Julie Nelson (footballer)

Last updated
Julie Nelson
BEM
Julie Nelson.jpg
Julie Nelson in 2014
Personal information
Full name Julie Nelson
Date of birth (1985-06-04) 4 June 1985 (age 38)
Place of birth Northern Ireland
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Crusaders Strikers
Number 15
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2002–2010 Crusaders Strikers
2011–2012 Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja 35 (2)
2013 Everton Ladies 3 (0)
2013–2014 Glasgow City 9 (0)
2015–2016 Durham Women
2016–present Crusaders Strikers
International career
2004– Northern Ireland 126 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:34, 24 October 2015 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:55, 13 July 2022 (UTC)

Julie Elizabeth Nelson BEM (born 4 June 1985) is an association football defender from Northern Ireland who plays for Crusaders Strikers. [1] She represents Northern Ireland nationally as the record cap player.

Contents

Club career

Nelson played for Crusaders Newtownabbey Strikers from 2002 to 2010, with whom she won multiple championships and took part in 2010–11 UEFA Champions League qualifiers. She scored her team's only goal in the tournament in a 6–1 draw against FCR 2001 Duisburg. [2]  After stints in Iceland, England, and Scotland, where she won further trophies with Glasgow City F.C. and reached the last 16 and quarter-finals of the 2013–14 and 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, she returned to the Crusaders in 2016. She previously played for Durham, [3] Everton, and Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja. [1]

International career

Nelson made her international debut during the 2004 Algarve Cup. [4] Northern Ireland qualified for the 2011 World Cup in third place behind France and Iceland, 13 points behind Iceland. Nelson was used in all ten games and didn't miss a minute. In qualifying for the 2013 Euro, they got fourth place. This time, too, she didn't miss a minute. She scored two goals in ten games. Qualifying for the 2015 World Cup, she played for Northern Ireland in all ten games of which only the last was won against the Faroe Islands, and again not missing a minute. They also qualified for the 2017 Euro, this time winning both games against Georgia. Nelson played in the eight games and again didn't miss a minute.

In qualifying for the 2019 World Cup, Nelson was in the starting XI seven times and came on as a substitute once. On September 4, 2018, she made her 100th appearance for Northern Ireland, becoming the first player to reach that landmark. [5] [6] [7] Nelson was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to women's football. [8]

In qualifying for Euro 2022, Northern Ireland finished second behind Norway, ahead of Wales who tied on points. They drew 2–2 in Wales and ended the home game goalless, allowing them to win the tied draw on away goals. In the playoffs, they prevailed with two victories (2-1 and 2–0) against Ukraine, who are higher in the FIFA world rankings, and qualified for a major football tournament for the first time. Nelson played in all ten games and didn't miss a minute. In the first game of Group A on July 7, 2022, in Southampton, she scored the first goal for the Northern Ireland national team in a major women's football tournament by scoring in the 49th minute in a 4–1 defeat by the Norwegian national team. With the same goal, Nelson also became the oldest woman to score in history of the Euros at 37 years and 33 days. [9]

In the first eight matches of the qualification for the World Cup 2023, she played in all the games except the second match against the national team of Latvia.

Managing

Nelson is interim manager for the U-17 Northern Ireland national team. She took over for Noel Mitchell in February 2023, while still playing on the senior Northern Ireland team.

Northern Ireland team before the game against Sweden in May 2014, Nelson in the back second from right (number 5) Northern Ireland women's football team May 2014.jpg
Northern Ireland team before the game against Sweden in May 2014, Nelson in the back second from right (number 5)

Honours

with Glasgow City
with Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja
with Crusaders Strikers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland men's national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1950, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association (IFA). In 1921, the jurisdiction of the IFA was reduced to Northern Ireland following the secession of clubs in the soon-to-be Irish Free State, although its team remained the national team for all of Ireland until 1950, and used the name Ireland until the 1970s. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romania national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Romania

The Romania national football team represents Romania in men's international football, and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation, also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austria national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Austria

The Austria national football team represents Austria in men's international football competitions, and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association, the governing body for football in Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crusaders F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Crusaders Football Club is a professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League. The club, founded in 1898, is based in north Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Healy (footballer)</span> Northern Irish footballer & manager

David Jonathan Healy is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and now football manager who is in charge at NIFL Premiership club Linfield.

