DeMange name making waves in football again through Cork’s new sensation Freya

To football supporters of a certain vintage the name DeMange is instantly recognisable.

Ken DeMange was one to watch in the 1980s when he was with Liverpool and Leeds and played for Ireland’s under-21s.

Now it is his daughter Freya who is making waves after a few frustrating seasons in the shadows, her set-piece winner from half-way making it a debut to remember for Cork City last Saturday as the Leesiders beat champions Peamount for the first time.

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“The perfect start, really,” smiled DeMange. “Danny (Murphy) had been urging me to take a shot.

“I didn’t think I was going to do it but I saw their keeper off her line and it was kind of a cross-shot.

“So look, just the perfect start – a really good team performance, the club’s first time ever to beat Peamount as well, but we couldn’t have won without our defensive structure.

“We were all really excited afterwards. We’ll be going into the Bohs game on Saturday really excited.”

She likes scoring spectacular goals – in her 50th appearance for Wexford, DeMange beat the Linfield goalkeeper from just inside her own half in the All-Island Cup quarter-final last month.

Being a part of Wexford’s FAI Cup final winning day in 2021 was also a great experience for a 17-year-old.

She didn’t feature in the showpiece decider and while she played regularly the following season, she grew frustrated with the lack of starting opportunities.

“I didn’t have a set position,” she explained. “I was playing right mid, centre-mid, centre-back, it’s hard to nail down a spot when you’re switching around.

“I was offered a move to Cork at the start of the season and turned it down, I’m glad I did because I gave Wexford that final go that I needed to give it and I would have been annoyed if I left without doing so. The lads were great with me, it was just that it didn’t work out for various reasons.

“So I’m actually loving it now. It’s great to get back to enjoying football, I wasn’t playing there for a long time so it was nice to get back to that.”

DeMange started college in Cork last year and, while commuting from Kilkenny for now, she will be living on Leeside full time from September.

“Even if I wasn’t going to college there I would have considered moving to City because they’re an up and coming young team and are doing well,” she said.

“You can see the development in the younger players who are gaining experience. The team has really gelled together. I didn’t mind where it was, I just wanted to get back playing and to get to being happy.”

Eva Mangan’s call-up to the last two Ireland squads has also boosted the squad. “Oh God yeah, we’re all rooting for her, she deserves every bit of it,” said DeMange. “We’re not top of the table but it shows players can still get recognition when they shine.

“You can see how much quality she brings to the team and how good a captain she is, so she deserves every bit of it.”

As for dad Ken, he has been there every step of the way, from daily kickabouts with Freya and her brother – the family are all Liverpool fans, incidentally – to managing her Freebooters team in Kilkenny, though she prefers his input now.

“We didn’t work too well together, he’s better as a parent than my manager,” she laughed. “He’s better now telling me stuff quietly from the sidelines, I prefer that.

“Him and mam are great for me. He comes to all the matches, he’s great to have there and great to talk about football in general.”

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