Fran Kirby

English footballer

Fran Kirby

Kirby with Chelsea in 2021

Personal information
Full name|  Francesca Kirby[1]
Date of birth|  (1993-06-29) 29 June 1993 (age 30)[1]
Place of birth|  Reading, England[2]
Height|  5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)[1]
Position(s)|  Forward, attacking midfielder[1]
Team information

Current team

|  Chelsea
Number|  14
Youth career
2001–2010|  Reading
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
2012–2015|  Reading|  43|  (68)
2015–2024|  Chelsea|  114|  (63)
International career‡
2013–2014|  England U23|  4|  (1)
2014–|  England|  72|  (19)
2021–|  Great Britain|  2|  (0)

Medal record

Women's football
Representing  England
FIFA Women's World Cup
| 2015 Canada |
UEFA Women's Championship
Winner | 2022 England |

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:25, 4 June 2024 (UTC)

Francesca Kirby (born 29 June 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the England national team. She began her career with hometown club Reading before moving to Chelsea in July 2015. In August 2014, Kirby won her first senior cap for England. She represented her country at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France and the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.

For the 2017–18 season, Kirby was awarded her first PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year award. Alongside the inaugural Football Writers' Women's Footballer of the Year. Winning both awards again in the 2020–21 season.[3][4] She was named to the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or in 2021, ranking 10th. She was also named to the Top 10 of The Guardian's The 100 Best Female Footballers In The World in 2021, ranking 7th.[5] As of May 2024, when it was announced that Kirby would be leaving Chelsea at the end of the 2023–24 season, she holds the record as the club’s leading goalscorer, with 116 goals, holding this record since December 2020.[6][7]

## Early life[edit]

> [My mum] used to tell a story about taking me to the doctors for a couple of tests. The doctor threw a tennis ball to see how I would react. I think I was supposed to just catch it, but I kicked it straight back to him. I was three years old. My mum just went, "O.K., ... I thinks she wants to be a footballer."

Fran Kirby[8]

Born and raised in Reading with her brother Jamie and parents Denise and Steve,[9] Kirby began playing football as a young girl after watching her brother play. She would play any chance she got: at school, in the street, in the front garden.[10] At a young age, her mother, Denise, wrote in a birthday card that Fran would play in a World Cup one day: she was her biggest supporter.[9]

Kirby attended Caversham Park Primary School and Chiltern Edge, Sonning Common where she played against boys.[11][12] As part of the "Where Greatness Is Made" campaign, a plaque honouring Kirby was installed at local club Caversham Trents.[13] At age 7, she joined Reading's academy and made her senior debut at 16.[14]

## Club career[edit]

### Reading, 2012–15[edit]

Kirby joined her hometown club Reading at the age of seven and worked her way through the youth teams. She made her debut for the first team at the age of sixteen but quit football the following year after an onset of depression, brought about by the death of her mother.[15][16] Kirby returned to the club in 2012 and went on to become the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division's top scorer for the 2012–13 season, with 32 goals in 21 appearances.[17]

With Reading promoted to the newly formed Women's Super League 2 for 2014, Kirby helped the team achieve third place with 24 goals in sixteen appearances.[18] She ended the season as the league's top goalscorer; netting four against London Bees,[19] as well as hat-tricks against Durham, Watford and Doncaster Rovers Belles.[20][21][22] Shortly after, she became the first female player to receive a professional contract from the club.[23] At the 2014 FA Women's Awards, Kirby was named the inaugural WSL2 Players' Player of the Year.[24]

Kirby continued her goalscoring form into the 2015 WSL2 season, taking 11 goals in five league appearances for Reading, including all four goals in a 4–2 away win against Yeovil Town and five goals in a 7–0 win against London Bees.[25][26] Following the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Reading accepted an undisclosed transfer fee from Chelsea and she completed a move in July 2015.[27] It was reported that the fee of between £40,000 and £60,000 constituted a British record, although Chelsea denied this was the case and Kirby was not aware of the figure.[28]

### Chelsea, 2015–24[edit]

At the 2015 FA Women's Cup Final, staged at Wembley Stadium for the first time, Kirby was a cup-tied spectator for Chelsea's 1–0 win over Notts County. It was Chelsea's first major trophy.[29] In October 2015, she scored twice in Chelsea's 4–0 win over Sunderland which secured the club's first FA WSL title; a league and cup double.[30] The same month, Kirby scored Chelsea's first ever UEFA Women's Champions League goal in a 1–0 win over Glasgow City.[31]

