InTouch Magazine – September 2026

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DDSL – InTouch – September 2026

DDSL x CJ Fallon Official Partnership

CJ Fallon Announced as DDSL’s Official Education Partner

DDSL is delighted to announce a new partnership with CJ Fallon, one of Ireland’s leading primary and post-primary educational publishers, as the league’s Official Education Partner.

As one of Ireland’s most respected youth football leagues, DDSL plays a central role in developing young talent and providing opportunities for thousands of boys and girls to enjoy football in an organised, inclusive and competitive environment.

Many of Ireland’s leading footballers began their journeys in grassroots leagues such as DDSL, underlining the important role that well-structured youth football plays in the development of young people and communities.

Since 1895, CJ Fallon has been committed to supporting the education of young people throughout Ireland by publishing high-quality primary and post-primary textbooks, digital learning resources, study aids and revision materials.

The new partnership brings together two organisations with shared values around education, participation, development and inclusion. As part of the partnership, DDSL members will have access to exclusive discounts across selected CJ Fallon digital products, study aids and revision guides.

CJ Fallon will also support the DDSL’s new Junior Match Official Programme and will sponsor the DDSL Kennedy Cup and Gaynor Cup teams for the next three years.

Niall O’Driscoll, Chairman of the DDSL, said:

“We are delighted to welcome CJ Fallon as our Official Education Partner. This partnership represents a strong alignment of values around education, participation, development and community, and we look forward to working together to support grassroots football across the league.”

Brian Gilsenan, CEO of CJ Fallon, said:

“We are incredibly proud to partner with DDSL, an organisation that has made such a positive impact on youth football for generations. We are honoured to support the players, clubs, coaches, families and volunteers who give so much to the game every week.”

About DDSL

The Dublin & District Schoolboys/Girls League (DDSL) is one of Ireland’s leading youth football leagues, providing organised football for more than 55,000 players across Dublin and surrounding areas.The league is supported by more than 12,000 volunteers, whose commitment and dedication help drive grassroots football and create opportunities for young players in communities throughout the region.

About CJ Fallon

CJ Fallon has been at the forefront of primary and post-primary educational publishing in Ireland since 1895.The company is committed to providing Irish teachers and students with high-quality print and digital teaching and learning resources designed to support education both inside and outside the classroom.

⚽ The Irish Professional Footballers Association presents ‘Talking Reds’

⚽ The Irish Professional Footballers Association presents ‘Talking Reds’, a special night of football stories, insight, and banter featuring a pair of legendary former Liverpool and Ireland players, Ray Houghton and Mark Lawrenson, at Vicar Street on 19 October 2026.

🎫 Tickets are on sale now https://bit.ly/4gkt2Ih

FAI Women’s Cup Final

Please see below details and link for the Clubs and Schools Tickets Offer for the 2026 Club Orange Women’s FAI Cup Final between Athlone Town AFC v Shelbourne FC on Sunday September 27th in Tallaght Stadium @ 3.30pm.

For this fixture only, all Clubs/Schools tickets are priced at €5 for Children’s (U16) tickets and for every 10 purchased we will provide 2 Adult tickets at the discounted price of €5 each. Any additional Adult tickets ordered outside of this ratio will cost €10 each.

We kindly ask that you complete the form below indicating the breakdown of tickets that you require, i.e. Adults and U16s.

Click Here to Apply

Please note the below important information before making your application

The minimum requirement to register an order is 10 U16 tickets & 2 Adult tickets
To submit an order please click into the link above.

Once the deadline passes you will receive an email from the Ticketing Team confirming how many tickets your Club/School have been awarded. You will have 24 hours to update/amend your numbers if required.
Thereafter an invoice is uploaded to your FAI Ticketmaster account for payment.
Once the invoice is loaded we cannot accommodate any further changes.

Payment is required by means of debit/credit card only. No refunds for unused tickets

Should you have any questions in relation to this offer, please contact customer-relations@fai.ie

We look forward to welcoming you to Tallaght Stadium!

DDSL COACH EDUCATION

Throughout the year we will be delivering a wide range of free coach education workshops across DDSL Clubs. These practical workshops are open to coaches from all DDSL clubs. Our full September schedule is attached, with details of our October workshops to follow shortly.

