Fran Kirby

Fran Kirby

Kirby playing for Chelsea
Personal information
Full name	Francesca Kirby
Date of birth	(1993-06-29) 29 June 1993 (age 23)
Place of birth	Reading, England
Height	157 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current team	Chelsea
Number	14
Youth career
2001–2010	Reading
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Reading	42	(67)
2015–	Chelsea	11	(9)
National team‡
2013–	England U23	4	(1)
2014–	England	18	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 06:29, 27 June 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 09:56, 23 April 2016 (UTC)

Francesca "Fran" Kirby (born 29 June 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for FA WSL club Chelsea and the England national team. She began her career with her local team Reading and moved to Chelsea in July 2015. In August 2014 Kirby won her first senior cap for England. She represented her country at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.

Kirby joined her hometown club Reading at the age of seven and worked her way through the youth teams. She made her debut for the first team at the age of sixteen but quit football the following year after an onset of depression brought about by the untimely death of her mother. Kirby returned to the club in 2012 and went on to become the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division's top scorer for the 2012-13 season, with 32 goals in 21 appearances.

With Reading promoted to the newly formed Women's Super League 2 for 2014, Kirby helped the team achieve third place with 24 goals in sixteen appearances. She ended the season as the league's top goalscorer; netting four against London Bees, as well as hat-tricks against Durham, Watford and Doncaster Rovers Belles. Shortly after, she became the first female player to receive a professional contract from the club. At the 2014 FA Women's Awards, Kirby was named the inaugural WSL2 Players' Player of the Year.