Karen Duggan (born 29 May 1991) is an Irish footballer who plays for Peamount United of the Women's National League (WNL). She has previously played for UCD Waves and the Republic of Ireland women's national football team. Between 2013 and 2016 Duggan was selected for the WNL Team of the Season for four successive seasons. She was the only player selected all four seasons.[2] In 2015–16 she was also WNL Senior Player of the Season.[3] Duggan has also played camogie at club, university and county level.

Karen Duggan
Personal information
Full name Karen Duggan
Date of birth (1991-05-29) 29 May 1991 (age 32)
Place of birth Piltown, County Kilkenny, Ireland[1]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Peamount United
Number 16
Youth career
Piltown L.F.C.
2010 Tramore (Waterford)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 University of Limerick
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Peamount United
2014–2017 UCD Waves
2018– Peamount United
International career
2013–2018 Republic of Ireland 35 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:15, 13 December 2020 (UTC)

Early years edit

Duggan was born in Piltown, County Kilkenny.[1] She is the daughter of Pat and Bernie Duggan and has an older brother, John.[4][5] Between 2005 and 2009 Duggan attended Scoil Mhuire (Greenhills) in Carrick-on-Suir where she studied for her Leaving Cert. While there she played various sports including association football, camogie, Gaelic football and basketball.[6] As a schoolgirl she also played association football for Piltown L.F.C.[7] and began playing camogie with Piltown GAA. Duggan also played for Kilkenny GAA in the 2009 All-Ireland Minor Camogie Championship final.

Club career edit

University of Limerick edit

Between 2009 and 2013, Duggan attended the University of Limerick where she gained a 2.1 Honours Science Education Degree. She also qualified to become a science teacher.[6] Together with Julie-Ann Russell, Duggan also played for the UL association football team that won the 2010 WSCAI Intervarsities Cup. They defeated a UCD team that featured Louise Quinn 2–1 in the final at Turners Cross. Duggan and Russell also helped the team win the WSCAI Premier Division in 2010–11.[8][9] They also played for the UL ladies futsal team that won the 2011 WSCAI National Futsal Intervarsities title.[10]

Duggan also represented UL at camogie, helping them win the 2010 Ashbourne Shield and then finish as runners up in the 2013 Ashbourne Cup.[11] While a student at UL Duggan also played association football for Tramore in the Waterford Ladies League. In September 2010 Duggan scored twice for Tramore in a 3–0 win over Johnville in the Waterford Ladies Cup final. Tramore completed a double, having already won the league title.[12]

Peamount United edit

Duggan, along with fellow UL student Julie-Ann Russell, began playing for Peamount United in 2011 and subsequently played for the club in their 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League campaign and during the inaugural 2011–12 Women's National League season. In her first season with the club, Duggan helped Peamount win both the league title and the WNL Cup.[2][7] Duggan was also selected for the WNL Team of the Season in both 2012–13 and 2013–14.[13][14] Between 2013 and 2014, while playing with Peamount United, Duggan was also employed as a science teacher at Scoil Chríost Rí in Portlaoise. She also helped coach the school's association football team.[6][7]

UCD Waves edit

The 2014–15 Women's National League season saw former Peamount United manager, Eileen Gleeson take charge of UCD Waves. Duggan was one of a number of Peamount United players, including Julie-Ann Russell, Aine O'Gorman, Dora Gorman, Chloe Mustaki and Emily Cahill who all subsequently followed Gleeson to UCD Waves. While playing for UCD Waves, Duggan was selected for the WNL Team of the Season for a third and fourth time in 2014–15[15] and 2015–16. In 2015–16 she was also named WNL Senior Player of the Season.[3] In November 2014 Duggan started working as a business analyst and management consultant for Accenture.[5][6] In 2017 she was named in the WNL Team of the Season again.[16] She played in the 2017 FAI Women's Cup final for UCD Waves at the Aviva Stadium, but they were upset 1–0 by Cork City.[17]

Peamount United edit

Ahead of the 2018 Women's National League season, Duggan returned to Peamount United.[18] In 2019 The Peas recaptured the League title for the first time since 2011–12.[19] Duggan also played in Peamount's 2018 and 2019 FAI Women's Cup final defeats by Wexford Youths.[20][21] In 2020 Duggan displayed good form, being named November Player of the Month as Peamount retained their WNL title.[22] She also scored in the 2020 FAI Women's Cup Final as The Peas vanquished Cork City 6–0 at Tallaght Stadium.[23] At the WNL Awards in December 2020, Duggan was named in the Team of the Season for a record sixth time and named Player of the Year for the second time.[24]

International career edit

Duggan has represented the Republic of Ireland at under 15, under 17, under 19, university and senior level.[2][25][5] In December 2011, Duggan was included in a Football Association of Ireland (FAI) scholarship programme for potential senior women's internationals.[26]

Duggan made her senior debut at the 2013 Cyprus Cup, in a 1–0 win over South Africa.[27] She also represented the Republic of Ireland in their 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying campaigns. Duggan also represented Ireland at the 2013 Summer Universiade.[1][7][28][29][30] At the FAI International Football Awards she was named 2016 Senior Women's International Player of the Year.

