From her childhood in the quaint picturesque family-run farmland of Ballymoney, Northern Ireland to coaching football to communities across Europe, forward Keri Halliday has kept three principles close to her heart. Faith, Farming and Football.
Growing up in one of the most Northerly towns in the country, Halliday spent her formative years working alongside her mum, dad, and sisters on the family farm – an environment that provided countless memories to look back on fondly.
“I’m very thankful for my upbringing, and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” Halliday said.
“I was brought up on a farm with my Mum, Dad, three sisters and my grandparents. From helping deliver lambs from the sheep, travelling on the Cattle lorry with my dad and running around a field, chasing after sheep with my sisters and mum meant life was never boring.
“Looking back, we now share a lot of fun and special memories with each other, which is something I get to share with my teammates now.”
Her love of football soon followed, as the youngster spent every spare moment on the pitch, with her dad being a key influence in guiding her first steps in the sport.
“My dad was a big influence,” Halliday added.
“My dad loves every sport but especially football. Growing up with three sisters, my dad didn’t think his daughters would be too interested in football, but after knocking doll houses and ornaments over, my dad took me to a football team and there I found my love for the game.
“He was always at every game and never failed to play out in the garden with me. So, growing up, he was a really big influence. My family are everything to me. The sacrifices they made so that I could achieve this are massive.
“My youngest sister only started being able to take up hobbies when I started driving as my parents were sometimes too busy with me to take her. Thankfully, I’ve been able to get home and see them a lot.”
Soon her talent caught the eye of domestic giants, Linfield – with Halliday travelling to the Northern Irish capital, Belfast, playing with an aspiration of someday turning professional.
“For me, I didn’t plan on moving to Linfield until I started university,” Halliday explained.
“However, at 16, after a lot of interest from the manager and a promise to play senior football in one of the biggest clubs in Northern Ireland, I didn’t want to turn it down.
“I’m very glad I didn’t. This was a great experience at such a young age and one I’m very thankful for.
The Ballymoney-born striker made her senior debut for Northern Ireland in a four-nil victory over Albania in 2023, and has since been capped 13-times for her national team.
Following a successful spell with both Linfield and her National side, Halliday was named the Northern Ireland Young Player of the Year in 2024.
“Receiving my senior call up is a feeling I can’t describe,” Halliday noted.
“Representing my country is something I will never take for granted. Playing for Northern Ireland and wearing the green and white shirt is my favourite thing to do and I hope to, God willing represent them for as long as I can.”
‘God willing’ being more than a simple phrase for the forward, who has shared the importance of her Christian faith on both her personal and professional life, and how her upbringing has helped shape her development.
“My Faith is the most important thing in my life and that will never change,” Halliday reiterated.
“Growing up, I attended church and the children’s church in Northern Ireland. Being a Christian in a football environment isn’t always the easiest thing, but I believe God is always with me and with him I can do anything.
“My faith is another reason that I’m so thankful for my parents, and their influence in my life.”
Faith and football has seamlessly united for the now 21-year-old, with Halliday combining her love for the game, and religious beliefs to teach communities across Europe about the sport and her religion.
Working with the Hebron Free Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney, and the Coaching for Christ charity, Halliday has travelled to communities in both Spain and Romania – visiting poorer communities, whilst sharing her footballing skills and passion for her faith with the children in those communities.
“With faith and football being my two biggest interests, I love putting them together,” Halliday said.
“I travelled to Spain to coach the children in these communities, but also to tell them about my faith in Jesus, so they could learn to put their trust in him to.
“I want to go as far in my football career as I can, and be the best player that I can be, but my future is ultimately in God’s hands, and he will work everything out for myself.”
The young striker shone through in the Northern Irish footballing pyramid, making 85-appearances for the Blues, scoring 53-goals, and assisting 26 throughout her time in South Belfast, with Halliday supporting the side to a third-place finish before crossing the Irish sea to the Scottish capital – joining Hearts on a permanent deal.
Joining the women of steel on-loan this month, Halliday wasted no time in opening her Motherwell account, scoring a decisive opener on her debut against Aberdeen.
“I’ve really enjoyed my first three weeks at the club,” Halliday said.
“Everyone has been very welcoming and to top it off with a goal on my debut but more importantly six-points from the last two games made the start even better.
“Every player wants to play at the weekend and that’s always one of the most important things, but ever since moving to Scotland in July, I’ve heard such good things about Motherwell from players that have previously been on-loan, so when the chance to join the club came around; it was a very easy decision.”
As Halliday mentioned, Motherwell have started their post-split campaign firmly on the front foot, defeating both Aberdeen and Montrose in the opening two games, with a double-header of Lanarkshire derbies to follow, and Halliday reiterated the importance of taking each game at a time.
“We’ve just got to take it each game at a time,” Halliday added.
“Every game is going to be so big, and as a team, we want to get the best out of these six-games, and ultimately receive 18-points at the end of it.
“Derbies are so big, and I’m excited to play in these Lanarkshire derbies. We definitely want to dominate these games and get the win. We would love to see your support in the stands.”
