Denise O’Sullivan receiving her January Cork Person of the Month award with Ted O’Keeffe, Nominator, Ann-Marie O’Sullivan, AM O’Sullivan PR, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald, Nominator, Nuala O’Sullivan, Denise’s Mother, Manus O’Callaghan, Awards Organiser and Pat Lemasney, Southern Advertising. Photo: Tony O’Connell Photography

Another award for Denise

An international footballer has been chosen as January Cork Person of the Month.

Professional footballer Denise O’Sullivan is the first monthly award winner of 2023 in honour of her sporting achievements on the international stage.

Denise has over 98 international caps for the Republic of Ireland and has scored 19 goals for the team. Denise was instrumental to the team’s run of strong performances that saw them beat Scotland and qualify for the World Cup last October.

She was named FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 2015 and made the RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year shortlist in 2019, and won another sportswoman of the month award in November of 2019.

Denise is widely regarded as one of the best footballers currently playing. In December of 2019, Denise featured in The Guardian's 100 Best Female Footballers in the World. She is a pioneer of women’s football in Ireland and an inspiration to fans across the globe.

Denise was born and reared in Knocknaheeny, developing her skills as a kid by playing street football with friends and siblings.

She started her career with Wilton United, and subsequently joined the newly-formed Cork City at the outset of the Women's National League (WNL) in 2011. She also played for Dublin’s Peamount United in its 2011 and 2012 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaigns, before making the move to Glasgow City in 2013.

She said: “I started off with Nufarm Athletic in Knocknaheeny, I also used to play a lot of tournaments behind our local school with the youth club. I've so many good memories, I might be miles and miles away but I never forget where I came from.

“The support I’ve had since I left has been absolutely fantastic and the people are so kind here. It has been a big part of my career and helped me get to where I am now.”

After a successful spell in Glasgow, which included being named the Scottish Women's Premier League Players' Player of the Year in 2014. Denise made the move to the US with Houston Dash in March of 2016.

The following year, she signed with North Carolina Courage and has since helped the team win two consecutive National Women’s Soccer League Championships. At North Carolina, O'Sullivan was voted most valuable player by her teammates in both 2018 and 2019.