Gilly Flaherty

Gilly Flaherty
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-08-24) 24 August 1991
Place of birth London, England
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Chelsea Ladies
Number 5
Youth career
2000–2003 Millwall Lionesses
2003–2006 Arsenal Ladies
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2013 Arsenal Ladies 76 (4)
2014– Chelsea Ladies 26 (5)
National team‡
2015– England 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:30, 9 January 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:33, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

Gilly Louise Scarlett Flaherty (born 24 August 1991) is an English footballer who plays for FA WSL club Chelsea Ladies. Flaherty is a former Arsenal Ladies player who began her career in Millwall Lionesses' youth teams. She usually plays in the centre back position and represented England at youth level before making her senior debut in October 2015.

Personal life

Born in Rotherhithe / Bermondsey, Flaherty grew up in the London Borough of Southwark, located directly south of the River Thames. She was educated at Addey and Stanhope School, a secondary school located in New Cross, London, where she was a Head Girl.[1]

In September 2007, Flaherty joined the Arsenal Ladies Academy, which combines academic studies with football coaching. The Academy is based at Oaklands Colleges Smallford Campus, St Albans, Hertfordshire. She gained a BTEC National Sport and Exercise Science qualification on successfully attaining a pass in the course.

Flaherty took part in a white collar boxing match in August 2013, to raise money for Millwall FC's Girls' Centre of Excellence. She was stopped half way through the second round.[2]

Club career

Millwall Lionesses

Flaherty started playing football with her father as a nine-year-old. She joined her first club, Millwall Lionesses, where she played for the youth teams until the age of thirteen.

Arsenal Ladies

Flaherty joined Arsenal following a successful trial with the club in 2003,[3] she was part of their youth programme, playing for the Under 14s team. Flaherty worked her way through the club, coming off the bench to make her senior debut in October 2006 against Birmingham City, in a League Cup match, when only 15 years old.

Flaherty was part of the Arsenal squad that won a quadruple in the 2006–07 season; comprising the UEFA Women's Cup, FA Women's National Premier League, FA Women's Cup and the FA Women's Premier League Cup.[4][5][6] Flaherty was part of the Arsenal squad that made history by being the first team outside Germany or Scandinavia to win the UEFA Women's Cup.[7] Flaherty was also in the team that won the 2006–07 season London County FA Women's Cup.[8][9]

In April 2011, Flaherty scored the first goal of the FA WSL season – the winner away to Chelsea in front of 2,510 supporters.[10]

Chelsea Ladies

In January 2014, Chelsea announced the double transfer of Flaherty and Katie Chapman from Arsenal. The move reunited both players with coach Emma Hayes, who previously worked at Arsenal. Hayes said of Flaherty: "Gilly is the best uncapped player in the country. She will become a bedrock for club and country as she has all the hallmarks of a top class player."[11] Flaherty's first season with the team ended in disappointment, as they lost the league title to Liverpool on the final day of the campaign. 2015 proved much more successful, yielding the club's first ever major trophy – won at Wembley Stadium in the 2015 FA Women's Cup Final. In October 2015 Chelsea's 4–0 win over Sunderland secured the FA WSL title and a League and Cup "double".[12]

International career

Flaherty is a former England Under-19 and Under-20 international.[13] She has previously represented her country at Under-15 and 17 levels and made her debut for the Under-23 team against Germany in September 2010.[13]

Not favoured by England coach Hope Powell, in December 2013 Flaherty was named in the first senior squad to be named by Powell's successor Mark Sampson.[14] She won her first senior cap in October 2015, starting England's 2–1 defeat by China in Yongchuan.[15]

Television appearances

Flaherty (right) with Kim Little, May 2009

In 2008 and 2009 Flaherty appeared on the Channel 4 television programme, Yeardot.[16]

Personal life

In June 2015 Falherty's close friend Tommy Blackmore was killed outside a nightclub. She dedicated her subsequent goals to him by pointing at the sky.[17]

Honours

Arsenal
Chelsea

References

  1. ↑ "Former Pupil wins League with Arsenal Ladies". Addey and Stanhope Technology School. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Flaherty, Gilly (13 August 2013). "Gilly’s Knockout Nine Days". The #WFBlog. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "5. Gilly Flaherty". Arsenal official website. Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  4. ↑ Stuart Mawhinney (7 May 2007). "Arsenal clinch quadruple". FA women's cup. The Football Association. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Arsenal complete unique feat". Latest news. UEFA. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Arsenal Ladies Honours". Arsenal Official website. Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  7. ↑ Chris Harris (29 April 2007). "Match Report". Arsenal Official website. Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  8. ↑ "Match Report". Arsenal Official website. Arsenal F.C. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  9. ↑ "Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2006/2007" (PDF). Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0: Gilly Flaherty gets Gunners off to winning start in FA Women's Super League". Daily Mail. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  11. ↑ Magowan, Alistair (9 January 2014). "Katie Chapman has England hopes after sealing Chelsea switch". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Garry, Tom (4 October 2015). "WSL 1: Chelsea Ladies 4-0 Sunderland Ladies". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Gilly Flaherty". TheFA.com. The FA. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  14. ↑ "Lianne Sanderson recalled to England training squad". British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "England women beaten by China despite Eniola Aluko goal". BBC Sport. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Year Dot Series 1". Channel 4. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  17. ↑ Archer, Bruce (20 September 2015). "Exclusive Gilly Flaherty interview: Chelsea defender desperate to be an England regular". Daily Express. Retrieved 23 October 2015.

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