| Marissa Callaghan | |
| Birth Date: | 2 September 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Height: | 1.65 m |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Cliftonville |
| Youthclubs1: | Newington Girls |
| Years1: | 2005– |
| Clubs1: | Cliftonville |
| Nationalyears1: | 2010– |
| Nationalteam1: | Northern Ireland |
| Nationalcaps1: | 72 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 9 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 22:55, 13 July 2022 (UTC) |
Marissa Callaghan (born 2 September 1985) is a Northern Irish women's association football player from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She currently plays as a midfielder for Cliftonville Ladies and is the captain of the Northern Ireland women's national football team.[1]
Callaghan started playing football when she was thirteen for Newington Girls (now known as Cliftonville Ladies).[2] After this, she went to university in the United States on a football scholarship. She returned to Northern Ireland in 2005 and started playing for Cliftonville again. She graduated with an advanced certificate in sports coaching from the University of Ulster in 2017.[3] As a result, she also volunteered as a coach for Cliftonville Ladies.[4] Later she became their academy director.
Callaghan made her international debut for the Northern Ireland women's national under-19 football team in 2002.[5] She made her debut for Northern Ireland in 2010. In 2016, Callaghan was awarded the Northern Ireland Women's Football Association Women's Personality of the Year award. A year later she was the tournament ambassador for the 2017 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship being held in Northern Ireland.
She captained the Northern Ireland team at Euro 2022.[6]
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | 9 March 2015 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2015 Istria Cup | ||
| 5. | 3 June 2016 | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying | ||
| 6. | 3–0 | |||||
| 7. | 13 April 2021 | Seaview, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying play-offs | |
| 8. | 17 September 2021 | Inver Park, Larne, Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | |
| 9. | 21 September 2021 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 3–0 | 4–0 | ||
After leaving university, Callaghan started working full-time in 2010 as a women's football community coach. In 2016, Callaghan was selected as a women's football ambassador for the Irish Football Association.[7] Following this, she worked with Northern Ireland national football team captain Steven Davis to promote participation in women's youth football.[8]
Callaghan is married to her partner Paula and they have one son together.[9]