Stephanie Roche considering offers from two English clubs

To call Stephanie Roche's life hectic since late 2013 when she scored that goal would be putting it mildly.

After moving from Ireland to ASPTT Albi in France it wasn’t long before another exciting move came along – to Houston Dash.

That adventure would end in disappointment however as she was waived by the National Women’s Soccer League team and, on Sunday last, she arrived back in Dublin.

The visit home may not be for long though as she revealed yesterday she is in talks with two clubs in England about a possible fresh start there.

Roche was speaking at her unveiling as a health and wellbeing ambassador for Sodexo Ireland – just another one of her many corporate responsibilities.

The attention surrounding Ireland’s first ever Puskas Award nominee shows no signs of letting up.

Despite the end of her American dream, the former Peamount United striker can take confidence from the fact that she has been approached not only by two English clubs, but also – shortly after her release from Houston – by American side Boston Breakers.

A look

“With Boston it was somebody reaching out for me. So that’s why I went there because someone had gone to the trouble of looking for me. But at the time I already knew about England so I said I’d go up and have a look at it but I already had my mind on England really. The English teams came to me too,” the 25-year-old says.

The recent turbulence in Roche's career is probably to be expected after her lightning quick rise to fame which saw her share the exalted company of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and other footballing royalty.

When it’s all boiled down and looked at purely in terms of football it’s clear the Republic of Ireland international does have significant talent. That’s why two professional English teams have given her the chance to decide on her next move.

“It’s in my hands really. They obviously want to see something good from me too but they’re pretty keen to get me.”

While Roche admits her Houston release was tough to take she is determined to move forward again and feels she would be more comfortable playing football in England.

“It’s just totally different over there in America; if they feel they have to make changes they will and it doesn’t really matter who they’re releasing from the team.”

Following her rapid rise to prominence over the last two years, Roche was brought back down to earth last month by the harsh realities of professional football.

The business side of the men’s game has dominated headlines worldwide recently but it’s something that’s also very much at the fore at the top of the female game.

The manager

“I went into the meeting but I could see that the manager was barely able to look at me, even after talking to me the week before. I went in, sat at the table, talked to them for two minutes and they said what they had to say and that was it.”

There’s no time for sentiment when such decisions are made at any level of the game.

No support structures were put in place for Roche after she was let go and she didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to her team-mates.

That dose of reality has led her to think about life after football. There aren’t endless amount of punditry jobs for former women players like there are in the men’s game and any roles within the sport itself are thin on the ground.

But Roche’s love for football remains – she struggles to see herself doing anything else.

“I know girls in the Irish team who play professionally for two years or so and then they realise that they do need to have a life as well. A lot have to give up playing professionally to work and play amateur. There’s not a lot for women in football,” she says.

Having completed her youth cert and as she now looks to begin her Uefa B licence, a future coaching role is very much on the 25-year-old’s mind.

As for the goal that saw the beginning of her rise to fame she isn’t quite as enthusiastic.

“That goal is just never going to leave me alone,” she says with a laugh.