Kian Leavy

Kian Leavy (born 21 March 2002) is an Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland Premier Division club St Patrick's Athletic.

Early career
A native of Ardee, County Louth, Leavy began playing with Drogheda Town at under-8s level, before moving on to Drogheda Boys, Shelbourne, St Francis, St Kevin's Boys and St Patrick's Athletic. In July 2018, he joined the youth academy of EFL Championship side Reading in July 2018 from St Patrick's Athletic's academy after receiving interest from the youth academies of Manchester United and Celtic.

Reading
On 2 July 2021, Leavy signed his first professional contract with Reading, until the summer of 2022. On 10 August 2021, Leavy made his debut for Reading in their 3–0 defeat to Swansea City in the EFL Cup. On 9 August 2022, he was in the starting XI in a 2–1 loss to Stevenage in the EFL Cup. On 17 May 2023, it was announced that Leavy would leave Reading in the summer of 2023, upon the expiry of his contract.

Shelbourne loan
On 8 February 2023, Leavy joined Shelbourne on loan until the summer transfer window. He scored the first senior goal of his career on 3 March 2023, coming off the bench in the 60th minute before scoring the only goal of the game in the 78th minute of a win over Bohemians at Tolka Park. On 6 July 2023, Shelbourne announced that Leavy had left the club at the end of his loan spell after rejecting a contract offer from the club for a permanent move.

2023 season
On 6 July 2023, it was announced that Leavy had signed for St Patrick's Athletic, returning to the club where he previously played at youth level. Injured upon signing, he had to wait until 11 August 2023 to make his debut, when he was in the starting XI for a 0–0 draw with Bohemians at Richmond Park. On 23 October 2023, he scored his first senior goal for the club, finding the top left corner from 25 yards in a 1–0 win at home to Sligo Rovers to help his side secure UEFA Conference League football for the following season. On 12 November 2023, Leavy was part of the starting XI in the 2023 FAI Cup Final, in a 3–1 win over Bohemians in front of a record breaking FAI Cup Final crowd of 43,881 at the Aviva Stadium.

2024 season
On 8 February 2024, Leavy signed a multi-year contract extension with the club, switching from the squad number 17 squad to number 10 also.

International career
Leavy has featured at youth level for the Republic of Ireland at U15 and U18 level. In March 2022, he featured for the Republic of Ireland U20 side in a 1–0 win against the Republic of Ireland Amateur team in a friendly at Whitehall Stadium. Leavy made his debut for the Republic of Ireland U21 team in a 2–1 friendly win over Iceland U21 at Turners Cross on 26 March 2023.

Honours

 * St Patrick's Athletic
 * FAI Cup (1): 2023