Fiona O'Sullivan facts for kids
O'Sullivan with the Republic of Ireland in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fiona Julia O'Sullivan | ||
| Date of birth | 17 September 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | San Geronimo, California, U.S. | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | San Francisco Dons | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Sonoma County Sol | ||
| 2009–2010 | California Storm | ||
| 2010 | Chicago Red Stars | 0 | (0) |
| 2010 | AIK | 7 | (2) |
| 2011 | Piteå IF | 9 | (1) |
| 2011 | → Kvarnsvedens IK (loan) | 10 | (12) |
| 2011–2012 | ASJ Soyaux | 9 | (4) |
| 2012–2014 | SC Freiburg | 30 | (12) |
| 2014–2015 | Notts County | 8 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2009–2016 | Republic of Ireland | 41 | (13) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015–2017 | San Francisco Dons (assistant) | ||
| 2015-2017 | De Anza Force | ||
| 2017- | San Domenico School | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Fiona Julia O'Sullivan (born September 17, 1986) is a former professional soccer player. She played as a striker for many clubs in the United States, Sweden, France, Germany, and England. Fiona was born and grew up in the United States, but her father is Irish. This meant she could play for the Republic of Ireland women's national team. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) described her as a strong and powerful attacker.
Since she stopped playing professionally, Fiona O'Sullivan has become a coach, trainer, speaker, and mentor for young athletes. Her yearly youth soccer camp, the O’Sullivan Soccer Academy, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and High School Soccer
Fiona O'Sullivan grew up in Marin County, California. She started playing soccer when she was young. At Sir Francis Drake High School (now Archie Williams High School), she was the top scorer for her team three times. She was also the top scorer in her league twice. Fiona was the captain of her team when they reached the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) finals. She holds the school record for the most goals scored in a career.
In the summer of 2003, Fiona started her own local soccer camp. She wanted to earn money to buy her first car. At first, only three people signed up. So, Fiona asked her younger brother to be her first counselor to help get more kids to join.
College Soccer at San Francisco
Fiona O'Sullivan went to the University of San Francisco from 2004 to 2007. She scored a total of eight goals for the San Francisco Dons soccer team during her four years. Her best season was in 2006, when she scored five goals. She even scored three goals in one game against the San Jose State Spartans. In 2007, her final year, Fiona was the team captain and the leading goal scorer. Her coach, Pam Kalinoski, believed Fiona could play at a higher level.
Professional Club Career
Playing in the United States
In 2010, Fiona O'Sullivan was chosen by the Chicago Red Stars in the WPS Draft. However, she was released from the team before the season started. This happened because she chose to play for the Irish national team instead of staying to compete for her spot with the Red Stars.
Instead, Fiona played the 2010 season with the California Storm. She played alongside famous soccer players like Brandi Chastain and Sissi. Fiona scored seven goals in ten games for the California Storm. Because of her strong performance, she was named to the all-league second team.
Playing in Europe
In July 2010, Fiona O'Sullivan signed a contract with AIK, a team in Sweden's top league, Damallsvenskan. She scored two goals in seven games for AIK. In January 2011, Fiona moved to another Swedish team, Piteå IF. She played nine games for Piteå IF and scored one goal. Later, in June 2011, she was loaned to Kvarnsvedens IK, a team in a lower Swedish division.
In December 2011, Fiona left Sweden and joined ASJ Soyaux, a club in France's top league. She scored four goals in nine league games for Soyaux. The team finished 11th and was moved down to a lower division. Fiona then looked for a new club because she wanted to keep playing at a high level.
Fiona signed with SC Freiburg in Germany's top league, the Frauen Bundesliga, in July 2012. She found Germany to be a good fit for her. She started the season well, but then faced a difficult personal challenge and a knee injury. Despite this, Freiburg finished fifth in the 2012–13 Bundesliga season. Fiona scored six goals in 13 games.
Even while playing professionally in Europe, Fiona continued to run her O’Sullivan Soccer Academy every summer in the United States. She would train hard before and after long days at camp to stay in shape. She often flew back to Europe right after the last day of camp. Fiona described her summers as "unique and challenging."
