By 
LADIES INTER-COUNTY
A SEASON that will live long in the memory must now be shelved as Tyrone ladies reset and refocus for life in Division Two and a crack at the Senior Football Championship in 2026.
New rules are on the horizon and a handful of new players are set for the new campaign that starts on January 25th away to Monaghan in the league. Tyrone manager Darren McCann is already gearing up for the challenge ahead.
“We have a few weeks until the league starts and we have players still to come back in. Some of them have had a long season and they will have needed the rest.”
McCann steered Tyrone to the All-Ireland Intermediate title in his first year at the management helm, only their second ever national crown in adult football, and he has the same backroom team to support him for the upcoming campaign.
Having lost in the 2024 All-Ireland IFC decider to Kildare, Tyrone were desperate to go one step further in 2025 and while they endured the odd fright enroute they eventually achieved their objective.
It really was a rollercoaster ride with extra time required in both the quarter-final against Fermanagh and semi-final against Westmeath, before the Red Hands eventually prevailed.
“It’s all a reflection of months of hard work, belief, and pure heart put in by the girls,” stated McCann whose side went on to eventually see off Laois in the All-Ireland Final at Croke Park, a late Katie Rose Muldoon goal helping them to a 2-16 to 1-13 triumph.
The semi-final win against Westmeath spearheaded by Niamh O’Neill really summed up the Tyrone season. Seemingly dead and buried they dug out the win and despite relegation from Division One in the early part of the year, capturing the Mary Quinn Cup at Croker represented a perfect final chapter in the year.
McCann added: “This season was nothing short of incredible. From the very first training session, there was a belief in the group that we were capable of achieving something special, and week by week that belief only grew stronger.
“ To finish the year as All-Ireland Intermediate champions is something we’ll never forget.”
On the cusp of a new campaign there will be inevitable alterations to the playing panel brought about by a mixture of injuries, work commitments and travel which will force McCann’s hand for a tough league season to come.
“Division Two is never easy. There are no easy games and every team is capable of taking points off each other. We know we have some really tough fixtures coming up, but that’s exactly what we want. Testing ourselves against strong opposition is how we’ll keep improving.”
Tyrone will follow up their league opener against Monaghan (with new management in place) with a trip to Westmeath, before back to back home games against Donegal and Mayo this side of March. Games then follow away at Wexford and Tipperary with Cavan coming to Tyrone for the final encounter.
Over the past few years Tyrone have taken the senior squad around the County throughout the National League campaigns, though a more permanent base that they could turn into a fortress would certainly help McCann as he readies his charges for the tasks ahead.
It’s six years since Tyrone last operated in the All-Ireland Senior Championship. In 2019 they put up a battling performance against Cork in the quarter finals but as Covid hit in 2020 and Gerry Moane’s Tyrone adhered to the strict regulations they suffered a tough campaign eventually being relegated from senior at the hands of Tipperary the following year.
McCann is looking forward to mixing it with the country’s top teams yet again in 2026.
“Absolutely, we are really looking forward to the new season. Stepping up to Senior Championship football is a huge challenge, but it’s also a brilliant opportunity for the group.
“ This is the level every player wants to test themselves at, and we’ve worked hard to earn our place here. We know the intensity, pace, and standards will all rise, but that’s something we’re excited about rather than afraid of.”
The Errigal man will hope to have lots of exciting young talent on board and more coming through the ranks to boost what he already has at his disposal. That was bourne out by the fact that Tyrone had seven players selected on the TG4 Intermediate Championship Team of the Year as well as a hatful of individual accolades including the Players Player of the Year Sorcha Gormley.
Jayne Lyons, Meabh Mallon, Claire Canavan, Aoibhinn McHugh, Aoife Horisk, Niamh O’Neill and Sorcha Gormley were all on named on the Team of the Year and McCann was delighted that his All-Ireland champions were rightly recognised.
“It really was a special season on so many levels,” reaffirmed Darren. “Winning the All-Ireland Intermediate title was obviously the highlight, but what made it even more memorable was seeing so many of our players recognised individually.
“ Those honours didn’t just happen overnight they came from months of commitment, consistency, and the standards the group demanded of each other every single week.
“ While those individual awards are brilliant, they’re really a reflection of the team as a whole. Every player pushed each other, every line stepped up when needed, and the collective effort is what made all of that success possible.”
It’s expected Mc Cann will be adding to his current squad. Through the past year several players from the minor squad were drafted into the senior set up.
Along the sidelines there’s a familiar look to the management and backroom team with Moane and Barry Grimes joining Fergal Quinn at the helm, providing one of the most experienced set-ups the ladies game.
Meanwhile Counties have voted on twelve trial rules to be brought into the ladies game through the 2026 National League with a review period after the opening games and a special congress in the Spring to follow.
Six of the twelve changes to be implemented are from the Football Review Committee’s rule enhancements in the men’s game from the past year, namely the kickout mark, the two-point scoring arc, the requirement to keep three players in the opposition half at all times, the solo and go, and frees being brought forward for tactical fouling or dissent from the sideline.
Short restarts within the 40-metre arc however will still be allowed. Several of the other changes pertain to the tackle in an attempt to permit more physicality in challenges, with the aim of helping the flow of the game.
Lack of consistency in implementing existing rules on the tackle saw players frustrated and recently in the Gaelic Players Association survey 92% of female inter-county players polled said they were in favour of trialling rule changes with Tyrone’s Gemma Begley one of the key advocates for change.
Meanwhile the selection process for the Tyrone Minor and Under 14 County squads for 2026 has been completed with respective managers Fergal Quinn and Barry Collins recently confirming their selections to clubs.
