in rugby, soccer, and GAA, making it a dependable mainstream source for casual fans.
The Irish Times
For readers seeking thoughtful analysis rather than just match reports, The Irish Times sport rugby coverage stands out for its quality writing and depth. As Ireland’s paper of record, it provides some of the most substantive Irish sports news available, with their dedicated “Sportswoman of the Year” section highlighting female athletes across various disciplines. The publication’s monthly “Sportswoman of the Month” features celebrate achievements that might otherwise go unrecognized in mainstream media.
Though operating behind a partial paywall, their commitment to featuring women’s sports in freely accessible content demonstrates a commitment to gender balance in sports journalism.
The Irish Mirror
Taking a more tabloid approach to coverage, The Irish Mirror focuses on personalities and compelling narratives in sports. Their Irish soccer news section regularly features updates on the women’s national team and domestic league, though with less depth than their men’s coverage. The site has partnered with champion sports Dublin retailers for various promotional features highlighting local athletes.
As a publication explicitly positioning itself as “the voice of working-class people in the Republic of Ireland,” The Mirror provides accessible, personality-driven content for casual fans seeking updates on prominent female athletes, particularly in horse racing and soccer.
Balls.ie
Founded in 2010 as a digital-first operation, Balls.ie has carved out a unique position in the sports world with its casual, social media-friendly approach aimed at younger audiences. The site occasionally covers university sports including UCD boxing tournaments and events at DCU Sports Complex, bringing attention to collegiate-level women’s competitions. Their creative content extends beyond traditional sports reporting to lifestyle features, including pieces on lifestyle sports women’s runners breaking barriers in athletics.
While not offering comprehensive women’s sports coverage, Balls.ie excels at highlighting viral moments and major achievements by female athletes through engaging videos, social media content, and entertaining takes.
How to Stay Updated on Irish Sports News
- Follow Multiple Sources: For comprehensive coverage of women’s sports, don’t rely on just one platform. Combine dedicated female sports sites like HerSport with mainstream Irish sports news outlets for the fullest picture. Set up news alerts for specific athletes or teams to catch stories that might otherwise slip through.
- Use Social Media Strategically: Follow official team accounts, athletes, and journalists who specialize in sports for women. Twitter is particularly valuable for real-time Irish women’s rugby results and quick updates, while Instagram often features behind-the-scenes content from athletes themselves.
- Subscribe to Newsletters: Most sports sites offer free email newsletters delivering curated content directly to your inbox. This eliminates the need to visit multiple websites daily while ensuring you don’t miss important stories about female athletes.
- Support Through Engagement: Comment on, share, and like sports coverage to signal demand to publishers. Media outlets respond to engagement metrics, so your active participation helps grow future coverage of women’s athletics in Ireland.
- Attend Live Events: Nothing beats experiencing women’s sports firsthand. Check university sports centres and local clubs for upcoming matches – many are free or low-cost and desperately need spectator support to grow.