Avilla Bergin

Northern Ireland footballer
Avilla Bergin
Personal information
Full name Avilla Bergin
Date of birth (1991-08-01) 1 August 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Forward
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Fordham Rams
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Tottenham Hotspur 39 (18)
2016–2017 Charlton Athletic 18 (4)
2017–2020 Lewes 29 (7)
2022–2023 Saltdean United
International career‡
Northern Ireland U13
Northern Ireland U17
Northern Ireland U19
2009–2017 Northern Ireland 8 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:37, 24 October 2015 (UTC)

Avilla Bergin (born 1 August 1991) is an association football forward from Northern Ireland who has featured for various clubs as well as the Northern Ireland women's national football team.

Early life

Bergin was born in Dublin[1] but grew up in Derry and attended Thornhill College.[2] She played for a boys' team before joining Derry F.C., where she came to the attention of Northern Ireland youth national team selectors at the under-13 level.[3][4]

Club career

In 2010 she played for YMCA Ladies in the Northern Ireland Women's Premier League, but her appearances were curtailed by injury.[5]

That same year she moved to the United States and attended Fordham University in New York City on a college soccer scholarship. She started ten of her 17 appearances for the Fordham Rams. The following year she moved to England to attend Loughborough University, where she played in the British Universities and Colleges Sport Football League. Following her graduation from Loughborough in 2014 she joined FA Women's Premier League Southern Division club Tottenham Hotspur.[6]

After scoring 18 goals in 39 league appearances for Spurs, Bergin left for Charlton Athletic in June 2016. She reasoned that Charlton had better promotion prospects.[7] After one season Bergin signed for Lewes, who had decided to pay their men's and women's teams the same. "Straight away it makes you feel valued," Bergin said.[8]

Bergin featured for Saltdean United in the 2022–23 London and South East Women's Regional Football League Premier League season.[9]

International career

Bergin was initially scouted for Northern Ireland's youth national teams while playing in the Women's Premiership. She featured for youth national sides starting at the under-13 level, also appearing for Northern Ireland at the U-17 and U-19 European Championships before eventually gaining her first call up for the senior side in 2009.[4][10] Notable performances for Northern Ireland's senior team include a brace against Bulgaria and providing the winning assist against Portugal on 19 January 2017.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "11. Avilla Bergin". Charlton Athletic W.F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Londonderry schoolgirls in Australia match". Londonderry Sentinel. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Avilla Bergin:My journey so far…". The Transition Phase. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Avilla Bergin - Women's Soccer". Fordham University Athletics. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Crucial play-off for YM Ladies". Londonderry Sentinel. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Avilla Bergin". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Avilla makes Addicks move". Women's Soccer Scene. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  8. ^ Croydon, Emily (8 September 2018). "Lewes FC: The football club with same budget for men's & women's teams". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Saltdean United Women FC by saltdeanwomenfc - Issuu". issuu.com. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  10. ^ UEFA.com. "Northern Ireland-Hungary | Line-ups | Women's Under-17 2008". UEFA.com. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Northern Ireland women earn 1-0 win over Portugal in international friendly". BBC Sport. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Women In Sport | Avilla Bergin | 20x20". Derry City Football Club. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
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