Alan Kelly
Encyclopedia
Alan Kelly is an English
-born former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Preston North End
, Sheffield United
and Blackburn Rovers
along with short loan spells at Stockport County and Birmingham City. He also represented the Republic of Ireland
internationally wining 24 caps for his country. Both his father, Alan Kelly, Sr.
, and older brother, Gary
, are also former goalkeepers.
in the Fourth Division
, following the footsteps of his father, Alan Kelly, Sr.
, and played 142 games for the team.
He joined Sheffield United
in July 1992 for £
150,000. He stayed with Sheffield United until 1999, despite their relegation from the Premiership shortly into his career with them. In total he made 213 appearances for the Blades.
In 1999, Kelly transferred to Blackburn Rovers
, making 39 appearances, and stayed there until his retirement from football in 2004. This time also included loan spells at Stockport County
and Birmingham City
.
for the Republic of Ireland
, and was a member of the Republic's 1994
and 2002
World Cup
squads. He was, however, the team's second-choice goalkeeper on both occasions, and never actually played in a World Cup game.
, Maryland
, Delaware
and Pennsylvania
in the United States
.
He is currently goalkeeping coach of the Republic of Ireland national football team
and at Preston North Ends Centre of Excellence.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
along with short loan spells at Stockport County and Birmingham City. He also represented the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
internationally wining 24 caps for his country. Both his father, Alan Kelly, Sr.
Alan Kelly, Sr.
Alan Kelly was an Irish international football goalkeeper who played for Bray Wanderers and Drumcondra in his home country, and most notably for Preston North End in England...
, and older brother, Gary
Gary Kelly (footballer born 1966)
Gareth "Gary" Kelly is an Irish former professional football goalkeeper. He is the son of former Irish international goalkeeper Alan Kelly, Sr....
, are also former goalkeepers.
Club career
Kelly started his career at Preston North EndPreston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
, following the footsteps of his father, Alan Kelly, Sr.
Alan Kelly, Sr.
Alan Kelly was an Irish international football goalkeeper who played for Bray Wanderers and Drumcondra in his home country, and most notably for Preston North End in England...
, and played 142 games for the team.
He joined Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in July 1992 for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
150,000. He stayed with Sheffield United until 1999, despite their relegation from the Premiership shortly into his career with them. In total he made 213 appearances for the Blades.
In 1999, Kelly transferred to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, making 39 appearances, and stayed there until his retirement from football in 2004. This time also included loan spells at Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
.
International career
He won 34 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
, and was a member of the Republic's 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
squads. He was, however, the team's second-choice goalkeeper on both occasions, and never actually played in a World Cup game.
Later career
In the summer of 2006, Kelly was goalkeeping coach for the Soccer-Academy camps, located in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He is currently goalkeeping coach of the Republic of Ireland national football team
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
and at Preston North Ends Centre of Excellence.