Ellen Molloy
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Ellen Molloy (born 5 June 2004) is an Irish
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
Wexford FC Wexford ( ; archaic Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is li ...
and the Republic of Ireland women's national team. Molloy is seen as one of Ireland's most promising players.


Club career

In a decorated career in youth soccer, Molloy enjoyed success with Thomastown United and
Presentation Secondary School, Kilkenny The Presentation Secondary School, Kilkenny is an all girls secondary school catering for students between the ages of 12-19 around the Kilkenny city, and the surrounding areas. The school has a Catholic ethos and falls under the Trusteeship of C ...
. She was already seen as an exceptional prospect when she transferred to reigning WNL champions Wexford Youths in July 2019. Molloy debuted for Wexford Youths on the first day of the delayed 2020 Women's National League season, scoring two goals and serving one assist in a 4–1 home win over
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. She won the WNL Player of the Month award for August 2020 and was praised by Wexford Youths coach Tom Elmes: "She has hit the ground running. She is versatile and can play in a number of different roles and she's done really well for us." In September 2020 Molloy scored twice as Wexford inflicted a first defeat of the season on champions
Peamount United Peamount United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Newcastle, South Dublin. The club is best known for its senior women's team, founder members and inaugural champions of the Women's National League in 2011–12. They ...
. She scored another two goals, including a "goal of the season contender" against
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
on 31 October 2020. At the WNL Awards in December 2020, Molloy was named Young Player of the Season and named in the Team of the Season. Molloy's impressive form continued into the 2021 Women's National League season. She scored four times in a 7–1 win over
Treaty United Treaty United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Limerick. The club was founded in 2020 following the demise of Limerick F.C. and began playing in the League of Ireland Women's Premier Division in 2020 followed by th ...
, then hit a "brilliant, long range" goal in a 5–0 win over Galway two weeks later. She was named Player of the Match in the 2021 FAI Women's Cup Final, as Wexford Youths defeated Shelbourne 3–1. She retained her place in the Team of the Season at the 2021 WNL Awards. Having scored 13 goals from midfield she agreed to remain with Wexford Youths for the following season. In
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Molloy had scored 16 goals and was the league's second top goal scorer as Wexford Youths challenged for the title. She suffered an
anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...
in a September 2022 fixture against Treaty United and missed the run-in. On 6 September 2024, Molloy was announced at Sheffield United. In 2025, she returned to
Wexford FC Wexford ( ; archaic Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is li ...


International career


Youth

Molloy scored an acclaimed goal for the
Republic of Ireland women's national under-17 football team Republic of Ireland women's national under-17 football team represents Republic of Ireland in international youth football competitions. FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The team has qualified in 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship Previo ...
against
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in February 2020 which went
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on
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and brought her to wider attention. The strike was later voted International Goal of the Year at the
FAI International Football Awards The FAI International Football Awards is an awards evening held to honour the best Republic of Ireland international footballers of the year. Senior International awards Senior International Player of the Year Senior Women's International Pl ...
, making Molloy the first female winner. In September 2021 Molloy debuted for the
Republic of Ireland women's national under-19 football team The Republic of Ireland women's national under-19 football team represents Ireland at the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship and the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. History UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship The Irish team has qualified for the ...
, scoring in her team's 2–1 friendly defeat by
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in Portugal. She made five appearances throughout the year, scoring three goals.


Senior

Senior Republic of Ireland national team coach
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 ...
called up Molloy for the first time on 28 August 2020, for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifier against
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on 19 September 2020. Molloy made her senior international debut in Ireland's next match, against
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in
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on 23 October 2020. She was an 86th-minute substitute for Harriet Scott in Ireland's 1–0 defeat. After allowing Molloy to gain experience with the under-19s, Pauw recalled her to the seniors in November 2021, for
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 ...
fixtures against
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and
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. However a hamstring injury sustained in the 2021 FAI Women's Cup Final forced Molloy to drop out of the squad. Molloy was called up again in February 2022, for the
2022 Pinatar Cup The 2022 Pinatar Cup was the second edition of the Pinatar Cup, an international women's football friendly tournament, that was held from 16 to 22 February 2022 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Region of Murcia, Spain. Format The eight invited teams p ...
in
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. She sat her
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mock exams early in order to take part. Molloy made her first start for Ireland on the occasion of her fifth
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, on 19 February 2022 in the 1–0 defeat by
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.


International appearances


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Molloy, Ellen 2004 births Living people Republic of Ireland women's association footballers Women's association football midfielders Wexford Youths W.F.C. players League of Ireland Women's Premier Division players Association footballers from County Kilkenny Republic of Ireland women's international footballers Republic of Ireland women's youth international footballers 21st-century Irish sportswomen