Stephen Jude Quinn (born 1 April 1986) 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 club

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

. He has also represented the Republic of Ireland national team. He started his career with

League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...

club

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...

before moving to

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

in 2005. Quinn made over 200 appearances for the Blades, being their player of the season in 2011 and being in the Football League One PFA Team of the Year 2011–12. In 2012, he moved to Hull City and was a part of the team that won promotion back to the Premier League. Quinn also started the

2014 FA Cup Final The 2014 FA Cup final was an association football match between Premier League clubs Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Hull City A.F.C., Hull City at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 17 May 2014. It was the 133rd FA Cup final overall and the s ...

against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. He is known for his set piece taking.

Club career

St Patrick's Athletic

Born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Quinn came through the youth set up of

in the

. He made his senior debut in a 2–1 loss to

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...

on the 23rd of April 2004, which also proved to be his only senior appearance for the club.

Sheffield United

Stephen Quinn SUFC Jon Candy Owned Image

Quinn signed for Sheffield United in 2005 and he made his first team debut for the Blades in a League Cup win at

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

on 20 September 2005. Quinn spent some of the 2005–06 season on loan with

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

and

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

respectively, becoming a fan favourite at ''The Millers'' where his performances helped them to avoid relegation. Quinn made his Premiership debut for the Blades against

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

, and could have almost scored within the first 40 seconds of the game. In his second appearance, a match against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...

, he did score his first goal for the club. Quinn ended the season by winning the young player of the season award and was rewarded with a new contract. Sheffield United warded off interest allegedly from numerous

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

clubs during the summer 2011 transfer window, with Quinn being made aware of an offer – rejected by Sheffield United – from Blackpool (who also signed

Daniel Bogdanović Daniel Bogdanović (born 26 March 1980) is a retired footballer who played as a striker. Born in Libya, he represented the Malta national team. Club career Bogdanović spent six months with Cherno More during the second half of the 2002–0 ...

) by his agent. By 9 April 2012, Quinn provided more assists (14) than any other player in League One. He also scored four goals in the 2011–12 season.

Hull City

Quinn joined Championship club

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee on 31 August 2012. It was later revealed that Hull City would pay Sheffield United £2,000 per game for his first 50 games, plus a further £100,000 if the Tigers were promoted to the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

. On 1 September 2012 at the

KC Stadium The MKM Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kingston upon Hull, England. It has a current capacity of 25,586. The stadium is home to both association football club Hull City A.F.C. of the EFL Championship and rugby league club Hull F.C. of ...

against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

, great work from Jay Simpson on the right edge saw him pull the ball back for Quinn, who marked his home debut with a simple finish past

Ádám Bogdán Ádám Bogdán (; born 27 September 1987) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and is currently a free agent. Bogdán began his career in Hungary at Vasas before spending time on loan at Vecsés. In 2007, he moved ...

from close range. Quinn enjoyed a highly successful first season in East Yorkshire, ending the campaign by winning Hull's Players' Player of the Season award as the Tigers were promoted to the Premier League under new manager

Steve Bruce Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was a centre-back in a twenty-year playing career. He is currently the head coa ...

. On 13 April 2014, he scored Hull's fourth goal in their 5–3

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

semi-final win over

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. On 17 May 2014 he started in the

against

. On 4 May 2015, Quinn scored for Hull City in a 1–3 defeat to

at the

Reading

On 30 June 2015, Quinn signed a three-year contract with

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

after his deal with Hull City expired. Quinn scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

on 30 April 2016. Reading announced on 11 May 2018 that Quinn would leave the club at the end of his contract.

Burton Albion

On 22 August 2018, Quinn joined League One club

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...

on a short-term deal until January 2019. On 15 January 2021, Quinn joined League Two side

on loan for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

Mansfield Town

After having finished the season with Mansfield Town on loan, Quinn joined the club on a one-year permanent deal on 14 June 2021. In June 2022, having missed out on promotion in the 2022 play-off final, Quinn signed a new one-year contract at the club. On 24 May 2023, Quinn extended his contract by another year. On 2 May 2025, the club announced he would be leaving after the team's final game of the season on 3 May 2025.

International career

FIFA WC-qualification 2014 - Austria vs Ireland 2013-09-10 - Stephen Quinn 02

Quinn was called up by 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. ...

for the first time as part of the senior squad to face

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

in the

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

qualifier at the Serravalle Stadium on 4 February 2007. He made his U21 international debut in the 1–0 loss against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

on 27 March. Quinn scored his first international goal in a 3–2 victory against Sweden U-21 in October 2007. Quinn won his first senior cap on 2 June 2013 when the

beat

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 ...

4–0. He would also go on to win a second cap against

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

and European Champions

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. On 7 September 2014 in

Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...

's first competitive game in charge of Ireland, Quinn started his first competitive game against Georgia alongside Glenn Whelan and James McCarthy in midfield. Ireland won the game 2–1 thanks to a last minute winner by

Aiden McGeady Aiden John McGeady (born 4 April 1986) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer. He was born in Scotland, and represented the Republic of Ireland national football team, Republic of Ireland national team from 2004 until 2 ...

. Quinn admitted after the game that there was a "weight lifted off his shoulders" after making his competitive debut. Quinn started in a 1–1 draw against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, Quinn was criticised in the media for the German goal for standing off and allowing

Toni Kroos Toni Kroos (born 4 January 1990) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he was known for his vision, pinpoint precision passing, crossing, and set-p ...

the time to shoot and score.

Personal life

Stephen Quinn is the younger brother of former

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

and

midfielder

Alan Quinn Alan Quinn (born 13 June 1979) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is one of nine brothers; both Stephen and Keith were on the books at Alan's former club, Sheffield United while another brother, Gerry, pl ...

, and the older brother of former Sheffield United midfielder Keith Quinn. His cousin Joe Redmond is also a professional footballer. His nephew winger

Ben Quinn Ben Mark Quinn (born 11 November 2004) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Mansfield Town. Club career Born in Dublin, after playing for Cherry Orchard and St Patrick's Athletic, Quinn signed for Scottish club ...

was also his teammate at

. He is nicknamed ''Mini Quinny'' in reference to older brother Alan.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Hull City *

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

second-place promotion:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

runner-up: 2013–14 Mansfield Town *

EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...

third-place promotion: 2023–24 Individual * Sheffield United Player of the Year:

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...

: 2011–12 League One

References

External links

*
Ireland profile
at Soccerscene {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Stephen 1986 births Living people Association footballers from Dublin (city) Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Men's association football midfielders St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players Reading F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players League of Ireland players Premier League players English Football League players UEFA Euro 2016 players People from Clondalkin Sportspeople from South Dublin (county) 21st-century Irish sportsmen