English-born Irish footballer Harriet Scott, who plays for the Women’s Championship team Birmingham City F.C, announced her departure from club and country football on Monday 7 August.
Scott has decided to step away from football to become a doctor for the NHS, following her graduation from Keele University.
Scott first joined her local club Reading FC at the age of eight and progressed through the academy to make her senior team debut at the age of 16. She spent some time outside of football due to her studies before returning to Reading.
Scott was selected to be part of the Reading team that was promoted to the Women’s Super League in 2015. In 2018, Scott left Reading to sign a contract for Birmingham City Women FC. Since signing, she has made 112 caps for Birmingham City.
112 appearances later… 🥹 pic.twitter.com/AJdM7jBvpH
— Birmingham City Women (@BCFCWomen) August 7, 2023
Despite being born and raised in England, Harriet Scott was eligible to play for Ireland through her Irish heritage – all 4 of her grandparents were born in Ireland. Scott made her Ireland team debut for the Women’s Under 17 team. She came second place with the Irish team in the 2010 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship and reached the quarter-finals in the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup. Scott refused a call-up to the under-19 team to prioritise her studies. She took an extended break away from the national team.
For now, it’s time for me to take a step back from football and decompress. I will be starting work as a Doctor in the NHS and look forward to helping my patients.
Thank you to everyone who has supported my journey over the last 5 years.
H, x pic.twitter.com/UsNjdzAZge— Harriet Scott (@HarrietAScott) August 7, 2023
Scott made her senior Ireland Women’s National Team debut at the 2017 Cyprus Cup in a 2-0 win over Czech Republic. She was also named FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 2018. She made her final international appearance in the 1-0 win against Slovakia in the FIFA World Cup 2023 qualifiers which sent them to their qualifying match against Scotland
Overall, Scott has earned 24 caps for the Ireland Women’s National Team.