Jessie Stapleton has signed on the dotted line to become West Ham United Women's first signing ahead of the 2023/24 Barclays Women's Super League season.
Here's five things you might not know about the Hammers' newest recruit!
1. Youthful experience
Despite being only 18-year-old, Stapleton has had plenty of experience at first-team level with her previous club, Shelbourne.
The defender made a total of 71 appearances over a two-and-a-half-year spell with the Dublin based outfit and has been a key figure for them in a number of successful that included winning the Women’s National League title and FAI Women’s Cup.
Whilst some young players have to wait for their opportunity, Stapleton has shown that she had the quality to break into the Shelbourne at just 16, and has continued to develop throughout her time in Ireland.
2. An eye for goal
It is not often you see defenders getting amongst the goalscorers on a frequent basis, but it is something that Stapleton has been used to throughout her time at Shels.
The defender notched 21 goals during her time in Dublin, giving her a ratio of one goal for every three-and-a-half appearances she made. Not bad for a defender!
3. She’s played alongside Jess Ziu before
Stapleton becomes the third players from Shelbourne to join the Club, following Izzy Atkinson and Jess Ziu.
Both Atkinson and Ziu were both at Shels when Stapleton joined the Club in January 2021, with the former moving to Celtic a month later.
Stapleton played alongside our No.17 for 18 months, before Ziu made the trip across the Irish sea to sign in east London – a path which Stapleton has now followed
4. Capped at international level
On the international stage, Stapleton has captained Republic of Ireland at U15, U16, U17 and currently at U19s level, and was named U-19s Player of the Year at International level at the FAI Awards in 2022, an award she has been nominated for once again this year.
At senior level, Stapleton made her debut against the Philippines as a substitute in June of 2022 in a friendly match in Turkey and was most recently called-up to Vera Pauw’s squad in November 2022.
She will be hoping that more senior caps are on the way in the near future.
5. Fulfilling her dream
In her interview with West Ham TV, Stapleton revealed that joining a team in the Barclays Women’s Super League has always been a dream of hers.
"Every player growing up now wants to play in the WSL, it's one of the biggest and best leagues in the world. You watch the games every weekend over in Ireland,” she explained.
Now she gets to live out that dream in Claret & Blue.
