Kelly Bailie was honoured following her final home appearance for Glentoran Women on Sunday, as the club marked a career spanning 30 seasons, 800 appearances and 37 major trophies.
Chairman Colin Jess presented Bailie with a framed shirt at the Danny Blanchflower Stadium after Glentoran’s 4-0 win over Lisburn Rangers. Bailie played 71 minutes and will retire at the end of the season.
The 46-year-old joined Glentoran at 16 in 1996. She has won 12 league titles, 10 Irish Cups, 10 League Cups and five County Antrim Cups, played in the Champions League on 10 occasions and earned 56 Northern Ireland caps. Last year, she became the first woman inducted into the Glentoran Hall of Fame.
Jess said: “It is hard to comprehend what it takes to play 800 games for one club across 30 seasons. Kelly has been here through different teams, different coaches and a transformation in women’s football. Throughout that time, she has continued to give everything she has to Glentoran.
“The trophies speak for themselves, but they are only part of what we wanted to recognise. Kelly has been a teammate and an example to generations of players, including women who grew up watching her play.
“To present her with the shirt in front of our supporters was a chance to thank her for her football, her loyalty and the years she has given this club. She has earned a special place in Glentoran’s history. Knowing Kelly, though, she will already be thinking about the two matches still to play.”
Bailie said she could not have imagined where football would take her when she first joined the club. Even during four years playing in America, she returned each summer to represent Glentoran in the league.
“Never once did I even think about leaving this club,” she said. “From the moment I walked through the door, it had an ethos and a culture around it.
“I just wanted to play football. I never imagined any of this would happen. What came after that has been amazing.”
Bailie’s career has spanned a transformation in women’s football in Northern Ireland. She remembers the conditions players encountered when she started and the determination that kept them playing.
“When I first started, we were dodging potholes on a Cherryfield pitch and a few other questionable pitches,” she said. “If a referee showed up, you were lucky. If they didn’t, your coach did a half each.
“But it was about showing up. It was about showing what we were doing.”
One Northern Ireland match against England gave Bailie an early sense that the game was reaching a wider audience.
“It was really the first time we were playing in front of what was then a big crowd,” she said.
“At that stage, we were still relatively new on the scene. It was a ‘wow, this is happening’ moment.”
Bailie has since seen far greater support and opportunity become available to young women and girls, although she believes more can be done to give Northern Ireland’s clubs the best chance to compete in Europe.
“To look at what the game has become now, and the professionalism around it, has been massive,” she said. “The platform the girls are given now is amazing. I wish I’d had, at 16, what they have now.
“When you’re going to Europe, you want to give teams the best platform to do well. I think the fixtures and certain things need to happen, and we haven’t quite got that right yet.”
Of her many club memories, Bailie singled out the 2018 Irish Cup final, decided by two late headers, as a match she would choose to experience again. Her longevity, however, has also required her to confront changes in her own game.
After years as a left winger, she said losing some of her pace was one of the hardest adjustments of her career.
“I struggled a little bit psychologically with not being as fast anymore,” she said. “But I could read the game. I love football, so I got past that and continued on.
“The key to playing for so long is loving what you do. Every time you show up, it’s something you enjoy. It’s enjoying it with the people you do it with, too.”
Glentoran Women manager Kim Turner said: “Kelly’s honours would mark out an exceptional career on their own. What makes her story even more remarkable is that she has kept playing, kept learning and found new ways to contribute over three decades.
“She knows what it was like when women players had very little support. She has lived through the growth of the game, represented Northern Ireland and competed in Europe.
“Younger players can see both how far football has come and what it takes to make the most of their opportunities.
“Kelly still loves being part of this team. We were pleased she could share Sunday’s moment with the supporters, and we want to finish these last two matches as strongly as we can together.”
Bailie said becoming the first woman in the Glentoran Hall of Fame had still not fully sunk in. She hopes many more women will follow her and had a simple message for girls beginning their own football journeys.
“I hope they just do what they love,” she said. “Find the right environment, find a group of people you enjoy doing it with and enjoy every minute.”
Bailie has two matches remaining for Glentoran: an away league game against champions Cliftonville at Solitude, followed by the Irish FA Women’s Challenge Cup final against the same opponents at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park on Saturday 24 October.
Read more: Bailie Determined to Finish on a High | Glentoran honours icons at inaugural Hall of Fame Awards | Mia Moore determined to seize Glentoran’s cup final opportunity | Scott calls for strong response against Lisburn Ladies | Turner demands instant response as Glens look to bounce back
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