Why a Rovers Women Fanzine
- Christine Allen
- Aug 4, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 2
Last year, when following Arsenal Women (who I also support) I considered setting up a dedicated blog/fanzine for their women's team here in Ireland.
Looking into this further I found a number of Arsenal blogs that featured all the information you could possibly want about their women's team in the UK from people who had far better access than myself (such as Arseblog, Gooner fanzine etc.)
Example:
And so I left it at that.
Since March of this year I started to write about Shamrock Rovers Women for Extra Time, the official Rovers site and The Tallaght Echo on a voluntary basis about The Hoops progress across all competitions.
During this time I noticed that across the board there was a greater need for mainstream coverage of the WNL and in an effort to plug this gap setup a wloistories site which featured match reports, interviews and analysis of teams and players across the women's league.
There's a saying that 'you can't be all things to all people' and as I work full-time I decided to narrow my focus and cover one team comprehensively.
As to who that team would be?
Well it was never in doubt.
Since the Spring of this year I've reported on Rovers Women both at home and away from the press box and the West Stand and it's safe to say that I'm now a fan and club member for life.
I was drawn to Dublin 24 having grown up in Kingswood Heights, a residential estate about a mile away from Tallaght Stadium where I spent most evenings and weekends kicking a ball about with the lads on the road.
I left football at fifteen and coming back to the sport I love and utilising the medium of sports journalism has honestly felt like the most natural thing in the world.
It's my passion and never feels like work.
"How can you not write about this?" - is my first thought when I watch Joy Ralph beat a defender for pace in front of the South Stand and hold them off with the tenacity and healthy aggression that all centre forwards should strive for.
Yet the awareness in the greater Dublin area of the determination, flair and creativity that the Rovers Women execute is lacking - this fanzine aims to change that with the additional coverage that Extra Time News and The Tallaght Echo bring (along with the great work that Rovers Women media and the many volunteers behind the scenes in Dublin 24 are doing to increase attendances at the women's games - including features in The Hoops Scene Rover's matchday programme by Dave Hanly.)
On the few occasions I've hitched a taxi up to Tallaght, the conversations with the drivers have gone something like this.
Driver: "Who's playing?"
Me: "Rovers Women."
D:"Ah I was wondering..didn't the men's team play last night?"
M:"They did yeah...it's the women playing today."
D: "Oh...right. Are they any good?"
.....................
And I'm off as for the next 20 minutes I paint a picture of Lia O'Leary as she races like an F1 car on the left wing, overtaking the opposition for fun.
Describing how Melissa O'Kane controls the ball as if it were glued with pritstick to her boots in the centre of the park, as she commands the heart of the pitch with the industrious Aoife Kelly by her side.
Waxing lyrical about the formidable height and strength of Jessica Hennessy and Maria Reynolds as they marshal at the back with the swift Shauna Fox.
"Remember their names," I tell the driver and he nods thoughtfully as I exit the car, aware that his next move will be to either google their highlights, or block my address. (Odds I'm happy to chance - there's too many taxi's in Dublin anyway.)
Through match previews, match reports, player analysis and news, this fanzine will play a small part in spreading the word about the Rovers Women.
In time I'd hope to feature interviews with the players too with the clubs permission.
I really enjoyed my evening at the Roadstone Academy and hope to feature more reports like this in the future.
Final thoughts...
I envisage a Tallaght Stadium packed to the rafters for the Women's side as they take on Bohs in a Dublin derby.
If the men's derbys can be sold out, why can't the women's?
Look at Arsenal Women at The Emirates.
Ten years ago they were watched by a handful of fans at Meadow Park.
Impossible is Nothing
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