| Clubname: | DLR Waves |
| Fullname: | Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Waves |
| Nickname: | The Waves |
| Ground: | UCD Bowl |
| Capacity: | 3,000 (1,500 seated) |
| Manager: | Laura Heffernan |
| League: | League of Ireland Women's Premier Division |
| Season: | 2023 |
| Position: | 8th |
| Current: | 2024 League of Ireland Women's Premier Division |
| Website: | www.dlrwaves.com/ |
| Pattern B1: | _whitestripes |
| Leftarm1: | 87CEEB |
| Body1: | 87CEEB |
| Rightarm1: | 87CEEB |
| Shorts1: | 87CEEB |
| Socks1: | 87CEEB |
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| Socks2: | 32CD32 |
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Waves, also referred to as DLR Waves, is a women-only Irish association football club based in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It was originally founded in 2012. DLR Waves field several teams; the senior League of Ireland team, the Under 19s LOI team and the Under 17s LOI team. The senior 1st team competes in the FAI Women's Cup and the League of Ireland Women's Premier Division. Between 2014 and 2018, the club played as UCD Waves, before returning to the name DLR Waves.
The 2012–13 season saw DLR Waves join the Women's National League as an expansion team. The club was formed with the support of the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council and they played their home games at Jackson Park, Kilternan. DLR Waves were managed by former UCD coach, Larry Mahony, and their squad featured former UCD captain Sylvia Gee.[1] [2] [3] Initially DLR Waves had mixed success in the WNL. During the 2012–13 season they finished fifth. They were also FAI Women's Cup semi-finalists.[4] [5]
Between 2014 and 2018, following a merger, with UCD, the club played as UCD Waves under manager Eileen Gleeson. During this time, UCD Waves reached the FAI Women's Cup final twice, in 2014 and 2017, but lost to Raheny United and Cork City FC respectively. Furthermore, UCD Waves were runners up in the league, placed 2nd in the 2014–15 and 2016 WNL. In 2018, UCD AFC decided to withdraw from the women's league and the club ceased to be known as UCD Waves. DLR Waves was revived as a separate women's-only club using the original name, with DLR Waves replacing UCD in the Women's National League.[5] [6]
Since 2019, DLR Waves have played in the Women's National League at their home ground Jacksons Park initially, before returning to the UCD Bowl as their home ground in 2021. In recent years, DLR Waves have primarily been a mid-table team, finishing between 4th-6th in the league in the years 2019–2022. Mid-way through the 2023 season, long term manager Graham Kelly left the club for a role at St Patrick's Athletic and he was replaced by Laura Heffernan,[7] the only female manager in the 2023 women's premier division. DLR Waves finished the 2023 season in 8th position.
In October 2023, DLR Waves launched a player academy with local clubs to provide a pathway from grassroots girls soccer into the underage DLR Waves teams. There are eight local clubs involved in the DLR Waves Partner Academy, these are; Shankill FC Girls, Enniskerry Youth Club AFC, Beechwood FC, United Girls Football Club, Park Celtic FC, Granada FC, Mount Merrion Youths FC Girls and Lakelands FC.[8] [9]
The current squad, as of the January 2024, includes:[10]
A large number of current or former Irish senior international football players have played for DLR Waves at some stage in their careers, as shown in the table below.
| Eve Badana | 2019–Present | DLR Waves | 4 | |
| Dearbháile Beirne | 2016-2018 | Peamount | 1 | |
| Jetta Berrill | 2014-2017, 2019, 2021 | Peamount | 4 | |
| Karen Duggan | 2014-2017 | Peamount | 35 | |
| Jess Gleeson | 2021–Present | DLR Waves | 4 | |
| Dora Gorman | 2014-2016 | Peamount | 16 | |
| Ciara Grant | 2014-2016 | Heart of Midlothian | 18 | |
| Savannah McCarthy | 2014-2015 | Shamrock Rovers | 11 | |
| Chloe Mustaki | 2014-2016, 2017–2018 | Bristol City Women | 8 | |
| Áine O'Gorman | 2014-2017 | Shamrock Rovers | 119 | |
| Eleanor Ryan-Doyle | 2015-2016 | Durham | 0 | |
| Julie-Ann Russell | 2014-2017 | Galway United F.C. | 59 | |
| Caroline Thorpe | 2014-2016 | Retired | 24 | |
| Claire Walsh | 2017 | Glasgow City | 4 |
As of 2024, the manager of DLR Waves is Laura Heffernan,[11] the wider coaching team for the senior team and underage teams are listed in the table below.
| Position | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Head Manager |  Laura Heffernan | |
| Assistant Manager | Aoibh Hall | |
| 1st Team Coach | Ronan Crean | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Ian Fowler | |
| Physio | Kevin Quinn | |
| Under-19 Coach | Ronan Crean | |
| Under-17 Coach | Fiona Doyle |
There have been five managers of DLR Waves since it was founded in 2012, as shown in the table below.
| Seasons | Manager Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-2013 | Larry Mahony [12] | |
| 2014-2017 | Eileen Gleeson | |
| 2017-2018 | Noel Kealy [13] | |
| 2019-2023 | Graham Kelly [14] | |
| 2023–Present | Laura Heffernan |
The historic league standings from 2012 to 2023 are summarised in the table below.
| 2012-2013 | DLR Waves | 5th | 7 | |
| 2013-2014 | DLR Waves | 5th | 8 | |
| 2014-2015 | UCD Waves | 2nd | 7 | |
| 2015-2016 | UCD Waves | 3rd | 8 | |
| 2016 | UCD Waves | 2nd | 7 | |
| 2017 | UCD Waves | 4th | 7 | |
| 2018 | UCD Waves | 6th | 8 | |
| 2019 | DLR Waves | 6th | 8 | |
| 2020 | DLR Waves | 6th | 9 | |
| 2021 | DLR Waves | 4th | 9 | |
| 2022 | DLR Waves | 5th | 10 | |
| 2023 | DLR Waves | 8th | 11 |
DLR Waves has a small unofficial supporters group, established in late 2022, which attend games and decorate the ground with the club colours. Similar to most League of Ireland supporters groups, the DLR Waves fans produce stickers to promote the club throughout Dublin. The DLR Waves Supporters Logo consists of the UCD Water Tower and two women footballers. The water tower is visible from the UCD Bowl. The Dublin derby game for DLR Waves fans and players is fixtures against Bohemians F.C.[15]