Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that Keeva Flynn has re-signed for the 2024 season.

Last season, Keeva became the youngest player (15 years 234 days) to play for Rovers when she made her debut away to Cliftonville.

Her impressive form at academy and senior levels has seen her called up to Irish international squads. Her most recent call-up was just last week when she played for the Ireland U-17 side that beat South Korea and Portugal in two friendlies.

Speaking on signing with the senior squad, Keeva said: ‘I am delighted to be signing for Sligo Rovers senior team for the 2024 season. It’ll be an exciting year coming off the back of the work done last season, and I can’t wait to get going with Tommy and the girls and look to build on my debut season last year.”

Tommy Hewitt said, “Keeva has huge potential, and I am excited to work and help with her development this season. She is a very talented young player with a fantastic future ahead of her.”

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that Alice Lillie has re-signed for the 2024 season.

The Ballinafad native came through our academy over the last three seasons and made her Senior debut in 2022. The talented defender arrived at The Showgrounds following spells at local clubs Strand Celtic and Arrow Harps.

Alice’s fine performances have seen her involved with The Republic of Ireland underage squads over the last couple of seasons.

Speaking with Sligorovers.com, Alice said: ‘I am delighted to be re-signing with Sligo Rovers for the 2024 season. I’m really looking forward to working with Tommy and his team. I really enjoyed playing last season, and I learned a lot and developed as a player. Hopefully, we can build on the past two seasons and push on this year and be successful.”

Tommy Hewitt, speaking on Alice signing back, said: “Alice is a very talented and intelligent player. She was one of the young players that really impressed last season and can go on to achieve great things with us over the next few years.”

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the signing of Sligo native Yvonne Hedigan for the 2024 League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division campaign.

The experienced defender signs for her home town club after enjoying spells at Bohemians, Galway and Castlebar Celtic. After a difficult two years in which Hedigan has worked her way back from a broken leg, the North Sligo native is ready for a big season in which she announces her return from injury.

Hedigan started her Women’s National League career with Castlebar Celtic, where she played alongside the Bit O’Red’s Emma Hansberry. She played in the 2013 Women’s FAI Cup final, and impressed during her spell with the Mayo side. In 2016, she signed for Galway Women.

In 2021, Hedigan joined Bohemians and was enjoying a great season until she suffered an horrific injury that would see her miss two years. And now having worked her way back from that injury, Hedigan feels it is the right time to sign for Rovers.

She told sligorovers.com: “I’m obviously from Sligo, when Tommy approached me back in November and said that he wanted me to come in with him, we had numerous chats about it, I felt like now is the right time. I’m coming back from an injury that kept me out for two years. When Tommy approached me, he wanted to instil confidence in me and my return to play and come back and represent my home club, I felt that now is the right time to do that. 

“I grew up in Sligo, I used to go to all the home games with my father every weekend. I just felt that now is the right time to go home and put on the Sligo Rovers jersey.

“Now I can always turn around and say I’ve always represented my home town club and that’s something that everybody wants to do. Especially from a young age, now is the right time to go back and represent them.”

Now that she has recovered from the broken leg, Hedigan wants to put it all behind her and make a statement as she returns to league action.”I broke my leg in September 2021. I went through eight or nine months of rehab to find out that I had to get an osteotomy to try and re-break the leg. It had healed wrong initially so I had to go through the rehab process again for another year. It just made me not take anything for granted.

“My passion and drive to get back is massive. It’s been very difficult. I’m delighted to be back in and back training. I had my first session with Sligo Rovers on Saturday. I’m delighted to be back and hope to push on and make a statement for myself, that I’m back.”

Due to that injury, Hedigan has actually not had the opportunity to play against Rovers since they entered the league in 2022. But, she has already played alongside a number of players and is familiar with others.”I would have played with the likes of Emma Hansberry from a young age, when I was in school and obviously at Castlebar Celtic. 

“I grew up playing with Emma Hansberry and Lauren Boles. Those girls are quality players. We knew last year at Bohs coming down playing against Sligo, we always knew how strong Sligo were going forward. I think when Tommy came in he knew what he had to do to try and strengthen the team. 

“He’s brought in some defensive players and I think that’s what Sligo needed to take it up another step. It’s exciting, it’s exciting to see where we’re going to go and bring that standard up to try and compete in the league.”

Hedigan works for Sport Ireland in Dublin and says her employers will generously allow her to work from home, which will make the commute between Sligo and Dublin for training that bit easier. Playin for Rovers means her family will have less travelling to do in order to support her, another reason to sign for the Bit O’Red.

“My family have been right behind me from a very young age since I was 16 playing national league. My father has driven me all around the country and supported me all the time. “Now for him and the likes of my grandfather, to have them in the stands and for them to not have to travel as far will be nice. It will be nice support for me as well.”

And Hedigan believes that Rovers will be a dark horse this year, given the quality of new signings that manager Tommy Hewitt has brought in.”I think we’re going to strive to increase league position this year. I think we can do that. I think the squad we have in there this year is going to really compete in the league. “Sligo Rovers are going to be a dark horse. In the cup, anything can happen. In the cup, it comes down to who wants it more. I think we’re going to push on this year.”

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that Amber Hardy has signed for the 2024 season.

After impressive performances with the club’s underage sides Amber was called up to train with the first team. Thanks to her good showings in training, she was given her senior debut away to Shelbourne in October.

On signing for the senior team, Amber said, “I’m delighted to sign with the senior team for the 2024 season. I really enjoyed the end of last season after getting called into training and even making my debut. It’s a big opportunity for me, and I’m excited to get going with the girls and Tommy.”

Tommy Hewitt added, “It’s great that Amber has decided to sign with us this season. She really showed at the end of last season she can perform at senior level. I’m looking forward to seeing her grow this season.”

Sligo Rovers are thrilled to announce the signing of defender Kelsey Munroe for the 2024 League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division campaign.

It’s a Rovers return for the Mayo native who was part of Rovers’ first-ever Women’s Under 17 team in 2018 before joining Galway. She spent two years with Galway before signing for Athlone Town.

In 2022, Munroe missed just three games for Athlone, enjoying a great season as the Midlanders, under Tommy Hewitt, finished as runners-up in both the cup and the league. Now, she reunites with Hewitt at Rovers, where she hopes she can enjoy many more great days, this time in the Bit O’Red jersey.

“I think there’s big things coming for Sligo Rovers. There’s some great new signings coming in, and the girls who have been there the last couple of years, there’s great potential in this time. I think it could be an exciting year.

“I never left on bad terms or anything, I was just exploring my career to see what comes next.  I was in college in Athlone so playing for Athlone worked out for me, always had Sligo in the back of my mind. It’s a great club with great people around. I knew I’d come back here sometime and this is the year.

“Tommy Hewitt added: “Kelsey came into me at Athlone and for two, two and a half seasons she was excellent. She’d be the first to admit that at the start she struggled with injuries but once she got up she played a massive part in the league as we came runners up and got to the cup final. She was a consistent performer and then last year with injuries and other things Kelsey stepped away to get herself right.

“I had always intended to reach out to her but when I did it was almost by accident, and then we got chatting and the Sligo Rovers connection for Kelsey was big. She’s hungry to get back into the game. That’s what I was looking for here, players that are hungry. I know what Kelsey can bring. Kelsey is a confidence player, she’s very good on the pitch. She’s experienced, she can read the game. I’m hoping, as is Kelsey, that she really kicks on this season.”