Connolly began playing association football with College Corinthians at the age of six. Initially she played with boys' teams before her father helped set up teams for girls. She also showed potential as a Gaelic footballer, playing for Nemo Rangers GAA. In 2012, she was a member of the Cork GAA U-16 Ladies team that won the Munster U-16 Ladies' Championship. Connolly scored a hat-trick in the final as Cork beat Kerry by 5–6 to 0–10.[1] In interviews, Connolly credited her Gaelic football training for helping her with general fitness. She eventually opted to concentrate on association football because it gave her the opportunity to represent Ireland at international level.[2]
Playing association football as a schoolgirl, Connolly won honours at provincial and national level, representing both Corinthians and her high school, Christ King Girls Secondary School.[3] On 16 November 2014, Connolly was a member of the College Corinthians senior women's team that won the Women's Munster Senior Cup. Her father, Michael Connolly, was the coach of the team and Connolly scored in the final.[4][5][6]
College career
Florida State Seminoles
In 2015, Connolly began playing for Florida State Seminoles after obtaining a four-year scholarship to Florida State University to study sports management. Compatriot Megan Campbell was involved in her recruitment.[7][8] In her first season playing for the Seminoles, Connolly played a pivotal role in their 2015 ACC Women's Soccer Tournament success, contributing nine goals and ten assists. She subsequently received a number of individual awards including ACC Midfielder of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year.
As a sophomore, Connolly played and started in all 22 games. She scored a total of seven goals, including five game-winners, and provided four assists. As a junior, she played in 20 games, starting nine, and finished fourth on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists.[10][clarification needed]
Club career
Returning from the USA, Connolly signed a contract with Women's Super League side Brighton & Hove Albion on 26 January 2019 for the remainder of the season.[11] She re-signed with Brighton for another year in July 2020.[12]
Connolly spent four seasons at Brighton before signing for newly-promoted FA Women's Championship winners Bristol City ahead of the 2023-24 season, being named captain off the back of her 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup experience with Ireland in Australia.[13] Connolly played all 22 league games for the Robins as they finished bottom and were relegated, their limited budget seeing them win only one league game all season, 3-2 at West Ham United.[14] Connolly's only goal for the club came in a 7-3 home loss to her former club Brighton.[15]
Released from Bristol City after their relegation,[16] Connolly swapped England for Italy at the start of the 2024-25 season, signing for newly-promoted Serie A Femminile side Lazio on 9 August 2024.[17] She made her debut for her new club in their opening game of the season, a 2-2 Derby della Capitale draw against Roma.[18][19]
Lazio won one of their first ten league games in Serie A to lie in the bottom half of the table in seventh place after the first half of the regular season. Their second derby of the season against Roma ending in a 2-1 defeat.[20]
International career
Connolly has represented the Republic of Ireland at U-15, U-16, U-17, U-19 and senior level. She has been a regular goalscorer at youth international level. On 6 August 2013 during a 2014 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualifier, Connolly scored a hat-trick in a 12–1 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[21] Connolly was also a member of the Republic of Ireland team that won their group at the 2014 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship and qualified for the semi-finals. On 21 July 2014, Connolly scored a "wondrous free kick" which proved to be the winner in a 2–1 win against Sweden. This earned the Republic of Ireland their place in the semi–final.[22] With three assists, including two against England, and this goal, Connolly was described as "one of the stars of the tournament".[23][24][25]
Connolly was part of the Irish squad for the country's inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup appearance in the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand. During the team's second group stage match against Canada, with Ireland leading by a goal, Connolly scored an own goal after inadvertently deflecting Julia Grosso's cross attempt into her own net. This equalizer allowed Canada to eventually win 2–1, eliminating Ireland from the tournament. Manager Vera Pauw defended Connolly, saying “She hardly touched the ball trying to save it and was very unfortunate. We do not blame players ever, mistakes are part of the game."[31]
Personal life
Connolly was raised in Cork, Ireland and is the daughter of Michael and Freda Connolly.[32] Her father was a volunteer coach at College Corinthians and, after Megan began to show potential, he was responsible for reintroducing women's association football to the club.[33] Her older brother Luke is also a footballer, playing association football for Corinthians and Gaelic football for Nemo Rangers GAA and UCC GAA.
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