Q Radio Sport
The captain of NI women's football champions Glentoran, Jessica Foy, has become the first female player to sign a paid professional contract with a club here.
The 26-year-old left-back has led the Glens to successive Danske Women's Premiership titles with the team last year completing a clean sweep treble.
The Northern Ireland international is also a talented Gaelic footballer, having played for Carryduff GAC.
.@Glentoran Women double clean sweep-winning captain @JessicaFoy7 makes history by signing the first professional contract for a female footballer with a club in Northern Ireland. And it's just the start of it for #DanskeWomensPrem champions @GlentoranWomen #GFC: pic.twitter.com/aFTkNRDxHm
— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) January 5, 2022
The Glens said the contract is just "the start of a process of professionalising Northern Ireland’s most successful squad."
Jessica said she's "honoured to be the first female professional footballer in the domestic NIFL Women's Premiership."
"Our club has been striving for years to provide more opportunities for girls and women to succeed and to push women’s football further in Northern Ireland," she added.
"The next step for us was to professionalise women’s football and it is an incredible honour to be a part of that.
"It is fantastic to see women’s football moving forward, providing a clear pathway for young players to now progress through the academy to professional status.
"This is history in the making and I am very excited to see what the future holds."
Then the Glens announced more groundbreaking business for the local women's game:
.@NorthernIreland rising star @KerryBeattie5 has signed for @GlasgowCityFC from @Glentoran. The Glens say it's the 1st women's pro player transfer for a club here and the 1st in which a local team has received a transfer fee. It's their 2nd piece of history in 24 hours:#GFC - pic.twitter.com/MgWp8beyhx
— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) January 6, 2022
The captain of NI champions Glentoran Women, Jessica Foy, has become the first female player to sign a paid professional contract with a club here. Pic: CSX Sports/Chris Scott