Kirby during a 2019–20 FA Women's League Cup match, November 2019

Kirby's form extended into the 2016 FA WSL season. In April, she secured Chelsea's return to Wembley Stadium by scoring a late, extra-time winner against Manchester City in the FA Women's Cup semi-final.[32] Four days later, she scored both goals in Chelsea's 2–0 WSL win at Arsenal.[33]

On 22 April 2018, Kirby was awarded the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year and the Football Writers' Women's Footballer of the Year for the 2017–18 season.[34]

In February 2020, Chelsea announced that Kirby was diagnosed with pericarditis,[35][36] which had ruled her out of the team since November 2019.[35][37] She overcame her infection, despite being told by cardiologists that she may never play again,[36] and played 70 minutes in Chelsea's FA Community Shield win against Manchester City on 29 August 2020.[38] On 9 December 2020, Kirby's 2 goals in a 5–0 win against Benfica in the UEFA Women's Champions League, saw her overtake Eniola Aluko as Chelsea's all-time goal scorer, with her 69th and 70th goals for the club, five years after signing.[39]

During a match against her former club, Reading on 10 January 2021, Kirby scored four goals lifting Chelsea to a 5–0 win.[40] In the 2021 FA Women's League Cup final match against Bristol City W.F.C., Kirby scored two goals and created four assists as defending champions Chelsea won 6–0 at Vicarage Road.[41]

Kirby was singled out by observers as the top performer for Chelsea during their double-winning 2020–21 campaign.[42][43][44] She later won FWA's 2021 Women's Footballer of the Year award.[42][45] On 5 December, Kirby scored the opening goal in the delayed 2020–21 FA Cup final against Arsenal, helping her team lift the trophy and secure the domestic quadruple of the 2020–21 season, the first English women's club to achieve the feat.[46]

In the 2023–24 League Cup quarterfinal, Kirby scored two goals and made two assists in the 5–0 win against Sunderland.[47]

On 4 May 2024, it was announced that Kirby would leave Chelsea at the end of the 2023–24 season.[48]

## International career[edit]

Kirby in 2019

Early in her career, Kirby was a member of the England under-23 squad. She became the first WSL 2 player to be called up to the senior squad, in June 2014 for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Ukraine.[49] She was named on the substitutes' bench against Belarus but did not make an appearance. She made her senior international debut against Sweden in August 2014, getting the second goal in a 4–0 friendly win at Victoria Park, Hartlepool.[50]

In May 2015, England manager Mark Sampson named Kirby in his final squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, hosted in Canada.[51] She scored in England's 2–1 win over Mexico[52] and was hailed "mini Messi" by Sampson.[52][36] Although Kirby was disappointed to be ruled out by injury from the quarter-finals onwards, England's eventual third-place finish left her with a positive overall impression of the tournament: "a fantastic experience and one I won't forget in a hurry."[53]

Sampson kept Kirby in the national team for the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying campaign. In Estonia on 21 September 2015 she scored twice in England's 8–0 win.[54][55] After "12 months of hell" caused by knee and ankle injuries, Kirby returned to England's line-up for UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.[56] In England's opening fixture against rivals Scotland, second striker Kirby's clever dummy sent Jodie Taylor through to score England's opening goal in a 6–0 rout.[57] In the next match Kirby and Taylor scored in a 2–0 win over Spain, which secured England's place in the quarter-final.[58] When England were thrashed 3–0 by the hosts in the semi-final, Kirby was rueful: "We had chances and could have had a few penalties. We are bitterly disappointed".[59]

On 6 October 2018, Kirby scored in England's 1–0 friendly win over Brazil at Meadow Lane. In post-match interviews England coach Phil Neville breathlessly proclaimed Kirby's superiority to six-time World Player of the Year Marta: "I'd take my No 10 over Brazil's No 10, that's for sure".[60]

In June 2022 Kirby was included in the England squad which won the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.[61][62]

Kirby was allotted 186 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.[63][64]

In 2023, Kirby confirmed that she would miss the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 due to requiring surgery for an ongoing knee problem.[65]

