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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Heartbreak drives Jessie Stapleton as she's ready to be a leader for Ireland under Carla Ward
JESSIE Stapleton is driven by the moment that was the high — and low — of her career. Euro 2025 kicks off next Wednesday but rather than preparing for the tournament in Switzerland, Ireland are in Denver ahead of tonight's first of 2 The 20-year-old has already played 15 times for Ireland scoring two goals 2 Stapleton started in midfield in the heartbreaking play-off loss to Wales And the pain of missing out still lingers six months after Ireland's qualification hopes were extinguished by a Stapleton admitted: 'It was probably one of the worst games to experience, but it's one of those pinnacle moments in my career. 'I look now and think, 'I never want to feel like that again after a match'. 'I've knuckled down and tried to do everything I can to be in the best condition because I never want to feel like that again.' Read more on Irish football She added: 'You have a lot of friends who are going to be at the Euros. "So it's finding that balance between supporting your friend and the pain of watching it.' But while the next few weeks might be tough viewing, the clashes with the USA tonight and on Sunday are about making sure Ireland are ready for the World Cup qualifiers. Most read in Football Ireland's route to the 2027 finals in Brazil is yet to be determined, but boss Carla Ward wanted these matches with the world No 1 side to see new leaders stand out following some big-name retirements. At just 20 years old and with 15 caps, centre-half Stapleton admitted she needs to stand up and be counted. Saipan film trailer splits opinion as Irish football fans voice concern about Roy Keane portrayal The former Shelbourne defender said: 'A lot of people say I'm way beyond my years. That's a credit to the people around me. A lot of people have looked after me. 'Being in camp from 16 or whatever, you sort of grow up. I still have youth on my side, I'm still kiddish, I'm still childish but I'd say I'm quite mature. 'When I was younger I captained the underage teams, so I think that is part of my game.' Stapleton has been lucky to have retired trio Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell and Niamh Fahey, along with Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan, to look up to. The North Carolina Courage star O'Sullivan and Megan Campbell are ruled out for tonight through injury. Dubliner Stapleton said: 'I feel like from a young age I looked up to the leaders we lost, like Lou Quinn, Di, Niamh Fahey. 'I look up to Dinny, Katie . . . but the girls have different personality traits. I try to be a sponge and learn from them. If there's a day where they're not in the camp, I'd like to be able to step up.' And she credited boss Ward for pushing her to be take a bigger role. Stapleton said: 'It's the confidence she has in us. We can go and show our personalities on the pitch. 'People have different types of personalities and you get different things out of them. If leadership is one of mine, Carla's doing a great job bringing it out by giving me that belief and confidence.'
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'It's finding that balance between supporting your friends and the pain of watching it'
JESSIE STAPLETON FEELS like an 'old' 20-year-old. A wise head on young shoulders who has been around Irish football for quite some time, she laughs initially when she's asked the question. But she agrees. 'I think so yeah. A lot of people say that I'm way beyond my years. That's a credit to the people around me. 'A lot of people have looked after me growing up. My family are a massive part of my football journey, but a massive part of my life as well. I love the bones off them. 'Being in camp from 16 or whatever, you sort of grow up. I still have youth on my side, I'm still kiddish, I'm still childish but yeah I'd say I'm quite mature for a 20-year-old.' Stapleton has packed quite a lot into her two decades: From rising the ranks at Cherry Orchard to becoming the first girl selected for the DDSL representative aged 11. Training with Colin Bell's Ireland at 13, starring for Shamrock Rovers underage and calling out online abuse. From lighting up the Women's Premier Division through a trophy-laden spell with Shelbourne to signing her first professional contract with West Ham United, before loan stints at Reading and Sunderland. The Dubliner has experienced it all; the highs and lows, the positives and pitfalls, and happily rolls with the punches. Advertisement 'You just get used to it,' she says, later adding: 'It's the job.' Back at West Ham after a successful loan spell in the Championship with Sunderland, Stapleton is hoping to kick on. Playing regularly in the WSL is a 'dream'. 'Obviously the WSL is one of the best leagues in the world so I'll do what I have to do to get there. I want to play there, it's whether the manager thinks I'm ready or not.' But Ireland duty has her full focus currently — and tomorrow's international friendly against the US in Colorado [KO 2am Irish time, RTÉ Player]. 'My main priority in football is to play for Ireland,' she tells The 42. 'Any time you put on the green jersey and sing the national anthem, it's the proudest moment. I think each game gets better as well. I absolutely love playing for my country and I love being a part of this squad. 'When we get the email, whether it's a known thing that I'm in the squad or not, it's still, 'Oh God, I'm called up again!' Just being part of the squad is absolutely amazing.' Stapleton has established herself as a regular starter under Carla Ward: centre-half is where she believes she is best, but the Ballyfermot native is also prominent as a holding midfielder and she recently covered at right-back. 'I think I'm a centre-back, but as I always say when it comes to playing for my country I'll play absolutely anywhere – up front, in goal, whatever the team needs and whatever is going to get me on the pitch as well.' A defensive changing of the guard has been in focus following the retirements of Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey and Diane Caldwell, while much has been made of the leadership void across the board with Julie-Ann Russell also calling time. Amidst a combined loss of 395 caps,Ward has spoken a lot about creating new leaders, and Stapleton is unquestionably one of those. 