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Alanna Kennedy
AusChi3 - Kennedy (51556209773).jpg
Kennedy in 2021
Personal information
Full name Alanna Stephanie Kennedy
Date of birth (1995-01-21) 21 January 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth Campbelltown, Australia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Centre-back / Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Angel City FC
Number 14
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Sydney FC 1 (0)
2011–2012 Newcastle Jets 9 (1)
2012–2013 Sydney FC 12 (3)
2013–2014 Western Sydney Wanderers 9 (1)
2014–2015 Perth Glory 13 (2)
2015–2017 Sydney FC 24 (3)
2016 Western New York Flash 17 (0)
2017–2020 Orlando Pride 60 (8)
2017–2018 → Melbourne City (loan) 14 (1)
2018–2020 → Sydney FC (loan) 22 (3)
2020 → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 9 (0)
2021 Tottenham Hotspur 10 (1)
2021–2025 Manchester City 40 (1)
2025– Angel City FC 13 (0)
International career
2008–2009 Australia U-17 10 (6)
2011–2014 Australia U-20 3 (0)
2012– Australia 139 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 June 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 July 2025

Alanna Stephanie Kennedy (born on January 21, 1995) is an Australian professional soccer player. She plays as a midfielder and centre-back for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Angel City FC. She also plays for the Australia national team, known as the Matildas.

Early Life and Soccer Beginnings

Alanna Kennedy grew up in Rosemeadow, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. She went to Westfields Sports High School, a special school for athletes. When she was younger, Alanna was the only girl on a boys' soccer team. Later, she played for the Campbelltown Cobras. She also trained with the Girls Skills Acquisition Program (GSAP) at Macarthur Rams. Alanna has said that the Rams training ground felt like her "second home" when she was growing up.

Club Career Highlights

Andi Sullivan & Alanna Kennedy
Kennedy (right) and Andi Sullivan competing for the ball in a match in 2018.

Starting in the W-League

Alanna began her professional career in the W-League (Australia's top women's league). She first played for Sydney FC in the 2010–11 season. The next year, she joined the Newcastle Jets. She then returned to Sydney FC for the 2012–13 season.

After that, she played for Western Sydney Wanderers in 2013–14. In 2014, she joined Perth Glory. In 2015, Alanna went back to Sydney FC and stayed there for two more seasons.

Playing in the NWSL

In 2016, Alanna signed with the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States. She played in 17 games that year. Alanna played every minute of the Flash's playoff games, helping them win the 2016 NWSL Championship.

Alanna Kennedy (42645297242)
Kennedy heading the ball during an Orlando Pride match in May 2018.

On January 19, 2017, Alanna moved to the Orlando Pride. She played in every game for the Pride in 2017. In the last game of the regular season, she scored a winning goal from a free kick. This helped Orlando reach the playoffs for the first time. In the semi-final, Alanna scored again, but Orlando lost.

In the 2018 NWSL season, Alanna played in 20 games and scored 2 goals. However, Orlando did not make the playoffs that year. In March 2020, the NWSL season was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Orlando later decided not to play in the special tournament that was set up.

Loan Spells and Moves

Melbourne City FC

Alanna joined Melbourne City on loan for the 2017–18 W-League season. During this time, fans voted her into the Westfield W-League's "Team of the Decade." This team included the best 11 players to ever play in the W-League.

Sydney FC

After one season with Melbourne City, Alanna returned to Sydney FC for the 2018–19 W-League season. On February 16, 2019, she won her third W-League Championship title with Sydney FC. They beat Perth Glory 4–2 in the grand final. She played for Sydney FC again in the 2019–20 season, where they reached the grand final but lost 1–0 to Melbourne City.

Tottenham Hotspur

In August 2020, Alanna moved to the English club Tottenham Hotspur on a six-month loan. This was for the 2020–21 season. In November 2020, her NWSL playing rights were given to Racing Louisville FC. After her loan and NWSL contract ended in December 2020, Alanna decided to stay in England and signed permanently with Tottenham. She left Tottenham on May 25, 2021.

Manchester City

In August 2021, Alanna signed a two-year deal with Manchester City. She joined her national teammate Hayley Raso there. On January 21, 2025, Alanna announced she was leaving Manchester City after three and a half seasons.

Angel City FC

Alanna signed a one-year deal with Angel City FC in the NWSL on January 21, 2025. She also has an option to stay for an extra year. Alanna played her first game for Angel City on March 16, 2025. It was a home game against San Diego Wave FC and ended in a 1–1 draw. On May 9, 2025, Alanna made her first assist for Angel City, helping Christen Press score a goal in a 2–0 win against Utah Royals.

International Career

Alanna Kennedy first played for the Matildas in 2012 against New Zealand. In 2014, when she was 19, she was chosen for the Matildas squad for the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. She played in three games as Australia finished second.

FIFA Women's World Cup Appearances

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

In May 2015, Alanna was named to Australia's team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was the second youngest player on the team. Alanna played in all five of Australia's matches. The Matildas finished second in their group and moved to the knockout stage. They beat Brazil but lost to Japan in the quarter-finals.