### Great Britain[edit]

Kirby was hailed as a "stand out player" in Great Britain's gold medal-winning team at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.[66] She went on to represent Great Britain at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[67]

## Personal life[edit]

While growing up, Kirby was very close to her mother Denise.[68] When Kirby was 14, Denise died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage.[9] Two years later, Kirby experienced a deep depression,[9] and stated that she "just could not comprehend what had happened. And it stayed like that for many years."[69] Away with England U17, Kirby broke down because she "missed [her] mum". She returned home and dropped out of football. She later reflected that "I'd have days where I wouldn't get out of bed. Or I wouldn't go to college. I could get as far as the bus stop, then I'd just break down crying." One day, one of her friends invited her to play with her amateur team, where she found her love for football again.[70]

In October 2019, Kirby received the honorary degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) from the University of Winchester for her "achievements both on and off the field, in particular her work supporting mental health and wellbeing."[71]

In February 2020, Chelsea revealed Kirby had successfully recovered from pericarditis, a potentially career-ending illness.[36] Kirby had fallen ill in November 2019 and came close to retiring from the game as a result.[37]

In April 2020, Kirby was named in Diva magazine's '"Visible Lesbian 100" list during Lesbian Visibility Week.[72]

In April 2022, Kirby stated on Twitter that she had continued to deal with to an "on-going issue" throughout her career and wanted to "put [her] health first".[73] Emma Hayes, the manager of Chelsea Women, clarified during a press conference that Kirby had been "suffering a lot with fatigue", yet the cause was unknown.[74]

## Career statistics[edit]

### Club[edit]

As of 18 May 2024[75]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition  Club  | Season  | League  | Cup  | Continental  | Total

|
|
|
|
|

Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals
Reading | 2012-13  | WPLS | 14  | 21  | 7  | 11  | —  | 21  | 32
2014 | WSL 2 | 16 | 24 | 4 | 4 | — | 20 | 28
2015  | WSL 2  | 5  | 11  | 0  | 0  | —  | 5  | 11
Total  | 35 | 56 | 11 | 15 | — | 46  | 71
Chelsea | 2015 | WSL | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4[a] | 2 | 12 | 9
2016 | WSL  | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 5
2017 | WSL  | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 6
2017–18 | WSL  | 17 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8[a] | 4 | 31 | 19
2018–19 | WSL  | 16 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8[a] | 5 | 29 | 18
2019–20 | WSL  | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0
2020–21 | WSL  | 18 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 34 | 28
2021–22 | WSL  | 13 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 8
2022–23 | WSL  | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 9
2023–24 | WSL  | 21 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 33 | 6
Total  | 114 | 63 | 34 | 24 | 47 | 21 | 195 | 108
Career totals  | 149 | 119 | 45 | 39 | 47 | 21 | 240 | 179

1. ^ a b c Appearances in the UEFA Women's Champions League

### International[edit]

As of match played 4 June 2024
Year | England | Great Britain

|
|

Apps | Goals | Apps  | Goals
2014 | 3 | 1 | —
2015 | 12 | 4 | —
2016 | 3 | 0 | —
2017 | 8 | 4 | —
2018 | 8 | 3 | —
2019 | 11 | 1 | —
2021 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0
2022 | 14 | 3 | —
2023 | 4 | 2 | —
2024 | 3 | 0 | —
Total | 72 | 19 | 2 | 0

As of match played 5 December 2023
Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kirby goal.
List of international goals scored by Fran Kirby  No.  | Date  | Venue  | Opponent  | Score  | Result  | Competition  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | 3 August 2014 | Victoria Park, Hartlepool, England |  Sweden | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [76]
2  | 9 April 2015 | Academy Stadium, Manchester, England |  China | 2–0 | 2–1 | [76]
3  | 13 June 2015 | Moncton Stadium, Moncton, Canada |  Mexico | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup | [76]
4  | 21 September 2015 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia |  Estonia | 3–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying | [76]
5  | 6–0 | [76]
6  | 10 June 2017 | Tissot Arena, Biel, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [76]
7  | 23 July 2017 | Rat Verlegh Stadion, Breda, Netherlands |  Spain | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 | [76]
8  | 24 November 2017 | Bescot Stadium, Walsall, England |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | [76]
9  | 28 November 2017 | Colchester Community Stadium, Colchester, England |  Kazakhstan | 2–0 | 5–0 | [76]
10  | 1 March 2018 | Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, United States |  France | 4–0 | 4–1 | 2018 SheBelieves Cup | [76]
11  | 6 October 2018 | Meadow Lane, Nottingham, England |  Brazil | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [76]
12  | 9 October 2018 | Craven Cottage, London, England |  Australia | 1–0 | 1–1 | [76]
13  | 6 July 2019 | Allianz Riviera, Nice, France |  Sweden | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup | [77]
14  | 9 April 2021 | Stade Michel d'Ornano, Caen, France |  France | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly
15  | 23 February 2022 | Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England |  Germany | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2022 Arnold Clark Cup
16  | 15 July 2022 | St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, England |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 | [78]
17  | 26 July 2022 | Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England |  Sweden | 4–0 | 4–0 | [79]
18  | 31 October 2023 | Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium |  Belgium | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League A | [80]
19  | 5 December 2023 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland | 5–0 | 6–0 | [81]

