Niamh Farrelly

Niamh Farrelly (born 15 April 1999) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Barclays Women’s Championship Womens Championship side London City Lionesses. She previously played for Glasgow City of the Scottish Women's Premier League, who she joined from Peamount United of the Women's National League (WNL). In 2019 she made her debut for the Republic of Ireland women's national team. She can play in either the centre of defence or in midfield.[2]

Niamh Farrelly
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-04-15) 15 April 1999
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland[1]
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Team information
Current team
 London City Lionesses
Number 71
Youth career
Esker Celtic
Peamount United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2020 Peamount United
2021–2022 Glasgow City
2022–2023 Parma 17 (1)
2023- London City Lionesses 1
International career‡
2019– Republic of Ireland 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:22, 26 November 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 September 2021

Club career

Farrelly is from Lucan, Dublin and she learned to play street football alongside her brother. An Arsenal FC supporter, she spent one season with Esker Celtic playing in the Dublin and District Schoolboys'/girls' League (DDSL) before moving to Peamount United. She also played Gaelic football for the youth system of Lucan Sarsfields GAA, before deciding to focus on soccer.[3][4]

In September 2015 Farrelly made her debut for Peamount United's first team in a 4–2 WNL Shield win over Castlebar Celtic.[5][6] She enjoyed good form in the 2018 Women's National League, being named WNL Player of the Month for September 2018[7] and named in the Team of the Season.[8] She was part of the team as "The Peas" secured the 2019 Women's National League title.[9]

After helping Peamount United secure a League and Cup "double" in their 2020 campaign, Farrelly signed a three-year professional contract with Scottish Women's Premier League club Glasgow City in December 2020.[10] She had played in the teams' UEFA Women's Champions League fixture the previous month.[11] The transfer was scheduled to complete with the opening of the transfer window on 2 January 2021, and Farrelly was assigned City's number 17 jersey.[12]

On her professional debut Farrelly scored a goal and was named Player of the Match in a 3–0 win over Celtic in April 2021. She also scored in both of her next two matches with the club to help secure the 2020–21 Scottish Women's Premier League title.[13] In February 2022 Farrelly was criticised for a dangerous foul on Celtic's Chloe Craig which left both players injured.[14] Glasgow City announced that Farrelly was among seven players to leave the deposed Scottish champions in June 2022.[15]

In July 2022 Farrelly announced that she had signed for newly formed Parma, of the Italian Serie A.[16] Although Farrelly had been happy during her 18 months in Glasgow, she accepted the move to Italy because she wanted to test herself in a different culture.[17]

On August 16, 2023, it was announced that Farrelly would join London City Lionesses on a one-year contract.[18]

International career

Youth

Farrelly represented Ireland at schoolgirl level while she attended St. Joseph's College, Lucan.[19] She represented the Republic of Ireland women's national under-17 football team in the 2015 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification mini tournament in Serbia, but was disappointed to be dropped from the squad for the final tournament. Spurred on by that rejection, she missed her Debs to train with the Republic of Ireland women's national under-19 football team and was then appointed captain at the higher age group.[3] At the FAI International Football Awards she was named 2018 Under-19 Women's International Player of the Year.[20]

While enrolled at Dublin City University, Farrelly represented Ireland at the 2019 Summer Universiade.[21]

Senior

In August 2016 Ireland coach Susan Ronan named Farrelly in a young and predominantly home-based senior squad for a training camp in Wales.[22][23] She did not feature in either of the scheduled challenge matches against the Welsh hosts.[24][25] Ronan's successor as national team coach Colin Bell called up Farrelly for the first time as a late replacement in the FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying fixture away to European Champions the Netherlands in November 2017. She was not included in the match day squad for Ireland's encouraging 0–0 draw, but took heart from the experience.[3]

She won her first senior cap in a 1–0 friendly defeat by Belgium, staged in Murcia, Spain, on 20 January 2019. She was an 86th-minute substitute for Claire O'Riordan who had a head injury.[26] In August 2019 she started a 3–0 friendly defeat by the United States at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and was complimented on her performance by interim manager Tom O'Connor: "Niamh Farrelly and Jess Gargan were excellent, they didn't look out of sync at all".[27]

International appearances
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps
Republic of Ireland 2019 2
2021 2
Total4

References
  1. Hannigan, Mary (19 September 2020). "Girls in green: meet the Irish women's soccer team". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  2. Dalton, Gavin (19 April 2019). "Farrelly cherishes stellar season". Echo.ie. Retrieved 20 November 2020. Farrelly, a versatile player, comfortable operating in the centre of midfield and defence, puts last season's success down to good timing and extra work behind the scenes.
  3. Duffy, Emma (21 March 2019). "'He told me that I was Ireland captain and then the Debs went out the window!'". The42.ie. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. Hegarty, Aron (28 June 2020). "Hall of Fame". Esker Celtic F.C. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. "Niamh Farrelly". Extratime.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  6. "Congrats to our WNL on their first win of the season v Castlebar Celtic". Peamount United F.C. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. "Farrelly named September Player of the Month". Women's National League (Ireland). 31 October 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  8. "Rianna Jarrett wins 2018 Player of the Year". Continental Tyres Women's National League. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  9. "Peamount crush Cork to claim National League title". RTÉ Sport. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  10. "Niamh Farrelly: Glasgow City sign Republic of Ireland defender". BBC Sport. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  11. Russell, Adrian (18 December 2020). "Niamh Farrelly makes switch to Glasgow City from Peamount". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  12. "City sign Irish International defender Niamh Farrelly". Glasgow City F.C. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  13. Dalton, Gavin (1 June 2021). "Niamh Farrelly Flourishing In Glasgow". Her Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  14. Fulton, Matthew (11 February 2022). "Celtic women's star suffers horror challenge in brutal footage as tackle branded 'the worst I've ever seen'". Daily Express. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  15. "Glasgow City FC: Squad update". Glasgow City F.C. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  16. "Ireland international Niamh Farrelly completes Serie A move to Parma". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  17. Hannigan, Mary (25 August 2022). "Niamh Farrelly: 'We get what the men get, there's real ambition here'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  18. https://www.londoncitylionesses.com/post/london-city-lionesses-sign-republic-of-ireland-midfielder-niamh-farrelly/
  19. "Niamh Farrelly". FAI Schools. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  20. "Farrelly's star continues to rise". Dublin Gazette. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  21. "Match Report Irl v Bra 3:0" (PDF). 2019 Summer Universiade. 2 July 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  22. Blake, Ben (17 August 2016). "Youth given a chance to impress as 9 new faces named in Ireland senior women's squad". The42.ie. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  23. "Sue Ronan names Wales training camp squad". Football Association of Ireland. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  24. "Young Ireland hold Wales in stalemate". Football Association of Ireland. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  25. "Video: Late McCabe double secures victory over Wales". Football Association of Ireland. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  26. "Ireland WNT: Young side succumb to Belgian defeat". Football Association of Ireland. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  27. "World champions USA prove too strong for Ireland as victory tour kicks off". Irish Independent. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
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