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

In May 2019, Alanna was again chosen for the Matildas squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. This was her second World Cup. She started all four of Australia's matches. In the game against Norway, Alanna received a red card for a foul that stopped a clear scoring chance. Australia then lost the game in a penalty shootout and was out of the tournament.

Olympic Games Participation

2016 Summer Olympics

Alanna played in her first Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio. She played every minute of Australia's four matches. Their quarter-final game against Brazil ended in a 0–0 tie after extra time, so it went to penalties. Alanna was the last player to take a penalty for Australia, but she did not score. Brazil won the match 7–6 on penalties.

2020 Summer Olympics

Alanna was part of the Matildas team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Matildas reached the quarter-finals and beat Great Britain. They were then knocked out in the semi-final by Sweden. In the game for the Bronze medal, they were beaten by the USA.

2024 Summer Olympics

On June 4, 2024, Alanna Kennedy was named to the Matildas team for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This was her third time being selected for the Olympic Games.

Other International Success

Alanna was part of the Matildas team that won the 2017 Tournament of Nations. They also beat the United States for the first time ever in that tournament. At the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup, Alanna scored two goals for Australia. One of her goals was a late equalizer against Thailand in the semi-final. Australia won that game on penalties but lost 1–0 to Japan in the final.

Style of Play

Alanna Kennedy is known for being a very flexible and skilled player. She is good with her right foot and is a specialist at taking free kicks. While she is known internationally as a centre-back (a defensive player), Alanna also plays in the midfielder position.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sydney 2010–11 W-League 1 0 1 0
Newcastle Jets 2011–12 W-League 9 1 9 1
Sydney 2012–13 W-League 12 3 12 3
Western Sydney Wanderers 2013–14 W-League 9 0 9 0
Perth Glory 2014–15 W-League 13 2 13 2
Sydney 2015–16 W-League 12 1 12 1
2016–17 W-League 12 2 12 2
Total 68 9 68 9
Western New York Flash 2016 NWSL 17 0 17 0
Orlando Pride 2017 NWSL 25 5 25 5
2018 NWSL 20 2 20 2
2019 NWSL 15 1 15 1
Total 60 8 60 8
Melbourne City (loan) 2017–18 W-League 14 1 14 1
Sydney FC (loan) 2019–20 W-League 12 3 12 3
Tottenham Hotspur (loan) 2020–21 Women's Super League 19 1 1 1 3 1 23 3
Manchester City 2021–22 Women's Super League 14 1 4 0 4 0 0 0 22 1
2022–23 Women's Super League 2 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 7 0
2023–24 Women's Super League 17 0 1 0 2 0 20 0
2024–25 Women's Super League 7 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 15 1
Total 40 1 6 0 10 0 8 1 64 2
Angel City FC 2025 NWSL 13 0 13 0
Career total 243 23 7 1 13 1 8 1 271 26

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Australia 2012 7 0
2013 5 0
2014 8 0
2015 16 0
2016 12 2
2017 11 1
2018 15 3
2019 9 1
2020 4 0
2021 14 1
2022 7 0
2023 11 1
2024 13 2
Total 132 11
Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kennedy goal.
List of international goals scored by Alanna Kennedy
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 March 2016 Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam 3–0 9–0 2016 Olympics qualifying
2 9 August 2016 Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Zimbabwe 3–0 6–1 2016 Summer Olympics
3 7 March 2017 VRS António Sports Complex, Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 3–0 3–2 2017 Algarve Cup
4 10 April 2018 Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam 2–0 8–0 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup
5 17 April 2018 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 2–2 2–2
6 2 August 2018 Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois, USA Flag of Japan.svg Japan 1–0 2–0 2018 Tournament of Nations
7 6 March 2019 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina 2–0 3–0 2019 Cup of Nations
8 30 July 2021 Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain 1–0 4–3 2020 Summer Olympics
9 27 July 2023 Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria 2–3 2–3 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
10 28 July 2024 Stade de Nice, Nice, France Flag of Zambia.svg Zambia 1–1 6–5 2024 Summer Olympics
11 31 July 2024 Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France Flag of the United States.svg United States 1–2 1–2

Honours and Awards

Sydney FC

Alanna Kennedy in action at 2017 Algarve Cup
Alanna Kennedy playing in the 2017 Algarve Cup.

Perth Glory

Western New York Flash

  • National Women's Soccer League Championship: 2016

Melbourne City

Manchester City

  • FA Women's League Cup: 2021-22

Australia

  • AFF U-16 Women's Championship: 2009
  • AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016
  • Tournament of Nations: 2017
  • FFA Cup of Nations: 2019

Individual Awards

  • Sydney FC Player of the Year: 2015–16
  • Orlando Pride 2017 Golden Swans: Coaches Award
  • FIFPro 2017 Women's World XI shortlist: defender
  • IFFHS AFC Woman Team of the Decade 2011–2020

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alanna Kennedy para niños

  • List of Perth Glory FC W-League players
  • List of Western Sydney Wanderers Women players
  • List of foreign FA Women's Super League players
  • List of Orlando Pride records and statistics
  • List of foreign NWSL players
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