## Honours[edit]

Chelsea

* FA Women's Super League: 2015,[82] Spring Series,[82] 2017–18,[82] 2019–20,[83] 2020–21,[84] 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
* FA Women's Cup: 2014–15,[82] 2017–18,[82] 2020–21,[46] 2021–22, 2022–23
* FA Women's League Cup: 2019–20,[85] 2020–21[86]
* FA Women's Community Shield: 2020[87]
* UEFA Women's Champion's League runners-up: 2020–21[88]

England

See also: Collective honours for the England women's national football team

* FIFA Women's World Cup: third place 2015[89]
* UEFA Women's Championship: 2022[90]

Individual

* PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year: 2017–18,[91] 2020–21[92]
* PFA WSL 1 Team of the Year: 2017–18,[93] 2020–21[94]
* FWA Women's Footballer of the Year: 2017–18,[95] 2020–21[42][45]
* FA Women's Super League Player of the Month: January 2021,[96] September 2021[97]
* London Football Awards Women's Super League Player of the Year: 2020–21[98]
* FA Women's Super League Player of the Year: 2020–21[99]
* Chelsea Women's Player of the Year: 2017–18,[100] 2020–2021[101]
* Freedom of the City of London (announced 1 August 2022)[102]

Records

* All-time leading scorer for Chelsea Women: 101

## See also[edit]

* Women's association football portal
* Sports portal
* Association football portal
* England portal

* List of UEFA Women's Championship goalscorers
* List of England women's international footballers
* List of Women's Super League hat-tricks
* List of people from Reading, Berkshire

