Tiegan Ruddy swaps green & white for red & black

Tiegan Ruddy

Tiegan Ruddy Credit: Dolf Hartog (ETPhotos)

On Monday morning, Phibsborough residents may witness a troop of young women decked in red and black, completing a circuitous one mile length run past the Cathedral-esque St Peter’s Church, following Bohemians signing of highly rated defender, Tiegan Ruddy.

While the punishing routine, picked up during her time spent playing professionally with Swiss side FC Sion is unlikely to be embraced by her Bohs teammates, the Maynooth alumni’s footballing acumen will undoubtedly position her to become a natural born leader at Dalymount Park.

Spotted and recruited in 2016 by the reigning WNL Champions Peamount United, with a wealth of experience at both home and abroad, newly appointed manager Ken Kiernan will look to the Ireland international to disperse much of the valuable wisdom she has gleaned to the up and coming squad.

In 2019, Ruddy’s career trajectory veered off course when she suffered an ACL injury during a summer break from a spell at CCSU in the United States, whilst breaking in a new pair of boots on a patch of grass near her home.

With a trusted support base firmly planted in Ireland, Ruddy made the decision to remain and would return to play after a challenging and arduous 16 months for the Peas, before transferring in 2022 to the professional outfit FC Sion.

Within a year, Ruddy would swap the Valais Alps for a view of the Dublin Mountains when the versatile youngster signed for the Hoops in the middle of 2023 but she saw limited game time in Tallaght.

Ruddy becomes the third player, along with Alannah McEvoy and Aoibhe Fleming, who played with Shamrock Rovers last season that the Gypsies have secured the signing of for the upcoming campaign.

Her decision to remain in Ireland is ultimately Bohs gain, the Dublin 7 club undoubtedly relieved that Ruddy has surmised the winter paradise to be the less appealing prospect of the two, the chic North Circular, where a skateboard and not a snowboard is the more likely sight, proving to be just too tempting.

“We are delighted to have signed Tiegan for the 2024 season,” Kiernan said in a statement issued from within the club.



“She will be very important for us to help implement our plans, on and off the pitch. She is a very versatile player who is able to cover multiple positions and she is technically excellent.”

“What was very evident right from her first session with us was the quickness of her decision-making in each practice. She is a very good communicator and helps drive each session.”

“Having played professionally in Switzerland and being involved with multiple international age groups and at senior level, she will bring experiences to our group that will give us another edge. More importantly, she is a great character and we look forward to helping her hit her own personal targets this year.”

About Christine Allen

Christine works full-time as a Business Analyst for a Government department. In her free time she likes to read (books, sports pieces, autobiographies etc), write, cycle and play snooker. Christine follows and supports Arsenal Women … View Full Profile