Katie Malone has become a beloved regular fixture at Dalymount Park. The Dubliner’s goalscoring nous, leadership and likeminded kinship with the club make her the perfect match for Bohemians.
Ahead of the new season The Halfway Line sat down with League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division star forward Katie Malone. Malone talked all things her goalscoring inspiration, her injury comeback and solidarity with Palestine.
Bohemians is an ‘exciting club to be a part of’ hails Katie Malone
Last season was an exciting one for Bohemians and perhaps the club’s best yet. The 2025 season saw Bohs reach their first cup final, closely followed by their second. All while setting a new record for a crowd at a women’s match in Dalymount Park. Malone was asked if this is an exciting team to be a part of right now.
“Yeah, definitely,” she said. “It’s an exciting club to be a part of first of all.”
“You know, there’s so much going on in the background. We consistently have a good crowd at all of our games and all the credit there goes down to the community they put in a lot of work.
“It is a young squad but a young, talented squad. I think we all kind of have the same goal at the end of the day, and that’s really important because if a few of us are showing up to training or to match day looking to give 100% and then you have a few players who don’t care at all, that’s really gonna kill the team.
“So I suppose, certainly last year, I think after maybe a month or two everyone was like, oh, yeah, right no, we have something there’s something special here. Like you can really push on and go and do things, and the girls definitely did that.”
Katie Malone gets ‘goosebumps’ thinking of Palestine match
In 2024 Bohemians played a match against the Palestine women’s national team. It was an incredible show of solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause. Bohemians have long been a supportive voice, their 2023 away shirt saw 10% of proceeds from sales go to help support children in the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank. Their 2026 away shirt release will see 30% of profits go towards ACLAÍ Palestine’s efforts to build a community music studio at the Lajee Centre in the West Bank.
Bohemians FC are one of the few clubs in Europe that have called on UEFA to ban Israel from UEFA competitions due to the ongoing Genocide in Gaza. Commendably, Malone is outspoken on the topic.
“I believe in everything that they [Bohemians] stand for,” Malone stated with conviction. “Obviously, two years ago we had that game against Palestine, that was brilliant. You see what’s going on over there, it’s absolutely terrible.
“You need to have those eyes on it. You need to kind of push it, to get people to realise what’s actually happening in other parts of the world.
“Look, a lot of people give out about all the jerseys that they bring out. But you actually look at it, a lot of the money is going to good causes.
“No, it’s brilliant. A really good club to be a part of. And it’s club that suits me I think.”
On the day, Palestine won 2-1 with Bohemians’ goal coming from a Katie Malone strike but the day was about far more than football. When asked to recall the game, Malone takes a moment before using one word to describe her memory of it,
“Goosebumps,” Malone says. “I’ve never been so excited for a game in my life, it was a gorgeous summer’s evening, and we knew it was going to be sold out. The most we had ever played in front of in Dalymount was probably between 600 to 800 I’d say.
“I suppose football can really bring people together, and it was nice, I suppose, especially for the girls in the Palestine team, to just go out for 90 minutes and forget about what’s going on in their home.
“I think, it is important to really bring those issues to the forefront and at the same time raise money for aid for Palestine.
“It was such an enjoyable occasion, and one that I will cherish forever, and we lost, I don’t care. I’ve never be so happy to lose a football game, it was a brilliant occasion, one for the history books.”
Malone defines herself as a ‘glass half full kind of person’
After lighting up the league in 2024 and winning the club’s player of the season award, for Malone 2025 was an unwelcome change of pace. A broken leg ruled Malone out for aa significant chunk of the season,
“I’ve never had a long, a long term injury in my career,” Malone explained. “But, I suppose of the last two seasons it’s kind of been stop, start. Started with 2024. Had a good preseason, and then I just had a really annoying injury in the ball of my foot and then that was only out for a few weeks and had a decent enough season.
“Then last year, I was like, right, here we go, ready to hopefully hit the ground running. Then it was a training session, I think my foot got stuck in the astro or something, I don’t know. There might have been a stress fracture there before but went down with my ankle, broke my leg.
“After that [it was] really tough mentally but I’m very much a glass half full kind of person, so I went up to every training session. Went to every match, you know, the worst thing I could do would be moping around, so I wanted to try and stay as involved as possible.
“So, [I’m] always in a good mood around the team, around staff, you know. Then suppose, on my own it was definitely tough. The girls were brilliant last year. So in a way, it was bittersweet, because I was part of it in the background, but I wanted, I really wanted to be part of it on the pitch.
“So I suppose that I made a kind of a goal of mine, to be back for the run up to the FAI Cup final. Maybe get a few games in, hopefully get minutes there. Yeah, it’s horrible, I wouldn’t wishing on anyone you have all your teammates, but ultimately, it is a lonely period.”
Soon after returning to the side, Malone nabbed her first goal back from injury against Wexford and celebrated by pointing back to the bench,
“Yeah, I was delighted,” Malone beamed. “Our physio at the time, Orlaith [Trant], she was great as well. She was around my age, she’s gone to Australia now but just in the gym, ah no, we’d have a good laugh, or whatever.
“Then I just came up with a little celebration for when I did come back and score, I scored my goal against Wexford, trickled in. Everyone was so confused, they were like ‘who are you pointing at on the bench’ and I was like ‘Orlaith!’”