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015: List of players: England" (PDF). FIFA. 6 July 2015. p. 10\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
2. ^ "Women's World Cup 2019: Mapping England's Lionesses squad". BBC Sport. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
3. ^ "Chelsea's Fran Kirby wins PFA Women's Player of the Year prize". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
4. ^ "Fran Kirby: Chelsea Ladies striker wins first FWA Women's Footballer of the Year award". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
5. ^ Laverty, Rich. "The 100 best female footballers in the world 2021". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
6. ^ "Fran Kirby makes history in Chelsea win while City beat Gothenburg". The Guardian. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
7. ^ "Forward Kirby to leave Chelsea at end of season". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
8. ^ Kirby, Fran (4 June 2019). "The Puzzle". The Players Tribune. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
9. ^ a b c d Hamilton, Tom (4 June 2019). "The true grit of England's Fran Kirby". ESPN. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
10. ^ Malin, Angelica. "About Time You Met: Fran Kirby". About Time. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
11. ^ "Interview with Chelsea and England star Fran Kirby". Berkshire Life. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
12. ^ "Reading and England striker Fran Kirby boosts Crosfields' six-a-side". getreading.co.uk/. Berkshire Live. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
13. ^ "England's Euro 2022 winners honoured with gold plaques at local football clubs". 90min. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
14. ^ Preston, Andy (11 June 2019). "Maiden Erlegh's Fran gives Lionesses a lift". Wokingham Today. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
15. ^ Hassan, Nabil (17 March 2015). "Fran Kirby: England & Reading forward on overcoming adversity". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
16. ^ Kessel, Anna (27 December 2014). "England forward Fran Kirby aiming for greatness at women's World Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
17. ^ "Southern Division Player Stats 2012/13". The Football Association. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
18. ^ "WSL Player Stats". FA WSL. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
19. ^ "London Bees 1 – 9 Reading FC Women". FA WSL. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
20. ^ "Reading FC Women 4 – 0 Durham Women FC". FA WSL. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
21. ^ "Hat-Trick Heroine Kirby". FA WSL. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
22. ^ "Stunning Reading Silence the Belles". FA WSL. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
23. ^ Trehan, Dev (24 March 2015). "England striker Fran Kirby says Reading means 'everything' to her". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
24. ^ "Ji So-Yun named FA WSL 1 Players' Player of the Year". The Football Association. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
25. ^ "Royals defeat Glovers to kick of 2015 Campaign". FA WSL. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
26. ^ "Royals take the sting out of the Bees in the Hive". FA WSL. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
27. ^ "Fran Kirby: Chelsea Ladies sign England striker from Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
28. ^ "Fran Kirby: Chelsea striker 'does not know' her transfer fee". BBC Sport. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
29. ^ Aloia, Andrew (1 August 2015). "How Chelsea won the Women's FA Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
30. ^ Garry, Tom (4 October 2015). "WSL 1: Chelsea Ladies 4–0 Sunderland Ladies". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
31. ^ "Chelsea Ladies 1–0 Glasgow City". BBC Sport.
32. ^ Piperdy, Hash (18 April 2016). "Kirby wants Wembley chance after firing Chelsea to Final". The Football Association. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
33. ^ "Chelsea beat Arsenal with Kirby brace". BBC Sport. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
34. ^ "Fran Kirby named Football Writers' Women's Footballer of the Year". The Guardian. 24 April 2018.
35. ^ a b "Fran Kirby on her Chelsea FC Women absence". chelseafc.com. Chelsea FC. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
36. ^ a b c d Taylor, Louise (5 September 2020). "Fran Kirby: 'The cardiologist said if I didn't slow down, I wouldn't play again'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021.
37. ^ a b Wrack, Suzzane (14 April 2021). "England striker Fran Kirby came close to retiring due to illness". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021.
38. ^ Sanders, Emma. "Chelsea 2–0 Man City in Women's Community Shield: Millie Bright stunner helps Blues win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
39. ^ McElwee, Molly (9 December 2020). "Fran Kirby becomes Chelsea's record goalscorer in five-goal thrashing of Benfica". The Telegraph.
40. ^ "Four-goal Kirby fires Chelsea to WSL win amid COVID chaos". The Times of India. Reuters. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
41. ^ Robson, James (14 March 2021). "Chelsea Women win Continental Cup as Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby star in win against Bristol City". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
42. ^ a b c "Fran Kirby: Chelsea forward wins Football Writers' Association Women's Footballer of the Year award". Sky Sports. United Kingdom. 14 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021.
43. ^ Wrack, Suzzane (10 May 2021). "How Emma Hayes turned Chelsea from also-rans to all-conquerors". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021.
44. ^ Ruszkai, Ameé (10 May 2021). "Miedema, Kerr and the Women's Super League team of the season". goal.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021.
45. ^ a b Percival, Holly (14 May 2021). "Chelsea's Fran Kirby wins FWA Women's Footballer of the Year". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021.
46. ^ a b "Chelsea secure treble with FA Cup victory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
47. ^ "Chelsea thrash Sunderland to reach League Cup semis". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
48. ^ "Forward Kirby to leave Chelsea at end of season". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
49. ^ "Mark Sampson announces 23-player squad for crunch qualifiers". The Football Association. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
50. ^ Reid, James. "Ruthless England Women defeat Sweden in Hartlepool". The Football Association. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
51. ^ Lavery, Glenn (11 May 2015). "England squad named for FIFA Women's World Cup". The Football Association. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
