Fran Kirby began playing football with Caversham Trents before joining Reading's academy at the age of seven. After making her senior debut as a teenager, she stepped away from football before returning in 2012. Kirby quickly emerged as one of England's most prolific young attackers, finishing as the leading scorer in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division in 2012/13 and later dominating WSL 2 with Reading.
Kirby joined Chelsea in 2015 and became one of the defining players of the club's most successful era. Across nine years she won seven Women's Super League titles, five Women's FA Cups and two League Cups, while helping Chelsea reach the 2021 UEFA Women's Champions League final. Individually, she twice won both the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year and FWA Women's Footballer of the Year awards. She left Chelsea in 2024 as the club's all-time leading goalscorer and joined Brighton & Hove Albion.
Kirby's England career began in spectacular fashion when she scored on her senior debut against Sweden in August 2014. She helped England win bronze at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and later played a major role in the Lionesses' UEFA Women's Euro 2022 triumph. Kirby retired from international football in June 2025 with 77 caps and 19 goals, while continuing her club career with Brighton.
