The Indie Kids (Lisburn Ladies)

A profile of Lisburn Ladies, the only club in Northern Ireland’s top women’s division with no affiliation to a men’s team. Chairman Hayden Davis, involved since the club’s founding 15 years ago, describes repeated approaches from men’s clubs wanting a ‘ready-made’ women’s section and his pride in staying independent, under the motto ‘every penny our club has is spent on your daughter’. Goalkeeper Jessica Poots, with the club since the start and a full Northern Ireland international, recalls the journey from council pitches to top-flight football and her own senior debut against Switzerland in 2016. Despite limited resources and a struggle near the foot of the table, both describe a close-knit, family-feel club proud of its academy success and its stance against merging with a men’s side.