38 Facts About Saoirse Noonan

Saoirse Noonan is an Irish dual code footballer from Cork.

Saoirse Noonan represents the Republic of Ireland at senior level, having represented Ireland at youth level.

Saoirse Noonan played for her home town club Cork City from joining them at 16 years old until moving to Shelbourne in 2021.

Saoirse Noonan is a former Republic of Ireland youth national team captain and was named under-17 International Player of the Year in 2016.

Saoirse Noonan won her first senior cap in August 2016 and was recalled to the senior squad in November 2020.

In Gaelic football Saoirse Noonan has a long association with the Nemo Rangers club and she won All-Ireland medals with Cork at under-14, under-16, and minor level.

Ahead of her appearance in Cork's 2018 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship final defeat by Dublin at Croke Park, Cork coach Ephie Fitzgerald said of Noonan: "I firmly believe that Saoirse could be the face of ladies football for the next 10 years".

Saoirse Noonan has attracted notice for her unusual success in balancing the demands of two sports at the elite level.

In November 2020 the Republic of Ireland soccer manager Vera Pauw said of Saoirse Noonan: "Playing two sports and just being so natural and so clinical about it is amazing".

In 2021 Saoirse Noonan decided to pause her Gaelic football career again to focus on soccer.

Saoirse Noonan is from the Grange area of Cork and began playing soccer on the boys' teams which her older brother Eoin played on.

Saoirse Noonan was initially unhappy to be banned from boys' soccer but later enjoyed playing for Douglas Hall's female teams.

In 2018, Saoirse Noonan missed her kick as Cork City lost the final of the WNL Shield to Wexford Youths on a penalty shootout.

Saoirse Noonan was unhappy to be dropped for one Cork City match during this period but was restored to the team for their next fixture, in which she scored.

Saoirse Noonan used the time off to set up a one-to-one coaching business and to work hard at improving her own fitness.

Saoirse Noonan's continued good form made her a transfer target for professional foreign clubs including Vikingur FC, Aston Villa and London City Lionesses.

Saoirse Noonan was Shels' top scorer with 12 goals as the club won the 2021 WNL title on the last day of the season.

Saoirse Noonan started her time in Scotland successfully, scoring twice in her debut performance against Dundee United.

Saoirse Noonan was disappointed to be the final player to miss the cut.

At the final tournament in Iceland, Saoirse Noonan was the team's midfield playmaker while her brother Eoin attended as an accredited photographer.

Saoirse Noonan played through the pain of an injured ankle, as Ireland were eliminated after losing all three group matches.

Saoirse Noonan continued with the under-17 national team and in March 2016 was the captain when they competed at the 2016 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification elite round in France.

Saoirse Noonan was named FAI Under-17 Women's International Player of the Year for 2016.

Saoirse Noonan concluded her under-19 national team career with seven goals in 20 appearances.

Saoirse Noonan was one of three nominees for the 2018 FAI Under-19 Women's International Player of the Year award won by Niamh Farrelly.

Saoirse Noonan won her first senior cap in the second of two scheduled friendly matches against the Welsh hosts.

Under Pauw's predecessor Colin Bell Saoirse Noonan had been restricted to the "fringes", but still attended national team training sessions for home-based players and still harboured ambitions of playing for Ireland.

Saoirse Noonan played for her primary school Scoil Nioclais in the Sciath na Scol final at nine years old.

Saoirse Noonan's potential was noticed by county selectors and in 2013 she won Munster and All-Ireland Under-14 Ladies' Football Championship titles with Cork's under-14 panel.

Saoirse Noonan was an immediate success at minor level, making her debut in a May 2016 victory over Kerry in the Munster final, playing against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final and scoring one goal and 11 points across these first two appearances.

Saoirse Noonan resisted overtures from the senior Cork county ladies' football team bainisteoir Ephie Fitzgerald, until Ireland's defeat in the 2018 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship qualification round freed up her schedule somewhat and she agreed to join his senior panel.

Saoirse Noonan came on at half-time in the final but was well-marked by the Dublin defence and failed to score.

Cork's defeat before a record 50,141 crowd at Croke Park left Saoirse Noonan particularly disappointed because after years of success it was her first ever defeat in the colours of her county at any level.

Saoirse Noonan began to start games instead of being an impact substitute and increasingly began to assist team mates as well as continuing to score regularly herself.

An all-round sportswoman, Saoirse Noonan played basketball until she was 12 years old but stopped when she was called up to the Cork under-14 inter-County Gaelic football panel.

Saoirse Noonan played camogie for the St Finbarr's club until the disappointment of her failed trial for the Irish under-16 national soccer team caused her to prioritise soccer and Gaelic football.

In October 2019 Saoirse Noonan was one of three Irish women to attend an AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne, but she was unable to participate in the tests due to a knee injury.

In 2021 Saoirse Noonan launched her own clothing brand, called "Freedom" which is the English translation of her given name.