Karl Lacey facts for kids

Karl Lacey (born 10 September 1984) is an Irish Gaelic football coach, manager, and former player. He played for his club, Four Masters, and for the Donegal county team.

He is one of Donegal's most successful individual players. He won four All Star awards in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2012. In 2012, he was named GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year. Karl also helped his teams win an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title, three Ulster Senior Football Championship titles, and a National Football League title. He also won a Dr McKenna Cup, a Donegal Senior Football Championship title, and three Sigerson Cups.

Karl Lacey: A Football Star

Karl Lacey was known as a very influential player. Many young footballers looked up to him. He was often seen playing in his famous white boots and white thermal shorts. He also spent time helping charities.

Lacey was a skilled defender. He could play in many different positions in the back line. He was known as one of the best half-backs in Ireland. He always played well and was often nominated for All Star awards. He played in 41 straight championship games for Donegal from 2004 to 2013. He played a total of 148 games for his county.

Playing for Clubs and Colleges

Club Success with Four Masters

Karl Lacey played for his local club, Four Masters. In 2003, he helped them win the Donegal Senior Football Championship. He scored two important points in the final game against Termon.

With his club, he won one Senior Football Championship, one Under 21 Football Championship, and two Minor Football Championship medals. In 2012, he got injured during a semi-final game. His team, Four Masters, lost that game.

College Achievements

Lacey was the captain of the Donegal team that won the All-Ireland Vocational Schools Football Championship in 2002. They beat Kerry in the final. At college, he won three Sigerson Cup medals. He won one with UUJ and two with Sligo IT.

Playing for Donegal: County Career

Early Years: 2003–2006

Karl Lacey first joined the senior Donegal team in 2003. He made his debut in 2004 as a substitute against Antrim. He played in the 2006 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final at Croke Park.

Big Wins: 2007–2011

In 2007, Lacey was part of the Donegal team that won its first National League title. They beat Mayo in the final.

The 2011 season was a big turning point for Donegal under manager Jim McGuinness. This was also a great time in Karl Lacey's career. He won an All Star award and an Ulster Championship medal in 2011. He played many excellent games, often stopping the opposing team's best player.

In the Ulster Championship semi-final, Lacey played against Tyrone's Brian McGuigan. Karl played so well that McGuigan could not make a big impact. Lacey also showed his attacking skills. He made a great run and set up a goal for Colm McFadden. He also helped set up the winning goal for Dermot Molloy. Donegal won the game.

In the final, Donegal faced a strong Derry team. Lacey was tasked with marking Mark Lynch. Donegal won their first Ulster Championship title in many years. Karl Lacey received an All Star award and was named Ulster Footballer of The Year.

All-Ireland Glory: 2012 Season

In the 2012 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final, Karl Lacey played his 37th straight game for Donegal. This broke a record set by Michael Hegarty. Donegal won the final.

On 5 August 2012, Lacey scored a point that helped Donegal beat Kerry in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final. This game was played at Croke Park.

On 23 September 2012, in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Lacey sent a high ball to team captain Michael Murphy. Murphy then scored a goal against Mayo very early in the game. When the final whistle blew, Lacey had the ball and kicked it into the crowd in celebration.

After the season, Karl was told he would be the 2012 GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year. He was so surprised he almost crashed his car! He also received a special letter from Arsène Wenger, the famous football manager. After all the celebrations, he had a hip operation and rested at home for Christmas.

Later Years: 2013–2017

In 2013, after a league game, Karl Lacey was involved in an unfortunate incident with a fan. The President of the GAA, Liam O'Neill, spoke out against such behavior. He said that disrespectful actions have no place in Gaelic games.

After this, Lacey returned to training. He was fit for Donegal's first Ulster Championship game against Tyrone. He came on as a substitute in that game, which Donegal won. He later had knee surgery and missed a match, which ended his long run of consecutive championship appearances.

In 2014, Lacey won his third Ulster title in four seasons. In the All-Ireland quarter-final against Armagh, there was a physical incident during the game.

He was injured for the game against Galway in 2015 but returned to play against Mayo. Karl Lacey retired from playing for Donegal at the end of the 2017 season. He said he would continue to play for his club, Four Masters.

Inter-provincial and International Games

Lacey won a Railway Cup medal playing for Ulster. He also played for the Ireland team against Australia in the International Rules Series in 2006 and 2011.

After Playing Career

Before he stopped playing for Donegal, Karl Lacey worked as a strength and conditioning coach for the county's younger teams. When Declan Bonner became the manager of the Donegal senior team again in 2017, Lacey joined his coaching staff. He stayed with the management team until the end of 2020.

In January 2021, Karl Lacey was announced as Donegal's new Head of Academy Development. This role involves helping young players develop their skills. In February 2023, he left this position.

Lacey was then appointed as the manager of Kilcoo for 2023. He led the club to win the 2023 Down Senior Football Championship title. It was reported in November 2023 that he would continue as Kilcoo's manager in 2024.

Personal Life

Karl Lacey married Ciara McGroarty in September 2017 in Portugal. This was shortly after he announced his retirement from inter-county football. They have a son named Noah, who was born in 2015. Karl is also the brother-in-law of Barry Dunnion.

Karl Lacey has also worked with Ireland West Airport as an ambassador. He said he uses the airport often and believes it is very important for the region. He graduated from the University of Limerick (UL) with a master's degree in sports performance.

Honours

Donegal

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: 2012
• Ulster Senior Football Championship: 2011, 2012, 2014
• National Football League Division 1: 2007
• National Football League Division 2: 2011
• Dr McKenna Cup: 2010
• All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship 2002 (c)

Club

• Donegal Senior Football Championship: 2003

College

• Sigerson Cup: 2004, 2005 (Sligo IT), 2008 (UUJ)

International

• International Rules Series: 2011

Individual

• GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year: 2012
• All Star: 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012
  • Nominated in 2007
• Irish News Ulster All-Star: 2006, 2011, 2012
• The Sunday Game Player of the Year Award: 2012
• The Sunday Game Team of the Year: 2012
• Silver Jubilee Football Team of the Ulster GAA Writers Association (UGAAWA): 2012
• Donegal Sports Star of the Year Award: 2013
• In May 2012, the Irish Independent newspaper named him in its selection of Donegal's "greatest team" from the past 50 years. He was one of only two current players included.
• In October 2019, Colm Keys named him as part of his "Football Team of the Decade" in the Irish Independent.