In June 2014, Fiona scored three goals in Freiburg's 7–2 win over BV Cloppenburg. This was her last game for the club. She then moved to Notts County in England's FA WSL league. Fiona made a memorable debut for Notts County. She scored a goal that was shown on TV, helping her team tie against Arsenal Ladies. She scored another goal against Birmingham City. She finished the 2014 season with two goals in five games. In January 2015, she signed a new one-year contract.
In 2015, Fiona played less often because Notts County's main striker, Ellen White, returned from injury. Fiona came on as a substitute in the 2015 FA Women's Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Her team lost 1–0 to Chelsea.
Even though they lost, Fiona said playing at Wembley was a highlight of her career. She realized how special Wembley is to English players. Soon after, she decided to stop playing professional soccer. She returned to her old university, the University of San Francisco, to become an assistant coach for the San Francisco Dons. She started her first training camp the day after the English Cup final.
International Career with Ireland
Fiona O'Sullivan's father, Aidan, is from Ireland, and her mother is American. Fiona contacted the FAI to let them know she could play for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team. She made her first appearance for Ireland in 2009 during a training camp in the United States.
Fiona played very well in Ireland's qualifying games for the 2011 World Cup. In August 2010, she scored three goals against Israel. This brought her total to six goals in five games, and she was called "a revelation." In February 2011, Fiona was named the FAI International Player of the Year.
After a lot of goals at first, Fiona's performance dipped, and her coach, Susan Ronan, left her out of the squad in 2012. However, Fiona worked hard and came back stronger. She scored another goal against Israel in a qualifying game for the 2013 UEFA Women's Championship. Ireland won 2–0, but they were already out of the competition.
Fiona missed the 2013 Cyprus Cup because of a knee injury. In June 2013, she scored both goals as Ireland came back from being down 2–0 to draw 2–2 with Austria in a friendly game. Despite Fiona scoring three goals, Ireland did not qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Since Fiona had moved into coaching, Ireland was having trouble scoring goals. So, coach Ronan called Fiona back for a friendly game against the United States in May 2015. This was Fiona's last game as a professional player. The match was played near her home in California.
Ireland lost 3–0 to the US team, which was ranked second in the world at the time. However, it was a very special moment for Fiona. She played in front of her family and friends who had supported her since high school.
Fiona said, "I'd spent a decade in Europe playing. Although I am Irish, I grew up in San Geronimo and I have such a huge family here who has supported me through high school, college, and came to all my games. When I played at Avaya, I heard such a roar when my name was announced. It was an entire career coming together."
International Goals
- Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition | Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 September 2009 | Turners Cross, Cork |  Kazakhstan |
2–1 | 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. | 1 |
| 3 | 21 March 2010 | Ness Ziona Stadium, Ness Ziona |  Israel |
3–0 | 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. | 2 |
| 6 | 25 August 2010 | Carlisle Grounds, Bray | Israel |
3–0 | 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. | 3 |
| 7 | 19 September 2012 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan | Israel |
2–0 | 2013 UEFA Women's Championship Qual. | 1 |
| 9 | 18 June 2013 | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin |  Austria |
2–2 | Friendly | 2 |
| 10 | 30 October 2013 | Ob Jezeru City Stadium, Velenje |  Slovenia |
3–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. | 1 |
| 11 | 7 May 2014 | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin |  Russia |
1–3 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. | 1 |
| 12 | 20 August 2014 | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin | Slovenia |
2–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. | 1 |
| 13 | 15 January 2015 | La Manga Stadium, La Manga |  Norway |
1–3 | Friendly | 1 |
| 14 | 7 June 2016 | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin |  Montenegro |
9–0 | 2017 UEFA Women's Championship Qual. | 1 |
Personal Life and Coaching Career
Fiona O’Sullivan earned a degree in international politics from the University of San Francisco.
From 2015 to 2017, Fiona was an assistant coach for the University of San Francisco women’s soccer team. At the same time, she worked for a local youth club called De Anza Force. In 2016, she met her husband, Steve Domecus, who was an assistant coach for the university's baseball team. Fiona and Steve now live in Fairfax, California, and have two children.
Since 2017, Fiona O’Sullivan has been the soccer director at San Domenico School. She also coaches the girls' varsity team there.
Her summer soccer camp, the O’Sullivan Soccer Academy, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022. It is now very successful and runs in three different locations in the Bay Area.
See also
In Spanish: Fiona O'Sullivan para niños
