In a golden generation for women’s football there is one star that is currently shining brightest, and in a World Cup year we can only be thankful that star is a home-grown talent.
At the tender age of 7-years-old Fran Kirby joined her hometown club Reading FC where she developed an exceptional talent that years later would set the Women’s Super League alight.
Kirby made her first team debut for the Royals aged just 16 but in a tragic turn of events, only a year later the striker quit football, after the untimely death of her mother caught up with her and she developed severe depression.
During a difficult period for the teenager, Kirby found removing the pressure of a football career helped her find enjoyment in playing once more and while studying at college she joined a Sunday league team.
Fast forward a year later and Kirby returned to Reading rested, recovered, relaxed – and with a point to prove.
In her first season back with the club, who at the time played their football in the Women’s Premier League South Division, Kirby scored 32 goals in 21 appearances.
The Royals were then promoted to the WSL 2 where the record’s kept on coming for the young starlet – 24 goals in 16 games, top goalscorer across both Super League tiers, the FA’s inaugural WSL 2’s Players’ Player of the Year and the first player ever to be offered a professional contract at Reading FC Women.
To top off an incredible year, Kirby received an England call-up, after representing the country at Under 23’s level, and became the first WSL 2 player to ever play for the Lionesses senior team.
She was named in the squad for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Ukraine in June but made her debut two months later in a 4-0 victory over Sweden in which she netted the second goal of the night.
And Kirby hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in 2015 either, bagging 11 goals in the first four games of the campaign already.
What the fans have to say
“As a person, when you read and hear about her past with her mother passing away suddenly when she was young and that she quit football altogether, it’s an incredible comeback by her and an inspiration for all young girls now wishing to follow in her footsteps. She is proof that when life becomes very hard you can get through it, with the help of key people, and come out stronger and better than ever afterwards. As a player she is incredible with her pace and skill on the ball. Put that together with her ability to score every type of goal imaginable and you have very close to the ultimate football player. Me and many, many others cannot wait to see how she keeps progressing because there is still plenty more to come from Fran.
“The opposition are nervous when they see her on our team sheet. She gives us that extra something in our games because ‘Fran’ is playing. To the club as a whole she is a fantastic ambassador for Reading FC Women because she is an absolute professional on and off the pitch and she gives us the media coverage the club needs to increase our club support, both locally and nationally.”
– Liege @Sing4RFCWomen
“She’s dedicated to Reading and at only 21 she will be a huge feature in women’s football for club & country. We have a great team with or without her and are hot favorites to be promoted. We have an amazing back four but Fran is the finisher – she’s the difference between a 2-1 win and a 4-1 win. It may come down to goal difference with Donny Belles and if it does she will have played a massive role in that promotion.”
– Emma @royalswomensfans
“She is so popular with girls interested in the sport. She is friendly with fans and it seems like she always has time to give them.”
– Kate @kaloufl
“Great skills, tremendous flair in front of goal and a very impressive work rate!”
– Charles @RodeDuivel19
What Fran has to say
On her goals for the season…
“[With Reading] Promotion definitely. It’s something we’ve all set out to do and we have the players and staff to make it possible.”
“[With England] To get in the squad and play in a World Cup would be absolutely amazing.”
On her current form…
“Of course I can’t take all the praise, there’s 11 players on the pitch plus the subs and staff and everyone works hard on and off the pitch to help us win. Luckily I’m in the right places at the right time to score.”
On her England career…
“I always come back from camp feeling really positive and feeling like I’m a better player from when I first arrived there. I feel I’ve matured more as a player, and feel more confident when I’m around the group [at England].
I’m obviously hopeful for a place in the World Cup squad, but no one knows whether their position is set in stone. I’ve worked hard and been rewarded with a number of starts, but there’s some great players in the group that are all working hard away from camp so it’s going to be an interesting selection process.”
On her relationship with the Reading faithful…
“I’d like to think I’m quite involved with the fans. I’ll always make sure I’m around for a photo or a chat to speak about the game. Having comments made that I’m an ambassador for the club is great to hear. After all, the club have been brilliant towards me and I want to give back as much as I can.”
