Colin Falvey (born 20 June 1985) is an Irish former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Career

Ireland

Falvey was born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. He was a trainee and youth player at English clubs Gillingham and

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

, but began his professional career in 2004 with

Cobh Ramblers Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) ( ga, Cumann Peile Chóstóirí Chóbh) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colm ...

in the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

, scoring on his debut vs

Athlone Town Athlone Town Association Football Club () is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they pl ...

. He transferred to

Kilkenny City Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilkenn ...

prior to the 2007 campaign for a compensation fee because he was under the age of 23, and was made club captain upon arrival. During his time playing in Ireland he attracted interest from

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

, but opted to sign a contract with

Otago United Southern United, previously known as Otago United, is a semi-professional football club based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Founded in 2004, they play their home games at the Logan Park and Forsyth Barr Stadium. It is the southernmost football clu ...

in New Zealand under ex-Irish international

Terry Phelan Terrence Phelan (born 16 March 1967) is a football coach and former professional footballer. He is the technical director of Indian I-League 2nd Division side South United FC. Nicknamed "The Scuttler", he played as a left-back In the sport ...

, who would become his agent.

New Zealand

Falvey spent one year in New Zealand with

, where he was club captain.

North America

Falvey signed with American side

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. History ...

in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

for the 2009 season. He played 15 games and scored 1 goal for the Hammerheads in 2009, earning him defensive MVP honours and been selection in the league team of the season while also helping them to the 2009 USL Second Division regular season title. After the season, he returned to New Zealand on a six-month contract to play for YoungHeart Manawatu. On 25 February 2010, it was announced that Falvey would be returning to

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

league in America to sign a one-year contract with the

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

. Falvey was a key starter in his first season with the Battery as the club won the 2010 USL Second Division championship. Falvey signed on loan with previous New Zealand outfit YoungHeart Manawatu during the USL offseason before returning to Charleston to sign a long-term contract on 8 December 2011. Falvey was named the club's captain and became a fan favourite, with part of the club's supporters' group being nicknamed "Falvey's Army" during this time. Falvey won a second league championship with Charleston in 2012.

India

After leaving Charleston at the end of the 2014 season, Falvey announced he would be signing with

Kerala Blasters Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established i ...

of the

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

for the final months of his contract with the Battery. Falvey made 6 appearances for Kerala in the inaugural season of the tournament.

Return to North America

Falvey signed with

Ottawa Fury FC Ottawa Fury Football Club was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club competed in the North American Soccer League and USL Championship and played its home games at TD Place Stadium. The Ottawa Fury FC were diss ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

in February 2015. Falvey played every game of the Fury's 2015 season, helping Ottawa earn its first-ever piece of silverware, the 2015 NASL Fall Championship title, and its first-ever

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...

appearance. Falvey also helped the club set an all-time NASL clean sheet record of 648 minutes and concede the fewest goals of any club that season. On 15 January 2016, Falvey was transferred to

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

for an undisclosed fee. On 23 January 2018, Falvey rejoined Ottawa ahead of the

2018 USL season The 2018 USL season was the eighth season of the United Soccer League and second under Division II sanctioning. The previous season, the USL had provisional Div. II sanctioning from the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) along with th ...

. He was released by the club on 28 August 2018. On 12 November 2018, Falvey signed with

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

expansion team

Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in East Ridge, Tennessee. They are a founding member of USL League One, the third division of American soccer. The club was announced as a member of League One on A ...

Honours

Wilmington Hammerheads *

Regular Season:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Charleston Battery *

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, 2012 *

Regular Season:

Ottawa Fury * NASL Fall Championship:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Indy Eleven * NASL Spring Championship:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Individual *

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

team of the season:

* Youngheart Manawatu Player of the year: 2009–10 *

League Defender of the Year: 2013 * Wilmington Hammerheads defender of the year

References

External links

*
Charleston Battery bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falvey, Colin 1985 births Living people Association footballers from County Cork Republic of Ireland association footballers Association football defenders Cobh Ramblers F.C. players Kilkenny City A.F.C. players Southern United FC players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players YoungHeart Manawatu players Charleston Battery players Kerala Blasters FC players Ottawa Fury FC players Indy Eleven players Chattanooga Red Wolves SC players USL Second Division players USL Championship players Indian Super League players North American Soccer League players USL League One players Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Irish expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Irish expatriate sportspeople in India Irish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate association footballers in New Zealand Expatriate footballers in India Expatriate soccer players in Canada