Rovers return for Mayo native ahead of 2024 season
Sligo Rovers have this evening announced the signing of defender Kelsey Munroe for the 2024 League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division campaign.
As highlighted on their website, it's a Rovers return for the Mayo native and former Ballinrobe Town player, who was part of the Bit o' Red's first ever women’s Under 17 team in 2018 before joining Galway. She spent two years with Galway before signing for Athlone Town.
She reunites with Tommy Hewitt on her move back to Rovers. Under his management, Munroe missed just three games in 2022 for an Athlone Town team that finished as runners-up in both the cup and the league.
Munroe told the Rovers website: “I think there’s big things coming for Sligo Rovers. There’s some great new signings coming in, and the girls who have been there the last couple of years, there’s great potential in this time. I think it could be an exciting year.
“I never left on bad terms or anything; I was just exploring my career to see what comes next. I was in college in Athlone so playing for Athlone worked out for me, (but I) always had Sligo in the back of my mind. It’s a great club with great people around. I knew I’d come back here sometime and this is the year.”
Hewitt added: “Kelsey came into me at Athlone and for two, two-and-a-half seasons she was excellent. She’d be the first to admit that at the start she struggled with injuries but once she got up she played a massive part in the league as we came runners-up and got to the cup final. She was a consistent performer and then last year, with injuries and other things, Kelsey stepped away to get herself right.
“I had always intended to reach out to her but when I did it was almost by accident, and then we got chatting and the Sligo Rovers connection for Kelsey was big.
“She’s hungry to get back into the game. That’s what I was looking for here, players that are hungry. I know what Kelsey can bring. Kelsey is a confidence player, she’s very good on the pitch. She’s experienced, she can read the game. I’m hoping, as is Kelsey, that she really kicks on this season.”
Last week Rovers announced the signing of another player from Athlone Town, Leitrim's Muireann Devaney, and the re-signing of defender Amy Roddy, the Ballina native who is returning to The Showgrounds for a third season with the Bit o' Red.