Ciara Grant (born 11 June 1993) is an Irish 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 lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for Hibernian of the

Scottish Women's Premier League The Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) is the highest level of league competition in women's football in Scotland. Its two divisions are SWPL (previously styled as ''SWPL 1'') and SWPL 2. The league was formed when the Premier Division of th ...

and for the Republic of Ireland national team. Grant has previously played for Raheny United, UCD Waves and Shelbourne of the Women's National League, and for

Women's Premiership The Women's Premiership, also called the RFUW Premiership was the top level of women's rugby union in England until 2017. It was formed in 1990 and was run by the Rugby Football Union for Women. It was superseded in the 2017/18 season by Premi ...

club Sion Swifts. Immediately prior to joining Hearts, Grant played for

Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

. In 2010, Grant was a member of the Republic of Ireland under-17 squad who were runners-up in the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and quarter-finalists in the

2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup women's football tournament was the second such tournament, and was held in Trinidad and Tobago from 5 to 25 September 2010. Sixteen teams, comprising representatives from all six confederations, took part in ...

. She won her first senior

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

in November 2012. Outside of football Grant is a qualified

medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

and worked as a lecturer for the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a not-for-profit medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It was established in 1784 as the national body ...

. She has also played

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

for the Donegal county team.

Early years

Grant attended Woodlands National School in

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

where her classmates included Mark English. Between 2005 and 2011 Grant attended the

Loreto Convent Secondary School, Letterkenny Convent Road () is located to the north of Letterkenny, County Donegal, in the parish of Conwal and Leck, Ireland. It is situated beside the Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba and Cathedral Road, Letterkenny, Cathedral Road forms a link with ...

, where she studied for her Leaving Cert. As a schoolgirl, Grant played

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

for Lagan Harps and Kilmacrennan Celtic as well as representing her school. In 2009, she helped Kilmacrennan Celtic win the WFAI Intermediate Cup and in 2011 she was a member of the Loreto team that won the FAIS Senior Girls Cup, the top cup competition for girls' school teams in Ireland. Grant also played

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. Grant played for

Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board () or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Donegal. The County Board is responsible for prepari ...

in the 2010

All-Ireland Under-18 Ladies' Football Championship The All-Ireland Under-18 Ladies' Football Championship is a "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played by women in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association The Ladies' Gaelic Footb ...

final. In basketball she played as a point guard for both her school and Letterkenny Blaze.

Club career

Raheny United

Between

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, Grant played for Raheny United in the Women's National League. During this time, Grant helped United win two successive league titles in 2012–13 and 2013–14. She also helped them win two successive FAI Women's Cups in 2012 and 2013. In the 2013 final against Castlebar Celtic at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium, also known as Lansdowne Road (, ) or Dublin Arena (during UEFA competitions), is a List of stadiums in Ireland by capacity, sports stadium located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators ...

, Grant scored United's opening goal in spectacular fashion. Without breaking stride, Grant controlled a dropping ball and let it bounce before lifting it over the Castlebar Celtic goalkeeper.

UCD Waves

Grant attended

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

from 2011 until 2016. In her first year she studied

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

before transferring to medicine. She graduated in 2017. In 2014–15 when UCD Waves entered a team in the Women's National League, Grant switched over from Raheny United. In November 2014, she appeared in her third consecutive FAI Women's Cup final, losing out 2–1 after extra-time to her former club. In addition to playing in the WNL, Grant also played for UCD at intervarsity level. In 2014 Grant was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the UCD team who won the WSCAI Futsal Cup, defeating the holders, I.T. Sligo, 3–2 in the final at the

Mardyke Arena The Mardyke, also referred as the Mardyke Sports Ground, is the main sports campus of University College Cork (UCC), located at the western end of the Mardyke area near Cork city centre. The grounds and fitness facilities used by sports team re ...

. Grant also scored for UCD in a 3–2 win over I.T. Sligo in the 2013–14 WSCAI Premier Division final. In 2015 Grant was captain of the UCD team that won the WSCAI Intervarsity Cup.

Sion Swifts

After a period away from football while she completed her medical studies, Grant joined Sion Swifts in their 2019

campaign.

Shelbourne

Grant joined Shelbourne for the delayed and truncated 2020 Women's National League season. In

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

Grant helped Shelbourne win the Women's National League title. She also scored in the 2021 FAI Women's Cup Final, which Shelbourne lost 3–1 to Wexford Youths.

Rangers

Grant joined

on 28 January 2022. The six-month contract was Grant's first full-time professional deal, and made her the first Republic of Ireland international to sign for Rangers since

Alex Stevenson Alexander Ernest Stevenson (9 August 1912 – 2 September 1985) was an Irish footballer who played for Rangers and Everton, amongst other teams. As an international, Stevenson also played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. ...

in 1932. She helped Rangers finish the league season unbeaten and win their first ever

title.