52. ^ a b Magowan, Alistair (14 June 2015). "Women's World Cup 2015: Kirby England's mini Messi – Sampson". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
53. ^ "Kirby: I couldn't have asked for any more". FIFA. 12 November 2015. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
54. ^ "Danielle Carter hat-trick guides England to opening Euro 2017 qualifying win". The Guardian. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
55. ^ "Euro 2017 qualifying: England thrash Estonia 8–0". BBC Sport. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
56. ^ Pitt-Brooke, Jack (18 July 2018). "Fran Kirby looks to put 12 months of hell behind her and become England's 'mini Messi' once again". The Independent. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
57. ^ Theivam, Kieran (19 July 2017). "Women's Euro 2017: 5 things we learned from England 6–0 Scotland". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
58. ^ Edwards, Luke (24 July 2017). "England 2 Spain 0, Women's Euro 2017: Lionesses refuse to buckle as they advance towards quarter-finals". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
59. ^ Garry, Tom (3 August 2017). "Women's Euro 2017 semi-final: FT: Netherlands 3–0 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
60. ^ Wrack, Suzanne (6 October 2018). "Fran Kirby strikes early to seal narrow win for England Women over Brazil". The Observer. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
61. ^ Davies, Callum (15 June 2022). "England Women's final squad named for EURO 2022". England Football.com. The FA. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
62. ^ England Squad. UEFA. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
63. ^ Gerty, David (31 May 2023). "England squad named for 2023 Women's World Cup". England Football. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
64. ^ Lacey-Hatton, Jack (18 November 2022). "Lionesses introduce 'legacy numbers' for players past and present". mirror. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
65. ^ "Fran Kirby: England forward ruled out of World Cup with injury as crisis grows". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
66. ^ "Fran Kirby 2013 – Gold Medalist at World University Games Kazan, 2015 England forward, going for gold again". British Universities and Colleges Sport. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
67. ^ "'I had to start from scratch' - Kirby". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
68. ^ "It's OK not to be OK – Fran Kirby". youtube.com. WePlayStrong. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
69. ^ Kirby, Fran (4 June 2019). "The Puzzle". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
70. ^ "England's Fran Kirby: 'It's OK not to be OK'". youtube.com. Players' Tribune Global. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
71. ^ "Fran Kirby presented with a Honorary Doctorate". Chelsea FC. Chelsea FC. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
72. ^ "Visible Lesbian 100". Lesbian Visibility Week. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
73. ^ "@Fran Kirby". Twitter. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
74. ^ "Chelsea's Fran Kirby ruled out 'for foreseeable future' with fatigue problem". TheGuardian. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
75. ^ Fran Kirby at Soccerway
76. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Karsdorp, Dirk (2018). The England Women's FC 1972 – 2018: The Lionesses – A Statistical Record. Soccer Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86223-391-1.
77. ^ "Women's World Cup: England finish fourth after Sweden defeat". BBC Sport. 6 July 2019.
78. ^ "Northern Ireland 0–5 England: Lionesses finish Euro 2022 group stage in style as NI bow out". BBC Sport. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
79. ^ "England 4-0 Sweden: Lionesses reach Euro 2022 final with big win over Sweden". BBC Sport. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
80. ^ "Belgium 3-2 England: Lionesses lose in Women's Nations League". BBC Sport. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
81. ^ Anderson, Jess (5 December 2023). "Scotland 0-6 England: Lionesses thump Scotland but Team GB Olympic dream over". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
82. ^ a b c d e "F. Kirby". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
83. ^ S. Kerr at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
84. ^ Chadband, Ian (10 May 2021). "Sam Kerr wins the WSL – and Golden Boot". FTBL.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
85. ^ Wrack, Suzanne (29 February 2020). "Beth England strikes late to win Continental Cup final for Chelsea". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
86. ^ Chadband, Ian (15 March 2021). "'It's what I came here for...' – Kerr scores hat-trick as Chelsea lift Cup". TheWomensGame.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
87. ^ "Chelsea beat Man City in women's Community Shield despite Kerr misses". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
88. ^ UEFA.com. "Chelsea-Barcelona | UEFA Women's Champions League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
89. ^ "Match for third place – Match report" (PDF). FIFA. 4 July 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
90. ^ Sanders, Emma (31 July 2022). "England beat Germany to win first major women's trophy". BBC. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
91. ^ "Chelsea's Fran Kirby wins PFA Women's Player of the Year prize". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
92. ^ Pasztor, David (25 May 2021). "Emma Hayes, Fran Kirby win 2020–21 WSL Manager, Player of the Season awards". SB Nation. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021.
93. ^ "PFA WSL 1 Team of the Year: Five Chelsea Ladies players named". BBC Sport. 19 April 2018.
94. ^ "Chelsea players, including Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr, dominate PFA WSL Team of the Year". Sky Sports. United Kingdom. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021.
95. ^ "Fran Kirby named Football Writers' Association Women's Footballer of the Year". Sky Sports.
96. ^ "Hayes and Kirby win manager and player of the month awards | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
97. ^ "The winner of the PFA Vertu Motors WSL Fans' Player of the Month – September". 90min.com. 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
98. ^ "Kirby and Charles secure honours at London Football Awards 2021 | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
99. ^ "Hayes and Kirby win Barclays FA WSL Manager and Player of the Year awards | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
100. ^ "Chelsea Women's awards go to Erin Cuthbert and Sophie Ingle | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
101. ^ "Fran Kirby named PFA Player of the Year | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
102. ^ "Lionesses and Sarina Wiegman given Freedom of the City of London after Euros win". ITV News. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

