Sinead Farrelly retires from football due to post-concussive syndrome

WALKING TALL: Sinead Farrelly has announced her retirement from professional football due to post-concussive syndrome, which will require rehabilitation. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Sinead Farrelly has announced her retirement from professional football due to post-concussive syndrome, which will require rehabilitation.

The 34-year-old announced at the end of April that she would be stepping away from representing the Republic of Ireland with no reason specified at the time.

Farrelly had since been placed on her club Gotham FC’s season-ending injury due to post-concussive syndrome that will require rehabilitation to resolve.

The midfielder was advised by a neurologist to cease playing due to the cumulative head injuries that she has sustained throughout her career, leaving her vulnerable to additional head injuries if she were to continue to play.

And on Friday, the club confirmed in a statement that the playmaker, who was involved in Ireland's World Cup campaign last summer, would follow that advice.

“Thank you to Gotham FC and all its staff, my teammates, my family, my people and the fans who kept me on this path when I wanted to turn and run,” Farrelly told the club's official website.

“I’d be nowhere without you all. I promise this ending is a gift, a blessing and just the beginning of something new. I am so grateful that this insane chapter even existed at all, let alone end in such a way where I am feeling so fulfilled and at peace. This truly has been so special.”

After nearly eight years and announcing her retirement from professional football in 2016, Farrelly made a triumphant return to the game by joining Gotham FC as a 2023 preseason training camp non-roster invitee before earning her way onto the roster and signing a contract with the club in March.

“Coaching Sinead has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Gotham FC Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós.

“She is an exceptional player and person, she is a ‘magician’ on the pitch. She has helped us all to be better, and I am grateful she decided to join us for her comeback. She has proven that anything is possible and has changed the women’s game and Gotham FC for the better.

"She will still be part of the team now and forever part of Gotham FC's history.”

The midfielder earned key minutes with the club last season en route to the 2023 NWSL Championship. Across all competitions last season, Farrelly appeared in 23 games with nine starts, recording 1,039 minutes and one assist.

In the 2023 NWSL Playoffs, she appeared in every game for the club, playing 68 minutes and recording a successful tackle rate of 72.4%.

“Sinead is truly an exceptional person and we are incredibly grateful to be a part of her journey,” said Gotham FC General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West.

“It has been one of the greatest honors of my time at Gotham that Sinead chose our club to make her comeback. We are happy to support her and very excited to see her next chapter.”