Kirsty McGuinness

Kirsty McGuinness
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994
Place of birth Northern Ireland
Club information
Current team
 Linfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 Linfield
2012–2013 Glentoran Belfast United
2013– Linfield
National team
2011– Northern Ireland
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Kirsty McGuinness (born 4 November 1994)[1] is a Northern Irish women's association football player and GAA player. She plays football for Linfield Ladies and the Northern Ireland women's national football team.[2] She plays Gaelic games for Antrim GAA.[2]

Career

McGuinness started playing women's football when she was 14 and was chosen by the Linfield secretary to join them.[3] In 2009, she made her debut for the Northern Ireland women's national football team against Norway at Mourneview Park when she was 15, scoring on her debut.[4][5][6] She had previously played for the Northern Ireland women's national under-19 football team and at under-17s level.[6] In 2012, she crossed the Belfast's Big Two divide by joining Linfield's Belfast rivals Glentoran Belfast United.[5] McGuinness helped Glentoran to a Women's Premiership and IFA Women's Challenge Cup double in her first season.[2] However she rejoined Linfield after a season despite interest from English club Arsenal Ladies.[5]

McGuinness also plays Ladies' Gaelic football for Antrim GAA. In 2012, she was a part of the Antrim team that won the All-Ireland Junior Ladies' Football Championship.[2][7] She also represented them in the Ulster Women's Intermediate Championship.[8] She is among a small number of sportswomen who have played association football for Northern Ireland and GAA for Antrim.[2] This differed from men's sport where there are traditionally sectarian divides between the historically majority Protestant association football and historically majority Roman Catholic GAA, which is no longer commonplace in women's sport in Northern Ireland.[3] McGuinness would attend Linfield training wearing an Antrim shirt and vice versa.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Kirsty McGuinness". Eurosport. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "NI footballer Kirsty McGuinness targets Antrim GAA success – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  3. 1 2 3 "Women's football is at fever pitch, with crowds soaring and Northern Ireland participation at an all-time high". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  4. ↑ "N Ireland 3–1 Norway". BBC Sport. 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  5. 1 2 3 "Kirsty McGuinness". Linfieldfc.com. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  6. 1 2 "Kirsty McGuinness". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-11-22 – via HighBeam Research.
  7. ↑ "Junior Championship". Ladiesgaelic.ie. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  8. ↑ "Fermanagh ladies take down Antrim". The Fermanagh Herald. 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
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