Managerial change was ‘a shock to the system’ says Malone
It has been a positive pre season for Malone, plenty of minutes in the legs and finding the net in a recent preseason outing against Cliftonville. The Halfway Line asked Malone how she has found pre season this term,
“Yeah, really good so far, definitely tough,” Malone explained. “Obviously at the start, there was a managerial change so that was a shock to the system, but Alan [Murphy] came in, took the role, so there hasn’t actually been too much change. No, that’s good but a lot of hard work, a lot of running enjoying it so far”
Malone, pauses for a second before qualifying that statement with a grin, raising her eyes playfully to the ceiling, “a lot of rain! It’s been raining non stop!
“Footballs are out in the first session, but so was the fitness test. Ah no, there’s a good balance there of football and running. Everyone’s working hard so far. [But] No one has really complained at all, which is, surprising,” she chuckles.
The departure of Alban Hysa after such a successful season was surprising but since then Alan Murphy has taken charge, promoted to the top job from assistant coach. Malone is clear about her faith in the new head coach,
“I love Alan [Murphy],” Malone beamed. “He would have run a lot of the sessions in the last two years so he knows us as players. We know how he works as a coach. You know he is demanding, but he’s respected at the same time.
“So yeah, look, not much has changed so far on the football front. I suppose he’s just, he’s really kind of pushing work right off the ball. I think that’ll be a big part of our game this year, my favourite thing to.
“Look, like I said, he’s a great manager, a great person, and I think everyone will want to do anything for him on the pitch.”
‘I need to be leading by example’ says Katie Malone
Despite being only in her mid twenties, Malone is regarded as a leader in the side. It isn’t difficult to see why, especially after hearing her speak on Palestine. When The Halfway Line raises this with her she laughs,
“It’s weird being considered a senior player when you’re 25,” Malone whimsically retorts. “I think I’m the fourth or fifth oldest and that doesn’t sit right with me, I’ve always been one of the younger players.
“I definitely have realized that of last year, probably that I am one of the senior players, and I need to be leading by example, and I think I do that more in training.
“I think I’m quite vocal in training, but, you know, same as Fiona Donnelly, she’s brilliant leader, but she wouldn’t be as vocal, but she’s leading on the pitch. Whereas Rachael Kelly, she’s vocal in the dressing room, on the pitch, everything.
“But, yeah, no, definitely, I suppose, yeah. Probably only realized that the young girls maybe are looking up to me now. Then at the same time, you’re a role model for girls who are coming to the games and watching, but I don’t know. It’s nice being considered a leader, I suppose.”
‘Once it hits the back of the net, I just love it’ says Malone
As the number 10 of a pre-eminent Dublin club The Halfway Line couldn’t help but ask Malone what her favourite type of goal to score is,
“Once it hits the back of the net, I just love it,” Malone laughed. “I think the 2024 season, I think pretty much all my goals came from in the penalty area”
“Who was it? Who is your man that plays for Leeds?” Malone pondered before answering herself with a start, “Dominic Calvert Lewin!”
“If you look at his goals, they’re pretty much all inside the six yard box. So do you know what, once it hits the back of the net, I don’t care.
“I think my favourite goal ever to score is probably chipping the keeper. But yes, while since I’ve done that, I don’t find myself scoring many long range goals. I like that one where I knocked it past keeper last year. It was just instinct, basically.”
Katie Malone again for Bohs 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Qqb9o18ZAq
— LOI Women (@LoiWomen) September 27, 2025
That goal is reminiscent of the iconic goal Fernando Torres scored against Barcelona so it perhaps isn’t surprising when Malone explains her footballing inspiration,
“My favourite one [male footballer] is probably Fernando Torres,” Malone said. “Growing up, [it was] Bobby Firmino, Stephen Gerrard, Lionel Messi, amazing. But like, as a striker Fernando Torres is definitely the first I really remember, and I love Hugo Ekitike now as well.
“And then the women’s game, Alessia Russo,” Malone sighs in admiration. “I think she’s unbelievable, just she never seems to lose the ball. She’s a goal scorer, I think she’s class.”
Katie Malone recalls ‘one v ones in the garden every night’
All of this success has to start somewhere. The Halfway Line asked Katie Malone how she got into football in the first place,
“My dad and my brother. So I have an older brother,” she smiles gesturing to the framed Liverpool shirt in the background that is her brother’s. “Me and my brother were in our back garden every night, it would just be one v ones for hours or going around to the park with our mates in the summer, as long as I can remember I was just always kicking the ball.
“Apparently my dad had us sitting down watching football when we were just out of the womb or whatever, soaking it all in,” Malone says with a timeless dry Dublin wit familiar to anyone that calls the Emerald Isle home. “So, yeah, definitely them two.”
“But I suppose my brother, especially, just because he’s older than me, I probably looked up to him, just and he wasn’t easy on me. Like he’d smash into me in the back garden! But yeah, no, it was brilliant.”
Katie Malone and Bohemians will kick off their league season as they ended the last, away to Peamount United on 14th March 2026 at 5pm. The match will be broadcast live on LOITV.
Make sure to catch all the action in the Women’s Premier Division this season on TG4 and LOITV.
The Genocide in Gaza
The world’s leading experts are confident that the situation in Gaza, perpetrated by Israel can be accurately described as a Genocide. According to OCHA, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of February 18th 2026, there has been 72,063 Palestinian fatalities with over 20,000 of those children. A further 171,726 have been injured.
You can donate to UNICEF to help support aid efforts in Gaza on the link below: Gaza Emergency Appeal | Donate Now | UNICEF Ireland