'I'd like to think so. When I was younger I captained the underage teams, so I think that is part of my game. But I feel like from a young age I looked up to the leaders that we lost, like Lou Quinn, Di (Diane Caldwell), Niamh Fahey, I look up to Dinny (Denise O'Sullivan), Katie [McCabe]… but all the girls have different sort of personality traits. I try to be a sponge and learn from them. I am quite young, but if there is a day where they are not in the camp, I'd like to be able to step up, so I try to learn from them.' Asked about what Ward has done to bring out leadership in the group, Stapleton continues: 'I think it's just the confidence she has in us. We can go out and show our real personalities on the pitch. 'Knowing you have the confidence from the manager and the staff is incredible. People have different types of personalities and you get different things out of them, but if leadership quality is one of mine, then Carla is doing a great job bringing it out just by giving me that belief and confidence.' While Ireland target wins against a much-changed US team — but October's Nations League play-off against Belgium remains the priority — Euro 2025 looms for others. Regrets from December's gut-wrenching play-off defeat to Wales will undoubtedly heighten over the coming weeks, but motivation will also rise. 'It was probably one of the worst games to experience, but it's one of those pinnacle moments in my career where I look now and think, I never want to feel like that again after a match,' says Stapleton. 'I've knuckled down and tried to do everything I can to be in the best condition after that, because I never want to feel like that again. So, when the World Cup comes around I want to be in the best physical shape to hopefully go to the World Cup.' Related Reads Minimal change in low-key squad announcement for Ireland's US summer tests Recalls and absentees as Ireland squad named for US friendlies While Katie McCabe says she'll probably turn her television off and Denise O'Sullivan will dip in and out of watching, Stapleton also has conflicting feelings. 'I don't know yet. I think because we are not there, obviously it's sore. But playing in England, you have a lot of friends who are going to be at the Euros. So it's finding that balance between supporting your friends and the pain of watching it. 'It just depends on the player, whether they want to watch it or not. It depends on their mindset, whether it would motivate them or bring them down. It just depends on who you are.' 'Old' 20-year-old Jessie Stapleton will keep rolling with the punches. And shining as she does so.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Jessie Stapleton: My family are a massive part of my journey
It's been a good year for Jessie Stapleton. The Cherry Orchard graduate has long been on the radar of those keeping tabs on emerging Irish stars, excelling at Shelbourne before making a move to West Ham in the summer of 2023. A loan spell at Reading was rocky, mainly because of the club's dire financial problems, but a second loan move, this time to Sunderland, proved a real success. Stapleton played week in, week out in the Championship, rounding her game and establishing herself in the Republic of Ireland side under Eileen Gleeson and then Carla Ward. Still only 20, she'll be back at the Hammers for pre-season in a few weeks' time much better prepared to force her way into the first team and take a highly promising career to the next level. "I think the loan went as we set out for it to go," Stapleton said ahead of tonight's friendly against the USA in Denver, Colorado (2am kick-off Irish time). "It obviously benefited me a lot, I got a lot of game time and a lot of experience in the Championship. I'm back in with West Ham now, I'm just going to go to pre-season and see what I can do. "That's a dream of mine. The WSL is one of the best leagues in the world so I'll do what I have to do to get there. I want to play there, it's whether the manager thinks I'm ready or not." The leap from the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division to the WSL or even Championship really is a signifant one. Stapleton admits that physically, it took her time to make that adjustment, not to mention the challenges of fleeing the nest for the first time aged 18 and settling into new surrounds. "I think the biggest thing when you move away is fitness levels." "I think there's a big step when you go to professional football, training every day and playing at a higher level and stuff," she added. "I feel like because I've been doing that regularly it's come to me now. I do it week in week out so I feel a lot better than when I was playing two years ago. "I think no matter what you do when you move over, you can train like a mad woman, but I was still in school at the time, I was playing with Shels, which isn't a full-time team. But when you move over, it's training every day at a high level, so it is a big step up. Recovery, nutrition and just getting used to that everyday sort of physical output. "I think the biggest thing when you move away is fitness levels. They do it consistently week in, week out. They do it every day. The jump from training three days a week to doing it every day is obviously going to be massive." She'll have her old Shels teammate Jess Ziu for company during pre-season. Ziu is closing on a return from the ACL injury she sustained last August, while the wider Stapleton clan are frequent visitors to ensure she never feels too far from home. Stapleton is a wise head on young shoulders, tipped by some observers to be a future Ireland captain, but she's the first to stress that her own steel and resilience comes from a tight, protective family unit. "A lot of people say that I'm way beyond my years. That's a credit to the people around me. "A lot of people have looked after me growing up. Being in camp from 16 or whatever, you sort of grow up. I still have youth on my side, I'm still kiddish, I'm still childish but yeah I'd say I'm quite mature for a 20-year-old. "My family are a massive part of my football journey, but a massive part of my life as well. I love the bones off them. Anything that I need, they're always there. They come see me whenever I need them. They come see me whenever I don't even need them! I probably see them too much now! But they are a massive part of my football." Stapleton's eyes were stung red with tears after Ireland were beaten by Wales in last December's Euro 2025 play-off. The pain still lingers (Stapleton admits she'll find it difficult to watch the tournament this summer), but it's fuelling a deep desire to reach the next World Cup in Brazil and heal some of those scars. "It was probably one of the worst games to experience, but it's one of those pinnacle moments in my career where I look now and think, I never want to feel like that again after a match," she added. "I've knuckled down and tried to do everything I can to be in the best condition after that, because I never want to feel like that again. So, when the World Cup comes around I want to be in the best physical shape to hopefully go to the World Cup.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Danville man sentenced to 9 years for 2023 armed robbery