In September 2018 Duggan retired from international football after winning 35 caps, following Ireland's failed 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying campaign.[31] She later declined an approach from her former Peamount and UCD coach Eileen Gleeson, who was named the incoming national team coach Vera Pauw's assistant, to resurrect her international career in the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifiers.[32]

Media career edit

Duggan was part of RTÉ Sport's punditry team for the UEFA Euro 2020, alongside Damien Duff, Liam Brady, Richie Sadlier and Kevin Doyle.[33][34]

Honours edit

Association football edit

Individual
Peamount United
UCD Waves
University of Limerick
  • WSCAI Premier Division
    • Winners: 2010–11
  • WSCAI Intervarsities Cup
    • Winners: 2010
  • WSCAI National Futsal Intervarsities
    • Winners: 2011

Camogie edit

Kilkenny GAA
Piltown GAA
University of Limerick

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Karen Duggan - Rep of Ireland Women". extratime.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Karen Duggan". www.fai.ie. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "2015/16 Continental Tyres WNL Awards winners unveiled". www.fai.ie. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Piltown's Karen wins U-19 International Player Award". The Munster Express. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Tobin, Kirsty (22 January 2016). "Karen Duggan – kitting out for Ireland and Accenture". www.siliconrepublic.com. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "Karen Duggan @ LinkedIn". ie.linkedin.com. Retrieved 11 June 2016.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b c d "Patience pays off for Duggan". www.fai.ie. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  8. ^ "UL make it four Premier Titles in a row". www.thirdlevelfootball.ie. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  9. ^ "News & Fixtures". www.ucd.ie. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  10. ^ "UL win WSCAI Futsal Intervarsities". www.thirdlevelfootball.ie. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Piltown - Katie versus Karen in marathon". www.kilkennypeople.ie. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  12. ^ Keane, Matt (17 September 2010). "Terrific Tramore complete double". The Munster Express. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Bus Éireann National Women's League Awards 12-13" (PDF). wnl.fai.ie. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Bus Éireann National Women's award nominations". www.rte.ie. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  15. ^ a b "O'Gorman and Rossiter win WNL Awards". www.fai.ie. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  16. ^ a b O'Toole, Fintan (8 November 2017). "Peamount and Cork City players claim major honours after 2017 league awards". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Moment of magic wins Women's FAI Cup final for Cork City". Irish Independent. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  18. ^ Leonard, Stephen (12 January 2018). "O'Callaghan amassing a strong force in Peamount". Echo.ie. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Champions Peamount United lead way on Team of the Year". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Wexford Youths seal the treble thanks to Katrina Parrock's first-half winner". independent.
  21. ^ Leahy, Ed (3 November 2019). "Wexford Youths swing five-goal thriller to win FAI Cup" – via www.rte.ie. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. ^ "Duggan earns Barretstown / WNL Player of the Month for November". Women's National League (Ireland). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  23. ^ Malone, Emmet (12 December 2020). "Stephanie Roche tees things up perfectly as Peamount wrap up double". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Duffy, Emma (20 December 2020). "Peamount stalwart and Wexford teenage sensation win big at end-of-season awards". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Karen Duggan". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  26. ^ "FAI womens [sic] scholarships announced". www.thirdlevelfootball.ie. 6 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Second win for Senior Women's Team in Cyprus". Football Association of Ireland. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Karen Duggan already eyeing Euro qualifiers". www.rte.ie. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Karen Duggan @ uefa.com". www.uefa.com. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  30. ^ "World University Games Kazan 2013 - Soccer - Ireland vs Great Britain". inpho.ie. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  31. ^ "Midfielder Karen Duggan announces WNT retirement". Football Association of Ireland. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  32. ^ Kelly, David (12 December 2020). "Duggan's passion shows little sign of abating ahead of final flourish". Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  33. ^ "RTÉ announces details of UEFA EURO 2020 coverage – live and exclusive". about.rte.ie. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  34. ^ Hynes, Robert (12 June 2021). "Who is Karen Duggan? All you need to know about the RTE pundit and footballer". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Robbie Brady caps a remarkable year by walking away with hat-trick of FAI accolades".
  36. ^ "19th International Soccer Awards Ceremony". RISSC. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  37. ^ "AIB All-Ireland intermediate club camogie final". Hogan Stand. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.

External links edit