Alanna Kennedy facts for kids
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Kennedy in 2021
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alanna Stephanie Kennedy | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Campbelltown, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back / Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 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 | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Australia U-17 | 10 | (6) |
| 2011–2014 | Australia U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2012– | Australia | 131 | (11) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Alanna Stephanie Kennedy (born on January 21, 1995) is an Australian professional soccer player. She plays as a centre-back (a defender) for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Angel City FC. She also plays for the Australia national team, known as the Matildas.
Contents
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 sports. When she was younger, she played on an all-boys team, being the only girl. Later, she played for the Campbelltown Cobras.
She also trained with the Girls Skills Acquisition Program (GSAP) at Macarthur Rams. Kennedy has said that the Rams training ground felt like her "second home" when she was growing up.
Club Career Highlights
Alanna Kennedy has played for many different soccer clubs throughout her career. She started her professional journey in Australia before moving to play in the United States and England.
Playing in Australia: W-League Teams
Kennedy began her career in the W-League (Australia's top women's soccer league) with Sydney FC in the 2010–11 season. She played three games that year. 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 and Perth Glory. In 2015, she went back to Sydney FC and stayed there for two more seasons.
Playing in the USA: Western New York Flash and Orlando Pride
In 2016, Kennedy moved to the United States to play for the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played in 17 games and helped the Flash win the 2016 NWSL Championship. She played every minute of their playoff games.
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In 2017, Kennedy joined the Orlando Pride. She played in every game for the Pride that year. In one exciting game, she scored a winning goal from a free kick right at the end of the match. This helped Orlando reach the playoffs for the first time. Even though she scored in the semi-final, Orlando lost to the Portland Thorns.
In 2018, she played 20 games and scored 2 goals for Orlando. In 2020, the NWSL season was changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Orlando Pride had to pull out of a special tournament due to positive tests among their team.
Back in Australia: Melbourne City and Sydney FC
While playing for Orlando Pride, Kennedy also played on loan for Australian clubs during the NWSL off-season. She joined Melbourne City for the 2017–18 W-League season. During this time, fans voted her into the W-League's "Team of the Decade," which is a list of the best players in the league's history.
After one season with Melbourne City, Kennedy returned to Sydney FC for the 2018–19 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 to Melbourne City.
Playing in England: Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City
In August 2020, Kennedy moved to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur on a six-month loan. She later signed a permanent deal with Tottenham until the end of the season. She left Tottenham in May 2021.
In August 2021, Kennedy signed a two-year deal with Manchester City, another big club in England. She played alongside her national team-mate Hayley Raso there. On January 21, 2025, Kennedy announced she was leaving Manchester City after three and a half seasons.
New Adventures: Angel City
On January 21, 2025, Kennedy signed a one-year contract with Angel City FC in the NWSL, with an option to play for an extra year. This marked her return to playing club soccer in the United States.
International Career: Playing for Australia (The Matildas)
Alanna Kennedy made her debut 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. Australia finished second in that tournament.
FIFA Women's World Cup Appearances
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
In May 2015, Kennedy was picked for Australia's team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was the second youngest player on the team. Kennedy played in all five of Australia's matches. The Matildas did well, beating Brazil in the Round of 16, but then lost to Japan in the quarter-finals.
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
Kennedy was part of the Matildas squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, her second World Cup. She started all four of Australia's games. In a tough match against Norway, Kennedy received a red card in extra time. Australia ended up losing the game on penalties and were knocked out of the tournament.
Olympic Games Appearances
2016 Summer Olympics
Kennedy played in her first Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio. She played every minute of Australia's four matches. In the quarter-final against Brazil, the game was tied and went to penalties. Kennedy took the final penalty for Australia, but she didn't score, and Brazil won.
2020 Summer Olympics
Kennedy was also a member of the Matildas team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Matildas made it to the quarter-finals and beat Great Britain. They were then eliminated in the semi-final by Sweden and lost the bronze medal match to the USA.
2024 Summer Olympics
On June 4, 2024, Kennedy was selected for the Matildas team that qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This was her third time being chosen for the Olympic Games.
Other International Success
Kennedy was part of the Matildas team that won the 2017 Tournament of Nations. They even beat the United States for the first time ever in that tournament. At the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup, Kennedy scored two goals for Australia, including a last-minute goal against Thailand in the semi-final, which Australia won on penalties. Australia then lost to Japan in the final.
Style of Play
Alanna Kennedy is known as 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), she can also play in the midfield.
Honours and Awards
Alanna Kennedy has won many awards and championships throughout her career:
Sydney FC
Perth Glory
- W-League Premiership: 2014–15
Western New York Flash
- National Women's Soccer League Championship: 2016
Melbourne City
- W-League Championship: 2017–18
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
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