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A Danville man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for an armed robbery that happened in October of 2023. Court records show KeShawn Stapleton, 23, was facing five felony counts for crimes including armed robbery and mob action and a misdemeanor count of obstructing identification. On Monday, he reached a plea deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to a Class 1 felony count of armed robbery; the other counts were dismissed. Acquitted, accused again, convicted: Champaign man found guilty of murder Evidence presented in court showed that on Oct. 26, 2023, Stapleton was one of five Black males who approached a person walking to a trash dumpster near Lewis Street. The group held the victim at gunpoint and stole his backpack, which had an Xbox inside, his cell phone and the shoes off the victim's feet. The crime was recorded by a security camera. As detectives were speaking with the victim, Danville Police received a call about robbery suspects running toward Moore Street. When officers responded to the area, they saw several Black males exiting a car on Moore Street. Stapleton was arrested during this police encounter. The State's Attorney's Office said Moore was identified as one of the perpetrators based on his clothes; what he was wearing when he was arrested matched the clothes of the suspect who was recorded on camera taking the robbery victim's shoes from his feet. The shoes and the victim's cell phone were subsequently found inside the vehicle Stapleton exited on Moore Street. Sangamon, Menard Co. Crime Stoppers seeking tips in theft at Springfield church 'I commend the Danville Police Department for quickly identifying and apprehending these violent offenders. We are grateful to the victim for coming forward,' State's Attorney Jacqueline Lacy said in a news release. 'Armed robbery is a dangerous crime that threatens the safety of our entire community. My office remains committed to working with the police to pursue justice and protect victims of violent crime.' Stapleton was given credit for 592 days he's already served in custody, and his sentence will be served at 50%. Once out of prison, he will spend one year on parole. Two other people have been charged in connection to the robbery. Alvin Daniels, charged with the same five felony counts as Stapleton, pleaded guilty in February to one of them and was sentenced to five years in prison. Another person, who is a juvenile, has been charged, but the State's Attorney's Office did not go into further detail. The investigation into the robbery is still ongoing, and people with relevant information are asked to contact law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sisseton's Roberts County Farm Mutual marks 120 years serving South Dakota communities
Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance Company (RCMI) marks 120 years of business this year. Having served South Dakotans since the early 20th century, the company is owned by its policyholders, and they are therefore considered a 'hometown' company by clients. 'It is quite an accomplishment for a small town to have an insurance company,' said Julie Stapleton, who has been a manager at RCMI since 2012. As one of the oldest existing businesses in Sisseton, Stapleton says the business still has a few policies in effect from the first policy numbers. More: Watertown opens new City Hall with help from Aberdeen construction co. 'RCMI supports their local clients and all of their clients statewide,' she told the Public Opinion. 'The current staff at Roberts Mutual strives to help the community and does many local community projects throughout the year and helps sponsor many local events. Roberts Mutual has helped two other Mutuals in the state by merging with them, and then they were able to take on their agents and clients.' RCMI began offering its products statewide in 1984. The company merged with Kingsbury Farm Mutual just over three decades ago, then with Denver-Kingsbury Farm Mutual Insurance Company in 1998. Finally, in 2008, RCMI merged with Central Farm Mutual in Onida, expanding its business into the western part of South Dakota. More: South Dakota records best pheasant hunting season in 13 years, state parks department says Stapleton says her company also has been able to help the Dakota Farm Mutual Insurance Company and their clients through the years. Currently, RCMI has roughly 60 agents across the state and have grown from a humble beginning to nearly 2,000 policyholders. 'In general, Roberts Mutual is able to provide a product that has small town appeal and affordable rates and excellent coverage,' Stapleton said. The home office building — a rental that was formerly a bank — burned down in 1959. The company then rebuilt the current office building. 'So, Roberts Mutual built around the two bank vaults,' Stapleton said. 'RCMI has two bank vaults. Roberts Mutual was able to purchase the building next door to them and expanded the office in 2006-2007.' In the end, the company returns to its reliable, local roots. 'RCMI has had many local faces serve on the Board of Directors over the years,' Stapleton said. 'Several local staff members and some local agents got their start in the Roberts Mutual Office Building. It has a long history of being on Main Street. Roberts is a fantastic place to work, and it shows with the longevity of the staff. There is over 85 years of combined insurance knowledge with the current staff. Roberts has always put family first, and the staff and directors are like family.' This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota's Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance turns 120
