.jpg) Byrne in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emma Anne Byrne[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-06-14)14 June 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Leixlip, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Leixlip United[3] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| St Patrick's Athletic Ladies | |||
| 1999 | Fortuna Hjørring | ||
| 2000–2016 | Arsenal Ladies | 459 | (0) |
| 2017 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 9 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1996–2017 | Republic of Ireland | 134 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025– | Lewes | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Emma Anne Byrne (born 14 June 1979) is an Irish formerfootballer who played as agoalkeeper. She played for theRepublic of Ireland on a record 134 occasions and served ascaptain of the team. She spent almost 17 years withArsenal before joiningBrighton & Hove Albion in January 2017. Byrne currently serves as manager forLewes F.C. and head of goalkeeping.[4]
Byrne started playing as a schoolgirl for Leixlip United before moving to as a goalkeeper toSt Patrick's Athletic in theDublin Women's Soccer League and then agreed to join professional DanishElitedivisionen clubFortuna Hjørring after completing her schooling. After spending one year in Denmark, Byrne returned to Ireland because she was homesick and took a job as a secretary with theHealth Board.[5]
WhenArsenal Ladies' goalkeeperLesley Higgs was injured, the club's Irish midfielderCiara Grant alerted Arsenal managerVic Akers to her friend Byrne's availability. Byrne joined Arsenal in January 2000 and quickly became their first choice goalkeeper. She won a domestic treble in her first full season with Arsenal, saving a penalty in the 2001 FA Women's Cup final win overFulham,[6] and was voted club Players' Player of the Year in 2003 and 2005.
In 2006-07, Byrne was part of the Arsenal squad which won every single League game as well as the quadruple.[2] She also became a European champion with Arsenal in April 2007, when they beatUmeå IK in the2007 UEFA Women's Cup Final 1–0 on aggregate, a tie in which she made numerous vital saves in the home and away games.[7][8][9] In 2008 she rejected an offer to join AmericanWomen's Professional Soccer franchiseBoston Breakers, who failed to match her salary expectations.[10]
Byrne was given afree transfer by Arsenal in December 2016 on the expiry of her contract, after being supplanted in the team bySari van Veenendaal.[11] With Arsenal, Byrne won eleven league titles, tenFA Women's Cups, fiveFA Women's Premier League Cups, twoFA Women's League Cups and theUEFA Women's Champions League once. She holds the record number of appearances for Arsenal with 459.[12]
She agreed to joinFA WSL 2 clubBrighton & Hove Albion Women for theFA WSL Spring Series. On 4 August 2017, 38-year-old Byrne announced her retirement from football onTwitter.[13]
In August 2019 it was announced that Byrne had come out of retirement to join Spanish club Terrassa FC.[14][15]
Byrne began her international career with Ireland's youth teams at the age of 14.[16] Byrne was called up for the first time by theRepublic of Ireland national team in March 1996 againstBelgium but did not play. She made her first appearance on 6 September 1997 againstNorthern Ireland.
Byrne played in multiple World Cup and Euro qualifying campaigns, but Ireland did not qualify for any tournaments during her tenure. She won her 100th cap againstCroatia on 26 September 2013.[17]
Following the retirement of Ciara Grant,coachSue Ronan named Byrne the teamcaptain in March 2013.[18]
In April 2017 a player revolt led by Byrne secured substantially improved working conditions for Ireland's female national team players.[19] With eleven other players, Byrne aired grievances about the team's treatment and threatened to go on strike. She played her final game for Ireland against Wales in June 2017[20] and retired in August of that year.[21]
Byrne is the most capped player for Ireland with 134 senior caps over 21 years.[16][21]
At Arsenal, Byrne also worked for the club doing administrative work and coaching young goalkeepers while doing her coaching badges.[10] She has also served as a coach-educator, helping to educate coaches for the FA around England.[5]
Byrne was named to Ireland interim managerEileen Gleeson's coaching team in September 2023.[22]
On 14 February 2025 Byrne was announced as Women's Assistant Coach atSouthampton.[23]
On 31 July 2025, Byrne was named manager and head of goalkeeping at third tierFA Women's National League South clubLewes F.C. Women, with the club confirming she would retain her role with the Irish Women's national team.[4]
Byrne grew up inLeixlip,County Kildare, and attended secondary school atColáiste Chiaráin.
She previously worked in theFootball Association of Ireland (FAI) ticket office[3] and was later employed as a coach in Arsenal's academy.[2] She married former professional footballerMarcus Bignot in June 2013.[24] In June 2023, she married her old Arsenal teammateVicky Losada of Spain.[25][26]
Byrne has served as an ambassador for Nike's Here I Am campaign.[2][27] She also did a three-year degree in sports journalism and broadcasting atStaffordshire University.[5]
Byrne became the first women's player inducted into the FAI Hall of Fame in 2018.[28] She was awarded for her service to the women's game and for her playing career for Arsenal and Ireland.[29][30]
Individual
Records