## Further reading[edit]

* Aluko, Eniola (2019), They Don't Teach This, Random House, ISBN 9781473564480
* Brown, Charlotte (2019), Kirby, John Blake ISBN 9781789461565
* Caudwell, Jayne (2013), Women's Football in the UK: Continuing with Gender Analyses, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 9781317966234
* Clarke, Gemma (2019), Soccerwomen: The Icons, Rebels, Stars, and Trailblazers Who Transformed the Beautiful Game, ISBN 9781568589206
* Dunn, Carrie (2019), Pride of the Lionesses: The Changing Face of Women's Football in England, Pitch Publishing (Brighton) Limited, ISBN 9781785315411
* Dunn, Carrie (2016), The Roar of the Lionesses: Women's Football in England, Pitch Publishing Limited, ISBN 9781785311512
* Grainey, Timothy (2012), Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0803240368
* Smith, Kelly (2012), Footballer: My Story, Transworld, ISBN 9781446488591
* Stay, Shane (2019), The Women's World Cup 2019 Book: Everything You Need to Know About the Soccer World Cup, Books on Demand, ISBN 1782551921
* Theivam, Keiran and Jeff Kassouf (2019), The Making of the Women's World Cup: Defining Stories from a Sport's Coming of Age, Little, ISBN 1472143310

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fran Kirby.

* Fran Kirby – FIFA competition record (archived)
* Football Association player profile
* Chelsea FC player profile
* Fran Kirby at Soccerway
* Fran Kirby on X

* v
* t
* e

Chelsea F.C. Women - current squad

* 1 Mušović
* 2 Fishel
* 3 Nouwen
* 4 Bright
* 5 Ingle
* 6 Nüsken
* 7 Carter
* 8 Leupolz
* 9 Macario
* 10 James
* 11 Reiten
* 12 Lawrence
* 14 Kirby
* 15 Périsset
* 16 Evrard
* 18 Mjelde
* 19 Rytting Kaneryd
* 20 Kerr
* 21 Charles
* 22 Cuthbert
* 23 Hamano
* 24 Hampton
* 26 Buchanan
* 28 Čanković
* 29 Fox
* 33 Beever-Jones
* 35 Ramírez
* 36 Akpan
* 39 Björn
* Manager: Bompastor

International tournaments

* v
* t
* e

England squad – 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup third place

* 1 Bardsley
* 2 A. Scott
* 3 Rafferty
* 4 Williams
* 5 Houghton (c)
* 6 Bassett
* 7 Nobbs
* 8 J. Scott
* 9 Aluko
* 10 Carney
* 11 Moore
* 12 Bronze
* 13 Chamberlain
* 14 Greenwood
* 15 Stoney
* 16 Chapman
* 17 Potter
* 18 Duggan
* 19 Taylor
* 20 Sanderson
* 21 Telford
* 22 Kirby
* 23 White
* Coach: Sampson

* v
* t
* e

England squad – UEFA Women's Euro 2017 semi-finalists

* 1 Bardsley
* 2 Bronze
* 3 Stokes
* 4 J. Scott
* 5 Houghton (c)
* 6 Potter
* 7 Nobbs
* 8 Christiansen
* 9 Taylor
* 10 Williams
* 11 Moore
* 12 Stoney
* 13 Chamberlain
* 14 Carney
* 15 Bassett
* 16 Bright
* 17 Parris
* 18 White
* 19 Duggan
* 20 Greenwood
* 21 Telford
* 22 A. Scott
* 23 Kirby
* Coach: Sampson

* v
* t
* e

England squad – 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup fourth place

