West Ham United have signed 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international defender Jessie Stapleton from Shelbourne.
Current captain of the Republic of Ireland U-19s and last called up by the seniors in November 2022, Stapleton helped Shelbourne to a league and cup double.
She told whufc.com: “It’s a massive honour for me to sign for this club. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to sign for a professional team and I can’t wait to get going.
“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.”
General Manager Aidan Boxall said: “We are delighted to welcome Jessie to east London. She is a promising defender that we have been watching for a long time and have beaten off some strong competition to secure her services.
“Jessie will need some time to adapt to the WSL but we feel we have a fantastic talent in the building, and I’m delighted she has chosen West Ham as the place that’s best suited to continue her development.”
