Carol Breen

Carol Breen
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-01-21) 21 January 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Waterford, Republic of Ireland
Position(s) Defender[1]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
?–? Benfica ? (?)
2014 Benfica ? (?)
2014–2016 Wexford Youths ? (?)
International career
? – ? Republic of Ireland U17 ? (?)
2004–2005 Republic of Ireland U19 ? (?)
2015 – ? Republic of Ireland 2+ (?)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Carol Breen (born 21 January 1986)[1] is an Irish Australian rules footballer and former association footballer, who has played for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team and the Ireland national Australian rules football team. At club Australian rules football level, she most recently played for Randwick City Saints, and at club association football level, Breen last played for Wexford Youths.

Association football career

Breen played as a defender.[1] Breen represented Republic of Ireland under-17s in the football event at the 2003 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival.[2] She played for the Republic of Ireland under-19s from 2004 to 2005,[1] and was in the squad for UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying matches.[3][4] At the time, she was playing for Benfica.[3]

Breen later quit association football, and went backpacking in Australia. Whilst there she played Australian rules football and Gaelic football.[5] She later lived in Canada, before returning to Ireland in 2014. She re-signed for local association football club Benfica in Waterford.[5] Breen signed for Wexford Youths for the 2014–15 Women's National League season.[5]

In March 2015, Breen made her debut for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team in the 2015 Istria Cup, and also played in Ireland's match against Austria at the same tournament.[5] She had previously been called up to the squad for a winter training camp in La Manga.[5] In 2015, she played for Wexford Youths in the UEFA Women's Champions League; she scored four goals in a qualifying group stage match against Cardiff Met.[6][7] She was also part of the Wexford Youths team that won the 2015 FAI Women's Cup, the first time that Wexford Youths had won the tournament.[8] She was named in the Women's National League Team of the Season for the 2014–15 season.[9]

In January 2016, Breen was not selected in the Ireland squad for matches against the United States, as she was preparing to emigrate to Australia.[10] Breen returned to Australia later that year.[4]

Australian rules career

Carol Breen
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
2016–2017 UTS Shamrocks ? (?)
2018 Nor-West Jets 14 (11)
2019 UTS Australian Football Club 14 (2)
2020 Randwick City Saints 10 (11)
International team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
? – ? Ireland ? (?)

Breen played for UTS Shamrocks, and in 2016, she won the AFL Sydney Women's Division One Best and Fairest award.[11] In 2018, she made 11 appearances for the Nor-West Jets,[12] and she made 14 appearances for UTS Australian Football Club in 2019.[12] In 2020, Breen made 10 appearances for Randwick City Saints.[12]

Breen was part of the Ireland national Australian rules football team that won the 2017 Australian Football International Cup. She won the "best on ground" award in the final.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Carol Breen". Football Association of Ireland. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  2. ^ "King names girls squad for Youth Olympics". Irish Examiner. 22 July 2003. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Women's under 19 squad announced". RTÉ.ie. 15 April 2004. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Roll of Honour: Confirmed Ireland Women's National Team Players". Women's Soccer Archive. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Breen's first senior cap". Irish Independent. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Carol Breen hits four as Wexford exit Europe on a high". RTÉ.ie. 16 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  7. ^ "The Dream May Be Over But Wexford Youths Can Hold Their Heads High". Her.ie. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Wexford win first ever FAI Women's Cup final on penalties". The Irish Times. 8 November 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  9. ^ "A Big Occasion For UCD Waves And Wexford Youths As Women's National League Award Recipients Announced". Her.ie. 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Ireland squad announced for American games". News Talk. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  11. ^ "2016 James Medal". Sports STG. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "Carol Breen Season Statistics". AFL Sydney. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Ireland women's Australian Rules Football team celebrating after claiming AFL International Cup". Belfast Live. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.