Hearts

In June 2022 Grant agreed a

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies * ...

to Heart of Midlothian. She signed a one-year contract with an option for a further year, becoming only Hearts' second ever full-time professional female player after Emma Brownlie who signed the previous day. According to Grant, her relationship with head coach Eva Olid deteriorated badly towards the end of the 2023-24 season, leading to Grant's departure from the club shortly afterwards.

Hibernian

Grant left Hearts to join Edinburgh rivals Hibernian in June 2024, signing a one-year contract.

International career

Youth

Grant has represented the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

at under-15, under-17, under-19, university and senior level. In 2010 she was a member of the Republic of Ireland U-17 squad who were runners-up in the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and quarter-finalists in the

. In December 2011 Grant was included in a

Football Association of Ireland The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; ) is the governing body for association football in the Republic of Ireland. Organisation The FAI has an executive committee of five members under the president, who receive expenses, as well as a p ...

(FAI) scholarship programme for potential senior women's international players. Grant also represented Ireland at the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2015 Summer Universiade The 2015 Summer Universiade (), officially known as the XXVIII Summer Universiade () and also known as Gwangju 2015 () was a multi-sport event for student and youth athletes sanctioned by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), hel ...

Senior

Grant made her senior international debut in November 2012, in a 5–0 friendly defeat by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, replacing

Niamh Fahey Niamh Fahey ( ; born 13 October 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Women's Super League club Liverpool, which she captains, and formerly the Republic of Ireland national team. She ...

in the 57th minute. National team coach

Sue Ronan Susan Ronan (born 21 February 1964) is an Irish people, Irish association football, football coach and former player, who managed the Republic of Ireland women's national football team from 2010 until 2016. Ronan represented Welsox and Shelbour ...

deployed Grant in an unfamiliar

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

role. Grant subsequently represented Ireland at the

and

2014 Cyprus Cup The 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup was the seventh edition of the Cyprus Women's Cup, an invitational Women's association football, women's football tournament held annually in Cyprus. It took place between 5–12 March 2014. France women's national foot ...

s and in their unsuccessful

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the f ...

and

UEFA Women's Euro 2017 The 2017 UEFA European Women's Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Women's Euro 2017, was the 12th edition of the UEFA Women's Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship organised by UEFA for the ...

qualifying campaigns. After showing good form for Shelbourne, Grant was recalled to the national team by

Vera Pauw Vera Pauw (; born 18 January 1963) is a Dutch Women's association football, football coach and former player who is the manager of the United Arab Emirates women's national football team, United Arab Emirates women's national team. She has manage ...

in June 2021. On 30 November 2021 she made another appearance in a record 11–0

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A UEFA Group A of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification competition consists of five teams: Sweden, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, and Georgia. The composition of the nine groups in the qualifying group stage was decided by the draw ...

win over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

International Appearances

Personal life

Grant is a qualified medical doctor. She returned to her native Letterkenny to volunteer at a local hospital soon after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gallery

Image:Ciara Grant profile.jpg, File:Ciara Grant.jpg

Honours

Association football

;Individual * FAI International Football Awards Under-17 Women's International Player of the Year ** 2008 * Women's National League Team of the Season ** 2013–14 ; Raheny United * Women's National League **''Winners'': 2012–13, 2013–14 : 2 **''Runners-up'': 2011–12: 1 * FAI Women's Cup **''Winners'': 2012, 2013: 2 ; UCD Waves/UCD * Women's National League **''Runners-up'': 2014–15 * FAI Women's Cup **''Runners-up'': 2014: 1 * WNL Cup **''Runners-up'':

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

: 1 *WSCAI Intervarsity Cup **''Winners'': 2015 *WSCAI Premier Division **''Winners'': 2013–14 *WSCAI Futsal Cup **''Winners'': 2014 ; Republic of Ireland U-17 *

UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship or simply UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, is an annual European championship football tournament, organized by UEFA, for national teams of women under age seventeen. The tournament was first play ...

**''Runner Up'':

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

; Loreto School *FAIS Senior Girls Cup **''Winners'': 2011 ;Kilmacrennan Celtic * WFAI Intermediate Cup **''Winners'': 2009 Hibernian *

2024-25 A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...

Gaelic football

; Donegal *Ulster Senior Ladies' Championship **''Winner'': 2018 *

**''Runner Up'': 2010

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Ciara 1993 births Living people Alumni of University College Dublin Association footballers from County Donegal Sportspeople from Letterkenny Republic of Ireland women's association footballers Republic of Ireland women's futsal players Republic of Ireland women's international footballers Raheny United F.C. players DLR Waves players UCD Women's Soccer Club players Sion Swifts Ladies F.C. players Women's association football midfielders League of Ireland Women's Premier Division players Women's Premiership (Northern Ireland) players Donegal ladies' Gaelic footballers Ladies' Gaelic footballers who switched code Irish women's basketball players Republic of Ireland women's youth international footballers Scottish Women's Premier League players Expatriate women's footballers in Scotland Irish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Shelbourne F.C. (women) players Rangers W.F.C. players Heart of Midlothian W.F.C. players 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players 21st-century Irish sportswomen