{{Short description|Scottish footballer (born 1981)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Use British English|date=June 2022}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Gemma Fay | image = Gemma Fay-2014.jpg | caption = Fay with Scotland in September 2014 | fullname = Gemma Fay<ref name=uefa>{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/womensworldcup/teams/player=44176/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628202637/http://www.uefa.com/womensworldcup/teams/player=44176/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 June 2011|title=Gemma Fay|accessdate=2011-03-03|publisher=UEFA}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1981|12|09}}<ref name=uefa/> | birth_place = Perth, Scotland | height = | position = Goalkeeper | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = St Johnstone | years1 = | clubs1 = Aberdeen | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = {{0|0000}}–2002 | clubs2 = Ayr United | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 2002–2003 | clubs3 = Brighton & Hove Albion | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 2003–2005 | clubs4 = Hibernian | caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = 2005–2007 | clubs5 = Leeds United | caps5 = | goals5 = | years6 = 2007–2009 | clubs6 = Hibernian | caps6 = | goals6 = | years7 = 2009–2016 | clubs7 = Celtic | caps7 = 50+ | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 2016–2017 | clubs8 = Glasgow City | caps8 = | goals8 = | years9 = 2017 | clubs9 = Stjarnan | caps9 = 15 | goals9 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 1998–2017 | nationalteam1 = Scotland<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/football_player_profile.cfm?page=110&playerID=36353&squadID=2|title=Gemma Fay – Women's A Squad|accessdate=2011-03-03|publisher=The Scottish FA}}</ref> | nationalcaps1 = 203 | nationalgoals1 = 0 }} '''Gemma Fay''' (born 9 December 1981) is a Scottish former female international football goalkeeper and actress. She last played in Iceland for Stjarnan. Fay made 203 appearances for the Scotland national team, becoming their most capped player.
==Career== Fay made her senior Scotland debut against Czech Republic in May 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Fleet+streets+ahead+of+%27em.-a060568099|title=Fleet streets ahead of 'em|accessdate=2011-06-21|publisher=Daily Record|date=1998-05-25|author=Alan Marshall}}</ref> and Fay won 23 Scotland caps before the age of 19. She praised the contribution of her national goalkeeping coach, Jim Gallacher.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20000507/ai_n13949113/|title=Pauw wows Europe with new-style Scots women|accessdate=2011-06-21|work=Sunday Herald|date=2000-05-07|author=Alan Campbell}}</ref>
In 2009, Fay took over the captain's armband from long-term skipper Julie Fleeting and then reached 100 caps against Canada at the Cyprus Cup in 2009.<ref>[http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1848&newsID=4555 Cap Milestones for Fay and Love] scottishfa.co.uk. 07-04-2009. Retrieved 07-10-2013.</ref> In December 2011 Fay and three Celtic women's team mates were approached about playing for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/scotland/16317753|title=Olympic approach for four Scottish women |access-date=2011-12-23|date=2011-12-23|work=BBC Sport}}</ref>
Fay moved on to 141 appearances in May 2012, equalling the record held by Pauline Hamill, after playing in a 3–1 friendly win over Poland in Gdańsk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsCategoryID=6&newsID=9828|title=Scotland women decisive in Gdansk |accessdate=2012-05-12|date=2012-05-09|publisher=Scottish Football Association}}</ref> She set a new record of 142 appearances after playing in Scotland's next match, a 4–1 friendly defeat to Sweden.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18218320|title=Scotland women beaten by Sweden|access-date=2012-05-27|date=2012-05-26|publisher=BBC |work=BBC Sport}}</ref>
Fay lost her place in the Glasgow City team in 2017 to Lee Alexander. In an effort to prolong her international career, Fay moved to Icelandic club Stjarnan in April 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39496282 |title=Women's football: Gemma Fay leaves Glasgow City to sign for FC Stjarnan |work=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC |date=4 April 2017 |accessdate=4 April 2017}}</ref> She made her 200th full international appearance in July 2017, in a friendly against Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40540792 |title=Scotland captain Gemma Fay glad to mark 200th cap with victory |accessdate=8 July 2017 |date=7 July 2017 |publisher=BBC |work=BBC Sport}}</ref>
In November 2017, Fay was appointed as Scottish Rugby's new Head of Women and Girls' rugby.<ref>{{cite news |title=Scottish Rugby: Gemma Fay takes on women's development role |work=BBC Sport |date=15 November 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/41997187 |accessdate=1 October 2018}}</ref>
Fay was part of the BBC's coverage of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alan |first1=Tyres |title=BBC selection for Women's World Cup is cause for optimism that tournament is being taken very seriously |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2019/06/07/bbc-selection-womens-world-cup-cause-optimism-tournament-taken/ |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=7 June 2019 |accessdate=4 December 2019}}</ref>
==Acting==
In 2013, Fay made her acting debut in the one-off Sky Living drama ''Rubenesque''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/08/real-life-footballer-gemma-fay-scored-with-a-hit-in-rubenesque-4139324/|title=Real Life Footballer Gemma Fay Scored with a Hit in Rubenesque|last=Watson|first=Keith|date=12 October 2013|work=Metro|accessdate=13 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/tv-review-drama-matters-rubenesque-sky-living-8867286.html|title=TV Review: Drama Matters: Rubenesque, Sky Living|last=Jones|first=Ellen E.|date=8 October 2013|website=The Independent}}</ref>
==See also== *List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps * Scottish FA Women's International Roll of Honour
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{UEFA player|44176}} * {{SFA player|36353}} * {{IMDb name|6010342}} * {{KSÍ player|new_id=58529|old_id=290518}}
{{Scotland squad UEFA Women's Euro 2017}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fay, Gemma}} Category:Living people Category:1981 births Category:Scottish women's footballers Category:Footballers from Perth, Scotland Category:Women's association football goalkeepers Category:Scotland women's international footballers Category:FIFA Women's Century Club Category:FA Women's National League players Gemma Fay Category:Aberdeen F.C. Women players Category:Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. players Category:Hibernian W.F.C. players Category:Leeds United Women F.C. players Category:Celtic F.C. Women players Category:Glasgow City F.C. players Category:Stjarnan women's football players Category:Scottish expatriate women's footballers Category:Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Iceland Category:Expatriate women's footballers in Iceland Category:UEFA Women's Euro 2017 players Category:Scottish sports executives and administrators Category:21st-century Scottish sportswomen