Jackie Groenen

Jackie Groenen

200px Groenen playing for 1. FFC Frankfurt
Personal information
Full name	Jackie Noelle Groenen
Date of birth	(1994-12-17) 17 December 1994
Place of birth	Tilburg, Netherlands
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	FFC Frankfurt
Number	14
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Rood-Wit Veldhoven
2011	Essen-Schönebeck	6	(0)
2011–2013	FCR 2001 Duisburg	32	(4)
2014	MSV Duisburg	0	(0)
2014–2015	Chelsea	20	(2)
2015–	FFC Frankfurt	11	(0)
International career
2016–	Netherlands	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jackie Noelle Groenen (born 17 December 1994) is a footballer and former judoka who plays for the Netherlands women's national football team and FFC Frankfurt of the Frauen Bundesliga. She previously played for German clubs Essen-Schönebeck and Duisburg, as well as for Chelsea in the English FA WSL. Groenen was born in the Netherlands but grew up just over the Belgian border in Poppel. After playing for the Netherlands at youth level, she changed allegiance to Belgium but world governing body FIFA ruled her ineligible for her new team, so she reverted her allegiance to the Netherlands.

Football

Club career

Groenen and her sister Merel began to play football at Goirlese Sportvereniging Blauw-Wit GSBW. After VV Riel and Wilhelmina Boys they practised their sport at SV Rood-Wit Veldhoven. The two girls continued their football career in the German Fußball Bundesliga (women) and became players for the German club SG Essen-Schönebeck. Jackie Groenen played her first match in the DFB Cup competition on 30 January 2011 against Turbine Potsdam. Groenen played for FCR 2001 Duisburg from 2011 until their insolvency in the end of 2013 (her first match was during the Bundesliga-Cup in May 2011), moving to Chelsea in early 2014 where she stayed until moving to 1. FFC Frankfurt in June 2015.

International career

FIFA blocked Groenen's attempts to switch to representing Belgium because she did not have a Belgian passport when she played for the Netherlands' youth teams. She later indicated her willingness to play for the Netherlands again.

In January 2016 Groenen was called into the senior Netherlands squad for the team's winter training camp in Turkey. She appeared in two friendly matches against Denmark to collect her first senior caps.

Judo

Groenen has won a series of championships in judo sports. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 she was Netherlands champion in the under 15 age group. She has won these titles in the weight class -32 kg. In 2010 she was vice champion in the weight class -44 kg. On 6 March 2010 she won the gold medal in the under 17 age group in Tilburg, Netherlands and on the European level at the European championships in June 2010 in Teplice she won the bronze medal of the under 17 age group, weight class -40 kg. In February 2011 Groenen won the Netherlands junior championships in the weight class -44 kg, under 20 age group.

Groenen's judo career came to an end when she was 17. Her employers FCR 2001 Duisburg made clear their unhappiness when she broke her hip in a judo accident the day before a football match. Groenen admitted that she preferred football and would eventually have chosen to stop judo in any case.

Personal life

While playing for Chelsea in London, Groenen was studying for a law degree at Tilburg University and the club would fly her to the Netherlands for her exams.

External links

• Jackie Groenen on Twitter
• Jackie Groenen at OnsOranje