IRISH DEFENDER KEEVA Keenan has been named as Celtic’s 2018/19 Player of the Year.
The 21-year-old Dubliner has excelled for the Hoops of late, establishing herself as a key player for the Glasgow outfit since joining in January 2018.
Keenan made the move across the city from Glasgow FC last year after a successful spell there in which she helped the Scottish kingpins seal 11 league titles in-a-row.
And her contributions have been glittering for Celtic so far this season, in which they’ve won five, drawn one and lost two — one of those to Glasgow FC — in Scottish Women’s Premier League [SWPL 1] action.
They sit third in the table, behind the latter and Hibernian.
Last season, Keenan’s side were well-beaten by Hibs in the Women’s Premier League Cup final, while they finished third in the league.
A starlet with the Ireland U17s and U19s in her day, Keenan has been involved with the Ireland senior squad at stages too. In March 2017, Colin Bell called her up for an international friendly against Slovakia for the first time.
Congratulations, @keevakeenan_97! 👌@CelticFCWomen's Player of the Year. #CelticPOTY pic.twitter.com/SAeCHkT8ZG
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 28, 2019
“I’ve brought in Keeva Keenan who has performed well in Scotland this season and has been on my radar so it will be great to get to work with her,” he said ahead of that Slovakia clash.
Before making the move across the water in July 2016, Keenan lined out for Shelbourne FC — and Raheny before the amalgamation — in the Women’s National League (WNL).
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God bless him. Hiding being gay for years hiding the HIV also . The years and years of stress that he put himself under is sad. Always came across as a great genuine nice guy. Hope he has a long long life ahead of him still . I wish u well
@john s: did you read a different article to me? He said he has HIV, being gay was never mentioned but you assume he must be gay if he has hiv? Or did i miss something
@Karl Charlie: in fairness to John S (whoever he is) I didnt take you’re interpretation of what he’d written.
@Karl Charlie: he is gay that’s a fact do you not no who he is ?
@Karl Charlie: came out in 2009..
@Karl Charlie: in fairness to John S (whoever he is) I didn’t take your interpretation of what he’d written.
@bmul: i realised that after i googled it!! No idea who the lad is i dont follow uk sports teams
@Karl Charlie: classic example of contrived outrage….you go off on one not knowing who you are talking about….
Poor man. Seems to have been tormented all his life, both internally and externally. Medically, HIV has a different prognosis now. Socially, there’s still a stigma associated with it. Hats off to him. He’s a hell of a role model for anyone.
Best wishes to the man. He always came across as very genuine. A role model for anyone who has an interest in compassion and humanity.
We all worry about what People think, wasting our energy away, Gareth is a Wonderful Human Being, an inspiration to us all. Please God he will live many Happy years with this condition.
@tennis nut: why would his HIV status have anything to do with his rugby? I have a feeling you may need to educate yourself further if you think it does
@Vocal Outrage: because there is potential for blood contamination
@tennis nut: I’ll tell you who isn’t inspirational. A small minded bigot who doesn’t have the balls to to step out from the veil if anomomity.
@tennis nut: It’s because of judgemental people like you that causes the fear in others not to come out and say who or what they are. Watch the interview with Nigel Owens and it may help you understand where these people are and the horror they feel in having to ‘come out ‘. It may even educate you an g o d knows it seems like you need it.
@thomas patrick: You might need to educate yourself. Nowadays, if he is taking his treatment as prescribed, the virus reaches undetectable levels and is virtually untransmittable. The only recorded cases of transmission, a small number anyway, have been when patients were taking their treatment irregularly.
What’s shameful is the fact that society made it so hard for him to be who he is. Life with HIV is not what it was decades ago. Wishing him all the best. Brave man.
@Laura Mulcahy: how did society make it hard for him ? I think you ll find that when people come out they quickly find the opposite.
Wow unreal best of luck to him
@Louise Lennon: Is it Sunday?
@Darren: why does everyone automatically think he’s gay because of hiv?
@Louise Lennon: because he came out as gay years ago!!!!!!
@Louise Lennon: because he’s gay?
@Louise Lennon: The whole coming out thing made it pretty obvious Louise.
@vfagan: gay or not gay hiv is real!!
@Louise Lennon: take the shame and be out :)
@Louise Lennon: take the shame and BOW out I meant:( ;)
@Louise Lennon: stop digging Louise.