SEPTEMBER WORKSHOPS

Date Workshop Venue Time Booking
Monday, 7 September Ball Mastery & 1v1 Clinic 1 Crumlin United 7:00pm Book here
Tuesday, 8 September Developing a Players’ First Touch Granada FC 7:00pm Book here
Wednesday, 9 September A Season of Sessions: Building an Effective Session Leicester Celtic FC 7:00pm Book here
Monday, 14 September Ball Mastery & 1v1 Clinic 1 Swords Celtic FC 7:00pm Book here
Tuesday, 15 September Developing a Players’ First Touch Baldoyle United FC 7:00pm Book here
Wednesday, 16 September Goalkeeper Workshop Faults and Fixes Lucan United FC 7:00pm Book here
Wednesday, 16 September A Season of Sessions: Building an Effective Session St Mochta’s FC 7:00pm Book here
Monday, 21 September Small Group Play Clinic 1 Kilnamanagh AFC 7:00pm Book here
Tuesday, 22 September Developing a Players’ First Touch Lourdes Celtic FC 7:00pm Book here
Wednesday, 23 September A Season of Sessions: Building an Effective Session Rathcoole FC 7:00pm Book here
Monday, 28 September Small Group Play Clinic 1 Home Farm FC 7:00pm Book here
Tuesday, 29 September Developing a Players’ First Touch St Columbans SYC 7:00pm Book here
Wednesday, 30 September A Season of Sessions: Building an Effective Session Portmarnock AFC 7:00pm Book here
Wednesday, 30 September Goalkeeper Workshop Faults and Fixes Newbridge Town FC 7:00pm Book here

 

HOW TO REGISTER 

  1. Visit the DDSL Coach Education booking page.
  1. Scroll through the page and find the workshop you wish to attend.
  1. Select the free €0 workshop ticket and add it to your order.
  1. Enter the requested attendee details.
  1. Review your selection and complete the registration.
  1. You will receive confirmation once your booking has been submitted.

All workshops are completely free, but advance registration is required. Whether you are an experienced coach or have only recently started, there will be workshops available to support your development. Find a workshop near you, register for free and come along for an enjoyable and practical evening of coach development.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Football for All Update

We hope all FFA clubs/coaches/players are eager to begin playing football again. We know many clubs/teams have already started back & some clubs played through-out the summer…which was great for all the players & families.

We currently have 20 FFA Clubs/Up to 400x Players….. with more DDSL Clubs expected to set up an FFA Section within their club.. Anyone in the process of setting up their FFA Section within their club must be registered with the DDSL & FAI. Any queries, please contact me.

Please see below a number of updates.

Updates:

 DDSL FFA Registration:

  • The DDSL Registration for Football for All players will now be available for all players/parents to register from this Monday 31st August 2026. Players/Parents can click onto the DDSL Web Site & proceed to Registrations.
  • All DDSL Clubs who have set up a FFA Section must ensure all their players are registered. We want all our players to be treated equally i.e. Boys/Girls’/ FFA players etc. The registration fee for FFA players will be a reduced fee…as per last season at Euro 15.00. This fee will cover the players registration/FAI/LFA Levy & their ‘Insurance’..…. which is important & compulsory for all players.
  • We have also managed to Increase the insurance for FFA players up to & including ages of 25.
  • All players participating in any FFA Blitz’s for next season must be registered with the DDSL League.
  • All registered players can also avail of the new sponsorship deal with Lifestyle Sports where registered players can obtain a 12 1/2% discount on any purchases with Lifestyle Sports etc
  • Our DDSL FFA Sponsors ‘Taste of Goodness’ will continue to help our FFA Section in any way they can…with special gifts & a sponsored set of Jerseys for one of our clubs for the new season.

Football for All/FAI/DDSL Coaches/ Coaching Courses:

  • One of the most important ‘Objectives’ for the coming season is to encourage more coaches/parents/players to get involved with Football for All & look to register as Coaches. These potential coaches will receive proper training from the FAI/DDSL.
  • FFA PLAYERS TO BECOME COACHES: We also want as many FFA players from ages 16+ to register to become ‘Official Coaches’. This would be a massive step for current FFA Players/Families to become a Coach….as many families did not believe their children could even get to participate in Football etc….& now they have the opportunity to become Coaches. What a great message this would send out to all in football. Therefore, please advise ASAP how many people/FFA Players would like to register to complete these courses.
  • I will forward on more information once we know the numbers/demand & the FAI/DDSL can then confirm dates etc
  • Note: All current/new Coaches/Managers must complete their Garda Vetting/Safe-Guarding as this is a Legal Requirement. See information attached.
  • Note: All current/new Coaches/Managers will also need to register with the DDSL.  Please note there is no registration fee for Coaches/Managers but once registered…they will also be insured under the DDSL Insurance Scheme.

