Claire Walsh (footballer)

Claire Walsh (born 28 October 1994) is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Women's National League (WNL) club Peamount United and the Republic of Ireland women's national team. A product of the American college soccer system with Central Connecticut Blue Devils, she has previously played club soccer for New England Mutiny in the United States and for UCD Waves in the WNL. She has also played inter county Ladies' Gaelic football for her native Wicklow GAA.

Claire Walsh
Personal information
Full name Claire Walsh[1]
Date of birth (1994-10-28) 28 October 1994[2][3]
Place of birth Kilbride, County Wicklow, Ireland[4]
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[5]
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Peamount United
Number 14
Youth career
Peamount United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Central Connecticut Blue Devils 59 (6)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Peamount United
2015–2016 New England Mutiny
2017 UCD Waves
2018– Peamount United
National team‡
2019– Republic of Ireland 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 March 2020

Club career

After she progressed through Peamount United's youth system, head coach Eileen Gleeson promoted Walsh into the senior squad at 16 years old for a 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain Féminine.[6] Walsh completed her Leaving Cert in 2012 and accepted an offer to play four years of college soccer for the Central Connecticut State University "Blue Devils".

In May 2015 Walsh signed for Women's Premier Soccer League club New England Mutiny.[7] They reached the East Region final in the 2015 WPSL season, but Walsh was out injured for the 2–0 defeat by Boston Breakers Reserves.[8] Returning in 2016 she made six appearances as New England Mutiny, now playing in United Women's Soccer, finished second in the Eastern Conference.[9]

In the 2017 Women's National League, Walsh played for UCD Waves while completing a master's degree in computer science at University College Dublin.[10] Playing under her former Peamount coach Eileen Gleeson, she captained The Waves to a fourth-place finish in the League and a 1–0 FAI Women's Cup final defeat by Cork City at the Aviva Stadium.

Ahead of the 2018 Women's National League season, Walsh returned to Peamount United: "My main reason for moving would be that I'm finished up studying in UCD. Peamount has always been my club and it's closer to home".[10] In 2019 Walsh displayed good form and was named to the WNL Team of the Season, as The Peas recaptured the League title for the first time since 2011–12.[11] She also played in Peamount's 2018 and 2019 FAI Women's Cup final defeats by Wexford Youths.[12][13]

International career

While enrolled at University College Dublin, Walsh represented Ireland at the 2017 Summer Universiade.[1] Republic of Ireland coach Colin Bell gave Walsh her first senior call-up for the FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying fixture against Northern Ireland in September 2017.[14] In August 2019 she won her first senior cap in a 3–0 friendly defeat by the United States at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, under interim manager Tom O'Connor.[15][16] Walsh entered the match as a substitute for her fellow County Wicklow woman Louise Quinn.[17] She made a competitive substitute appearance in the opening UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifier against Montenegro, a 2–0 win at Tallaght Stadium on 3 September 2019.[15]

Gaelic football

After returning from University in the United States, Walsh played Ladies' Gaelic football for Wicklow GAA, competing in the Ladies' National Football League and All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship.[15] She decided to prioritise soccer in 2018.[10]

References
  1. "Match Report Mex-IRL 0:0" (PDF). 2017 Summer Universiade. 18 August 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  2. "Claire Walsh | Republic of Ireland | UEFA Women's EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  3. Claire Walsh at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. "Claire Walsh". Extratime.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  5. "Claire Walsh". Central Connecticut State University. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  6. Fallon, John (7 October 2019). "Claire Walsh happy to see Gleeson in Irish fold". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  7. "New England Mutiny Announce First Wave of Signings". New England Mutiny. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  8. "New England Mutiny fall to the Breakers Reserves in WPSL East Final". Mass Live. Advance Publications. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  9. "Claire Walsh #3 D". United Women's Soccer. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  10. "Walsh delighted with move to Peamount United". Wicklow People. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  11. "Champions Peamount United lead way on Team of the Year". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  12. "Wexford Youths seal the treble thanks to Katrina Parrock's first-half winner". independent.
  13. Leahy, Ed (November 3, 2019). "Wexford Youths swing five-goal thriller to win FAI Cup" – via www.rte.ie. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. Frith, Wilf (31 August 2017). "Colin Bell Names #IRLWNT Squad for All-Irish Clash". She Kicks. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  15. Hill, Bill (5 September 2019). "Claire Walsh – From A Wicklow LGFA Star To An Irish Women's International Star". Bill Hill Wicklow. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  16. "World champions USA prove too strong for Ireland as victory tour kicks off". Irish Independent. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  17. "Flying the flag!". Bray People. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
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