| Rebecca Holloway | |
| Fullname: | Rebecca Rayne Holloway[1] |
| Birth Date: | 25 August 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Nailsea, England |
| Currentclub: | Birmingham City W.F.C. |
| Clubnumber: | 15 |
| Youthclubs1: | Clevedon Town |
| Youthclubs2: | Bristol City Academy |
| Collegeyears1: | 2015–2018 |
| College1: | Cumberland Phoenix |
| Collegecaps1: | 77 |
| Collegegoals1: | 40 |
| Years1: | 2019 |
| Clubs1: | Nashville Rhythm |
| Caps1: | 11 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs2: | Birmingham City |
| Caps2: | 59 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs3: | Racing Louisville |
| Caps3: | 18 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2023– |
| Clubs4: | Birmingham City |
| Caps4: | 11 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2012–2013 |
| Nationalteam1: | Northern Ireland U19 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 8 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019– |
| Nationalteam2: | Northern Ireland |
| Nationalcaps2: | 10 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 3 |
| Club-Update: | 30 March 2022 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 23 February 2022 |
Rebecca Rayne Holloway (born 25 August 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Birmingham City W.F.C. and the Northern Ireland national team.
Born in Nailsea, North Somerset, Holloway started playing football at the age of five for local side Nailsea Boys before moving on to Clevedon Town and eventually Bristol City Academy where she was coached by future England manager Mark Sampson.[2]
In 2015, Holloway moved to the United States to study and play college soccer at Cumberland University. She played four seasons for NAIA team Cumberland Phoenix, notably earning Mid-South Conference First-Team selection in three straight years and was named back to back Mid-South Conference Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018. As a senior, Holloway led the league in goals with 22.[3] [4]
In 2019, Holloway played for semi-professional WPSL team Nashville Rhythm. She made 11 appearances, scoring one goal as Nashville finished second in the Southeast Conference.[5]
On 24 July 2019, Holloway returned to England to sign with FA WSL team Birmingham City.[6] On 19 July 2021, Holloway signed a contract extension at Birmingham for the 2021–22 season.[7]
On 31 March 2022, Racing Louisville paid a transfer fee to purchase Holloway, signing her to a two-year contract.[8]
Holloway made nine total appearances, starting in five, in the 2023 season. On 2 September 2023 she got her first assist for Racing Louisville, helping Thembi Kgatlana’s game-winner for the club’s first ever victory over Portland Thorns.[9]
Her Racing Louisville contract expired in November 2023.[10]
Holloway represented Northern Ireland at under-19 level. She received several invitations to senior women's squad training camps, however her studies in the USA prevented her from attending.[11]
In August 2019, Holloway was named to the senior team for UEFA Euro 2021 qualifying matches against Norway and Wales but was an unused substitute in both.[12] Having removed herself from the national team fold to focus on her mental health, Holloway eventually made her senior international debut on 9 April 2021, against Ukraine in the Euro 2022 qualifying play-offs. She played the full 90 minutes of both legs stepping in for injured long-term left-back Demi Vance as Northern Ireland won 4–1 on aggregate, qualifying the team for the Euro 2022. It was the first time Northern Ireland had qualified for a major international tournament.[13]
Holloway was part of the squad that was called up to the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.[14] At the Euro 2022, she played in all three group stage games, starting twice and coming on as a substitute once.
Holloway is dating fellow Birmingham City teammate and Republic of Ireland forward Lucy Quinn.[15]
In December 2023, Holloway discussed her mental health problems.[16]
| School | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland Phoenix | 2015 | NAIA | 18 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 20 | 6 | |||
| 2017 | 19 | 11 | |||
| 2018 | 20 | 22 | |||
| Career total | 77 | 40 | |||
.[17]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[18] | League Cup[19] | Playoffs | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Nashville Rhythm | 2019 | WPSL | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||||
| Birmingham City | 2019–20 | FA WSL | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 0 | |||
| Racing Louisville | 2022 | NWSL | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 60 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 1 | |||
Statistics accurate as of match played 23 February 2022.[17]
| Year | Northern Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | ||
| 2021 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 3 | |
As of match played 29 November 2021. Northern Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Holloway goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petar Miloševski Training Centre, Skopje, North Macedonia | 11–0 | 11–0 | 2023 World Cup qualifying | ||
| 2 | Seaview, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 2–0 | 9–0 | |||
| 3 | 6–0 |
Cumberland Phoenix
Individual