 FFA Blitz’s:

  • Given the terrible weather last season, we have now booked the Indoor Astro in the Sports Centre Abbotstown for 3x Dates:
  • Sunday: 20th December 2026: From 10am to 1pm (This will include Medals/Goody Bags/Santa etc)
  • Sunday: 31st January 2027: From 10am to 1pm
  • Sunday: 28th February 2027: From 10am to 1pm
  • If any clubs wish to hold a FFA Blitz over the next season, please let us know as we will be looking to hold another 3+ x Blitz’s at Club Venue’s

Thank you to Cambridge Fc who held a FFA Mini Blitz last Saturday where players received medals/goody bags/Food…great day for all those who attended.

DDSL Senior Football for All Section:

  • As discussed before, we were looking to provide a ‘Pathway’ for all our FFA players where they can participate at a very young age & continue playing football into adult age….similar to all players.
  • However, we met with the FAI …who would need to sanction this League… as our players normally play up to age 18. This is ongoing but to be looked at again next season. As stated above, the main reason to establish this DDSL FFA Senior League was to ensure all our players…who are over 18….can continue to play with their Clubs & participate in the FFA Blitz’s. This is now possible as we increased the Age Limit/Insurance for FFA players up to 25.

Once the season is up & running, we can discuss other events/topics which will benefit everyone in Football for All.

Player Registration Update

DDSL Player Registration

Please take note of the following important information when registering your child.

Registration
When registering your child, please ensure you select the correct club from the club list.

Incorrect club registrations
If you register your child to the wrong club and need to amend the registration, please note that changes can take 10–15 days to be processed.
All change requests must be submitted by email to playerreghelpdesk@ddsl.ie.

3.Player approvals
Player approvals can take 5–10 days from receipt of the registration.


  1. Check your registration status

    You can check the status of your child’s registration at any time through your SportLoMo account.

SFAI CUP 2026-27 – ENTRY PORTAL is OPEN

Please see below the update & ‘LINK’ from the SFAI in relation to this season Boys/Girls ‘SFAI SUBWAY NATIONAL COMPETITIONS BOYS/GIRLS 2026/27’

 

Please note the ‘Closing Date’ is THURSDAY 3rd SEPTEMEBER 2026’. (Midnight)

 

NOTE: If your club is entering multiple teams (at an age group), please indicate which division or suitable label you would like to use to differentiate the teams at the same age level.

 

Good luck to all for the coming season

The entry portal for the SFAI SUBWAY National Cups can be found on the link –>

2026/27 – National Cup – Entry Portal

We ask Leagues to kindly share this information with the Clubs in your league to ensure they have the opportunity to participate in the competitions.

The entry fee for each team is €25.

If your club is entering multiple teams (at an age group), please indicate which division or suitable label you would like to use to differentiate the teams at the same age level.

The closing date for entries – Thursday, 3rd Sept (midnight).

Education Special Guest

Breaking News 🚨 Education 📚

We are delighted to welcome Anthony Taylor ex FIFA & Premier League referee will be joining us for our workshop ⚽️

We welcome all from Referees, Club Officials, Coaches & Parents 🤝

22nd August 📆
Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown 📌
6-9pm 🕣

Link below ⬇️
https://ddsl.sportsmanager.ie/sportlomo/registration/event-registration/index/14189

#ddslgrassroots #coacheducation #education

Coach Education Workshops

We are starting back our Education Workshops from next week.

 

We will be running a BDO Workshop specifically for club BDOs, where we will deliver a workshop that BDOs can then bring back and deliver to both coaches and parents within their club.

 

We also have a 5v5–7v7 Format Workshop for any coach involved in these formats of the game. This workshop will show how the 5v5 and 7v7 game formats work for your teams.

 

Please share with the relevant coaches, volunteers, parents, and players aged 16+ within your club.

 

To book onto one of the DDSL Workshops, please use the link below.

 

BDO Workshop:                             7pm Tuesday 11th August (Abbotstown)

5v5- 7v7 Format Workshop:          7pm Wednesday 12th August (Online)

 

https://ddsl.sportsmanager.ie/sportlomo/registration/event-registration/index/14189