* 1 Bardsley
* 2 Bronze
* 3 Greenwood
* 4 Walsh
* 5 Houghton (c)
* 6 Bright
* 7 Parris
* 8 Scott
* 9 Taylor
* 10 Kirby
* 11 Duggan
* 12 Stokes
* 13 Telford
* 14 Williamson
* 15 McManus
* 16 Moore
* 17 Daly
* 18 White
* 19 Stanway
* 20 Carney
* 21 Earps
* 22 Mead
* 23 Staniforth
* Coach: Neville

* v
* t
* e

England squad – UEFA Women's Euro 2022 winners (1st title)

* 1 Earps
* 2 Bronze
* 3 Daly
* 4 Walsh
* 5 Greenwood
* 6 Bright
* 7 Mead
* 8 Williamson (c)
* 9 White
* 10 Stanway
* 11 Hemp
* 12 Carter
* 13 Hampton
* 14 Kirby
* 15 Stokes
* 16 Scott
* 17 Parris
* 18 Kelly
* 19 England
* 20 Toone
* 21 Roebuck
* 22 Wubben-Moy
* 23 Russo
* Coach: Wiegman

* v
* t
* e

Great Britain women's football squad – 2020 Summer Olympics

* 1 Roebuck
* 2 Bronze
* 3 Stokes
* 4 Walsh
* 5 Houghton (c)
* 6 Ingle
* 7 Parris
* 8 Little
* 9 White
* 10 Kirby
* 11 Weir
* 12 Daly
* 13 Telford
* 14 Bright
* 15 Hemp
* 16 Williamson
* 17 Stanway
* 18 Scott
* 19 Charles
* 20 Toone
* 21 Wubben-Moy
* 22 MacIver
* Coach: Riise

Awards

* v
* t
* e

2017–18 FA WSL 1 PFA Team of the Year

* GK: Berger
* DF: Stokes
* DF: Bright
* DF: Mannion
* DF: Blundell
* MF: Mjelde
* MF: Ji
* MF: Williams
* MF: Mead
* FW: White
* FW: Kirby

* v
* t
* e

2020–21 FA WSL PFA Team of the Year

* GK: Berger
* DF: McCabe
* DF: Williamson
* DF: Eriksson
* DF: Mjelde
* MF: Mewis
* MF: Weir
* MF: Kerr
* FW: Kelly
* FW: Kirby
* FW: Hemp

* v
* t
* e

Women's Super League (WSL) top scorers

* 2011: Williams
* 2012: Little
* 2013: Dowie
* 2014: Carney
* 2015: Mead
* 2016: Aluko
* 2017 SS: Kirby
* 2018: White
* 2019: Miedema
* 2020: Miedema
* 2021: Kerr
* 2022: Kerr
* 2023: Daly
* 2024: Shaw

* v
* t
* e

FWA Women's Footballer of the Year

* 2018: Kirby
* 2019: Parris
* 2020: Miedema
* 2021: Kirby
* 2022: Kerr
* 2023: Kerr
* 2024: Shaw

* v
* t
* e

PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year

* 2013: Little
* 2014: Bronze
* 2015: Ji
* 2016: Christiansen
* 2017: Bronze
* 2018: Kirby
* 2019: Miedema
* 2020: England
* 2021: Kirby
* 2022: Kerr
* 2023: Daly

* v
* t
* e

UEFA Women's Champions League top scorers

* 2001–02: Enache
* 2002–03: Ljungberg
* 2003–04: Gstöttner
* 2004–05: Pohlers
* 2005–06: Viðarsdóttir
* 2006–07: Fleeting
* 2007–08: Dyatel, Panico & Viðarsdóttir
* 2008–09: Viðarsdóttir
* 2009–10: Bürki
* 2010–11: Grings
* 2011–12: Abily & Le Sommer
* 2012–13: Rus
* 2013–14: Nikolić
* 2014–15: Šašić
* 2015–16: Hegerberg
* 2016–17: Jakabfi & Miedema
* 2017–18: Hegerberg
* 2018–19: Harder
* 2019–20: Miedema & Ogbiagbevha & Þorvaldsdóttir
* 2020–21: Hermoso & Kirby
* 2021–22: Putellas
* 2022–23: Pajor
* 2023–24: Diani

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals
*[Ref.]: Reference
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template