General
- Thursday February 8th, 2024 @ 17:15
Kian Leavy Extends Contract
Kian Leavy has signed a new multi-year contract to remain at Richmond Park.
The midfielder (21) returned to St Patrick's Athletic in July 2023, after his contract at Reading expired.
The Ireland U21 international made 12 appearances last season, and started our Sports Direct FAI Cup Final victory against Bohemians at Aviva Stadium in November.
Leavy's excellent form saw him nominated for the LOI / Soccer Writers Player of the Month for October, as well as being named Manguard Plus / St Patrick’s Athletic POTM for October.
He capped off a great month, by scoring his first senior goal for the club in the 1-0 victory against Sligo Rovers at Richmond Park, to secure a crucial three points in the race for Europe.
Kian joined Reading from The St Patrick's Athletic Academy in July 2018, and spent five seasons at The Madeski Stadium.
He played for St Pat's in the first ever LOI U15 final in November 2017, losing to Athlone Town, before progressing to our U17s and then moving to the UK in the summer of 2018.
Leavy signed first professional contract in July 2021 and made his first team debut for Reading in the EFL Cup against Swansea in August 2021.
The Ardee man made 11 League of Ireland appearances on loan with Shelbourne in the first half of the 2023 season before joining The Saints in July and making his debut in the scoreless draw against Bohemians on August 11th.
He scored in the penalty shootout win against Derry City in the FAI Cup the following week.
Leavy is delighted to have committed his future to St Pat's
"It feels great to have extended my contract with the club.
I really enjoyed my first six months here and winning the FAI Cup topped it off brilliantly.
That was a really special day for all of us and everyone involved in St Pat's, and it's given us a real taste for more over the next few seasons.
When I joined the club in July, I was still recovering from an injury, and I worked really hard with the medical and performance team to get back fit, and was happy to make my debut against Bohs in August.
I knew a few people at the club from my time in the Academy, and everyone made me feel welcome and helped me settle in.
Our style of play suits my game and brings out the best in me, and I'm hoping to continue to improve and develop here and help the club push on and achieve more.
We had a really strong finish to the League season and our FAI Cup run was amazing, I'm glad to have contributed to a successful 2023 and want even more in 2024 and beyond.
We've put in a lot of effort over the last eight weeks to get ready for the new season, Jon and the staff have put together a really good group and training has been competitive.
The pre-season games and Leinster Senior Cup matches have helped us prepare for the new campaign, and we're looking forward to tomorrow's game in Tallaght and our first league match against Galway United next weekend."
Manager Jon Daly said:
"We're really happy that Kian has become the latest player to commit his long term future to the club.
He made a key contribution in the second-half of last season and really grew in confidence game by game.
His goal against Sligo Rovers helped us secure European football, it was an excellent strike in an important game.
Kian also played his part our cup success, scoring in the penalty shootout in Derry and starting the semi-final win in Cork and the final at The Aviva.
He is one of the most talented midfielders in the country and we're looking forward to working with him over the next number of years."
Leavy will switch from the number 17 shirt to the number 10 shirt in Inchicore.
