USWNT vs Paraguay VW CHAMP Player Honoree: Niamh

Niamh is a 13-year-old from Kearny, New Jersey – known to many as “Soccertown USA” for its rich history in United States soccer

Niamh is a witty, fun, energetic, and active girl who loves spending time with her friends and family.

At age 6, Niamh played her first club soccer season for Thistle. Going into her second season of soccer at age 7, Niamh was excited to continue to grow as a player and have fun playing the sport she loved. But after the first game she started to suffer from severe headaches, so her family brought her to the emergency room.

After a small surgery and tests, the family learned that Niamh had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. She immediately had to stop playing the sport she loved in order to undergo over two years of chemotherapy and treatment. This treatment ultimately saved Niamh’s life and allowed her to continue to be the fun-loving kid she was before cancer sidelined her for over 28 months.

Since she was an infant, Niamh has had a soccer ball at her feet. It was her first real love and still it remains a true passion of hers despite having to take years off for cancer treatment. Outside of being a player, Niamh is a huge soccer fan and watches as much of the sport as she can, which of course includes the United States Women’s National Team.