Patrick Joseph Bonner is an Irish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper and spent his entire senior career at Celtic. He earned 80 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team after making his debut on his 21st birthday. Commonly known as Pat or Packie, he also played Gaelic football for his native Donegal county team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norway women's national football team</span> Womens national association football team representing Norway

The Norway women's national football team is controlled by the Football Association of Norway. The team is former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams. The team has had less success since the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Angela Platt is a former Ireland women's field hockey international goalkeeper. Between 2000 and 2006 she made 75 senior appearances for Ireland. She represented Ireland at the 2002 Women's Hockey World Cup. She is also a former Northern Ireland women's football international goalkeeper. Between 2010 and 2017 she served as executive manager of the Ulster Hockey Union. In 2017 she was appointed general manager of the Northern Cricket Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Lafferty</span> Northern Irish footballer

Kyle Joseph George Lafferty is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for West of Scotland Football League First Division side Johnstone Burgh.

Ármann Smári Björnsson is an Icelandic former footballer who last played for Íþróttabandalag Akraness.

Stephen O'Flynn is an Irish retired footballer who played as a striker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryna Apanashchenko</span> Ukrainian footballer

Daryna Apanashchenko is a Ukrainian footballer, who plays as a striker for Ankara BB Fomget GSK and the Ukraine women's national football team. For 14 years she played in Russia for Russian Women's Football Championship teams Energiya Voronezh, Ryazan VDV, and Zvezda Perm.

Crusaders Strikers Football Club is a women's association football club based in North Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1992 as Newtownabbey Strikers and became a member of the Northern Ireland Women's Football Association in 1994. In 2009, Newtownabbey Strikers amalgamated with Crusaders F.C. to become Crusaders Strikers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Furness</span> Northern Irish footballer

Rachel Furness is a professional footballer who plays for Women's Super League club Bristol City and the Northern Ireland national team. A powerful central midfielder, she featured as a winger or striker earlier in her career. Furness' ex-manager at Sunderland, Mick Mulhern, described her as "a strong and determined player."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Dallas</span> Northern Irish footballer (born 1991)

Stuart Dallas is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays for EFL Championship club Leeds United and the Northern Ireland national team. Whilst many of his early career appearances were as a winger, in recent seasons he has gained prominence as a utility player, appearing more often in midfield and at full-back. He was a key part of the Leeds United team under Marcelo Bielsa that won the 2019–20 EFL Championship and promotion to the Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Gay</span> American soccer goalkeeper

Adelaide Anne Gay is an American soccer goalkeeper currently playing for Fortuna Hjørring in the Elitedivisionen. She previously played for Nordsjælland and Kvarnsvedens IK, Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja (IBV) in Iceland and several different teams in NWSL.

Sigurlás Þorleifsson was an Icelandic footballer. He was part of the Iceland national football team between 1979 and 1982. He played 10 matches, scoring 2 goals. With Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur he was topscorer of the 1979 Úrvalsdeild with twelve goals. Later with his club Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja he was again topscorer at the 1981 Úrvalsdeild and 1982 Úrvalsdeild. With Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja he also competed in the 1980–81 European Cup, scoring 1 goal against Baník Ostrava.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir</span> Icelandic footballer

Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Stjarnan of the Besta deild kvenna. She was a member of the Iceland national team from 2011 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Whyte</span> Northern Irish association football player

Gavin Whyte is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Portsmouth and the Northern Ireland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingrid Syrstad Engen</span> Norwegian footballer (born 1998)

Ingrid Syrstad Engen is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Spanish Primera División club Barcelona and the Norway national team. She previously played for Trondheims-Orn and LSK Kvinner in Norway and Wolfsburg in Germany before joining Barcelona in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Julie Nelson". Soccer Way. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  2. "MSV Duisburg vs. Crusaders Strikers - 7 August 2010 - Soccerway". de.soccerway.com. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  3. "Julie Nelson: Durham Ladies sign Northern Ireland defender". BBC. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  4. "Julie Nelson reflects on remarkable 100-cap milestone with Northern Ireland". Belfastlive. 6 September 2018.
  5. "Northern Ireland Women 0–1 Slovakia Women". BBC Sport. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  6. "An absolute legend: Northern Ireland players pay emotional tribute to 100 cap Julie Nelson". Belfast Telegraph. 4 September 2018.
  7. "Footballers' Lives: 'If my mum and dad hadn't been able to afford to pay for the surgery, I don't think that I would still be playing now'". Belfast Telegraph. 27 September 2019.
  8. "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B32.
  9. "Julie Nelson set to become first Woman to reach 100 caps for Northern Ireland". IFA. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  10. "Home Comfort Strikers' Euro bid". Belfast Telegraph. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2017.