Fran Kirby: Finding my purpose again
Retiring from international football was not an easy decision for Kirby to make; it was one she had spent a year mulling over.
When the 32-year-old was informed by manager Sarina Wiegman that she was unlikely to make the England squad for EURO 2025, she knew it was time.
In some ways, it was made easier knowing that she leaves the squad in good hands.
“I knew it was the right time for me to step away and to let these younger players who were coming through a chance to make their mark,” she explained.
“Some of them girls are going to play for England for the next 10, 12, 15 years maybe.
“For me, it just more about making sure that I leave when the time is right because I know there are others who can fill in that role.”
Without football in the international windows, it has allowed Kirby plenty of time to step away from the sport and decompress.
It has given her free rein to spend time with family and friends, get out to Switzerland and even have a few days at Wimbledon – exactly the kind of break she needed.
But when the dust has settled, Fran will ask herself one crucial question going forward: Where do I fit into women’s football now?
On what is next for her, following the hanging of her international boots, a journey of discovery awaits.
“I think it’s just going to be a case of understanding what I enjoy doing and really figuring out what I want to do in the next few years with my career [and] what I’m going to do after football,” Kirby said.
“I’m going to be learning myself, not just as a football player, but what else do I enjoy? I really enjoy being around football, so I think everything I’m going to be doing will be about football.
“But I am working out where I see myself fitting into women’s football now that I’m not an international player, like what is my purpose now to give back to women’s football? That’s what I want to find out.”