LONDON – Former West Alabama women's soccer standout Kirsten Reilly will be continuing her professional career after signing a new deal to play for Crystal Palace.
"I'm really looking forward to my time down in London at Crystal Palace. I've been with the team quite a few weeks now and it's going great," Reilly said. "All of the girls and staff are amazing and I'm getting on really well and feeling really settled."
Crystal Palace is a professional club based in Selhurst in the Borough of Croydon, South London, England, who compete in the Premier League, the highest level of English football.
"I really wanted to experience English Football, so was open to looking for potential opportunities. When I spoke to Crystal Palace, I knew that the club had big ambitions and ones that I wanted to be a part of," Reilly said. "I came down to London and had a look around the training centre and met some of the staff. It was an easy yes for me after that."
Reilly spent nearly three years competing for Rangers F.C. and prior to that she was part of the Bristol City and Hibernian clubs. During her time with Rangers F.C., the team won the Scottish League putting together an unbeaten season. Reilly played in 18 games this past year for Rangers F.C., collecting four goals.
"I left Rangers F.C. on a big high after winning the Scottish League and an unbeaten season. It was amazing to win this with amazing teammates around me, I loved it," Reilly said. "It was a season of very big highs and very big lows for myself personally. I fractured my lower back in my last season there and it was an injury without a comeback timeline to base my rehab off. My teammates helped me through the whole process and without their support and my family and friends, I am not sure how I would have done it. I learned so much about myself during this and how mentally strong I can be."
During her time in Livingston, Reilly was an All-Region and All-Gulf South Conference midfielder. She was named to the GSC All-Tournament Team in 2013. Reilly is the all-time leader in games played (76) and tied for second in starts (72), second in assists (21) and shots (178), third in points (60) and shots on goal (87), fourth in goals (20) and tied for second in game winners (12).
"I am delighted to be down playing in England at this point in my career. I have lost of experience of the Scottish League and played at the collegiate level during my time in the United States, so I was sure I wanted a new challenge," Reilly said. "The women's game is continuing to grow, no more than in England and it is great to be a part of this. I just cannot wait to see what further opportunities there are and be part of the further growth."
UWA head coach Graeme Orr, who coached Reilly throughout her time in Livingston, couldn't be more pleased with the progress Reilly has made.
"I'm extremely proud of Kirsten. She's had to sacrifice a lot in her professional career in order to earn these opportunities and be the best she can be. I think it's an exciting time for the women's game in England following this summer and now have a platform for the nation and the sport, which can be something Kirsten can use," Orr said. "This also gives our current players a female role model. If we work hard and do well at West Alabama, there will be an opportunity potentially to be a professional at the end of their careers. Overall, this all really got going in England with the Euros inspiring the nation and will help people invest more into the game overall."
