Irish international Harriet Scott stepping away from football

Republic of Ireland international Harriet Scott is stepping away from football having recently graduated as a doctor.

The Birmingham City defender had been playing for the Blues whilst also studying medicine at Keele University, but will now focus solely on being a doctor.

Scott was one of Vera Pauw's three training players for the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, travelling with the squad for the tournament. She last appeared for Ireland competitively in a crucial qualifier against Slovakia in September 2022 while she also played the second half of their pre-tournament 3-2 win over Zambia.

She racked up 24 caps for Ireland having made her debut in the 2017 Cyprus Cup and was named Senior Women's Player of the Year after starring for Colin Bell’s side that same season.

"For now, it’s time for me to take a step back from football and decompress. I will be starting work as a Doctor in the NHS and look forward to helping my patients. Thank you to everyone who has supported my journey over the last 5 years," Scott said on Twitter.

The player joined Birmingham from Reading in August 2018 and made 112 appearances having captained the side in the 2020/21 season.