{{Short description|Irish footballer (born 2000)}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Heather Payne | image = | caption = | fullname = Heather Margaret Payne<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce93/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: Republic Of Ireland (IRL) |publisher=FIFA |page=25 |date=11 July 2023 |access-date=11 July 2023}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|2000|01|26}} | birth_place = Ballinasloe, Ireland | height = 5ft 7in | position = Forward, midfielder | currentclub = Leicester City | clubnumber = 15 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | collegeyears1 = 2019–2023 | college1 = Florida State Seminoles | collegecaps1 = 60 | collegegoals1 = 6 | years1 = 2016–2018 | clubs1 = Peamount United | caps1 = | goals1 = 13 | years2 = 2018–2019 | clubs2 = Bristol City | caps2 = 9 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2023–2025 | clubs3 = Everton | caps3 = 33 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2025– | clubs4 = Leicester City | caps4 = 8 | goals4 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2015–2017 | nationalteam1 = Republic of Ireland U17 | nationalcaps1 = 18 | nationalgoals1 = 3 | nationalyears2 = 2018–2019 | nationalteam2 = Republic of Ireland U19 | nationalcaps2 = 6 | nationalgoals2 = 5 | nationalyears3 = 2018– | nationalteam3 = Republic of Ireland | nationalcaps3 = 51 | nationalgoals3 = 2 | pcupdate = 4 May 2026 | ntupdate = 4 May 2026 }}
'''Heather Margaret Payne''' (born 26 January 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Women's Super League club Leicester City and the Republic of Ireland national team.
==Club career== After playing three seasons with Irish side Peamount United F.C. in the Irish Women's National League, Payne signed with Bristol City in the English first division, the FA WSL, in August 2018.<ref name="echo_bristol_signing">{{cite news |title=Payne makes the move to Bristol |url=http://www.echo.ie/sport/article/payne-makes-the-move-to-bristol |accessdate=30 September 2018 |work=The Echo |date=23 August 2018 |archive-date=1 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001031315/http://www.echo.ie/sport/article/payne-makes-the-move-to-bristol |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.extratime.ie/articles/21577/heather-payne-becomes-the-latest-to-swap-wnl-for-professional-football-bristol-city-move/|title=Heather Payne becomes the latest to swap WNL for professional football with Bristol City move}}</ref>
In August 2019, after a season with Bristol, Payne moved to the United States to take up a college scholarship with the Florida State Seminoles, who compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).<ref>{{cite web |title=Heather Payne |url=https://seminoles.com/sports/soccer/roster/season/2019-20/heather-payne/ |website=Florida State Seminoles |date=23 July 2019 |access-date=14 August 2019 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425132726/https://seminoles.com/sports/soccer/roster/season/2019-20/heather-payne/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
On 25 August 2023, following 4 years in the American college system, Payne signed for England's women's top tier Women's Super League club Everton on a 2-year deal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.evertonfc.com/news/3649828/payne-signs-for-everton|title=Payne Signs For Everton|website=Everton|date=25 August 2023}}</ref>
On 15 August 2025 Payne then signed for Women's Super League club Leicester City on a two year deal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lcfc.com/pages/en/media-article/heather-payne-lcfc-women-leicester-city-transfer-signing|title=Heather Payne Completes LCFC Women Move|website=Leicester City|date=15 August 2025}}</ref>
==International== Payne was named to the Ireland senior squad for a 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup-qualifying match against Northern Ireland in August 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.shannonside.ie/sport/roscommon-sport/heather-payne-returns-irish-womens-squad/|title=Heather Payne Returns to Irish Women's Squad - Shannonside|last=Hooper|first=Dave|date=2018-08-24|work=Shannonside|access-date=2018-10-01|language=en-GB|archive-date=1 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001070118/https://www.shannonside.ie/sport/roscommon-sport/heather-payne-returns-irish-womens-squad/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She made her debut for the team on 31 August 2018 playing as a wing-back.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.the42.ie/ireland-northern-ireland-report-4212720-Aug2018/|title=Four-star Republic of Ireland end campaign on a high with comfortable win over the North|last=Fennessy|first=Paul|work=The42|access-date=2018-10-01|language=en}}</ref>
===International appearances=== {| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year |- !scope="col" | National team !scope="col" | Year !!scope="col"| Apps !!scope="col"| Goals |- | rowspan="9" |Republic of Ireland |scope="row"| 2017 ||1||0 |- |scope="row"| 2018 ||3||0 |- |scope="row"| 2019 ||6||0 |- |scope="row"| 2020 ||4||0 |- |scope="row"| 2021 ||8||1 |- |scope="row"| 2022 ||8||0 |- |scope="row"| 2023 ||12||0 |- |2024 |7 |0 |- |2025 |2 |0 |- !colspan="2"|Total!!51!!2 |}
===International goals=== :''Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goals first. Score column indicates score after each Payne goal. Updated as of 4 May 2026'' {| class="wikitable sortable" |+International goals scored by Heather Payne |- ! scope="col" | {{abbr|No.|Cumulative goals total}} ! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | Cap ! scope="col" | Date ! scope="col" | Venue ! scope="col" | Opponent ! scope="col" | Score ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" | Competition |- |- ! scope="row" | 1 | align=center | 17 | 11 June 2021 || Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland || {{fbw|ISL}} | align=center| 1-3 | align=center| 2-3 | Friendly |- !2 | align="center" |42 |5 December 2023 |Windsor Park, Belfast |{{fbw|NIR}} | align="center" |2-0 | align="center" |6-1 |UEFA Nations League |}
== Honours == '''Florida State Seminoles''' * NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship: 2021
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[https://www.bcfc.co.uk/teams/city-women-squad/16-heather-payne/ Bristol City profile] * {{Soccerway|heather-payne/407670}}
{{Leicester City W.F.C. squad}} {{Republic of Ireland squad 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Heather}} Category:2000 births Category:Living people Category:Association footballers from County Galway Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Category:Republic of Ireland women's association footballers Category:Republic of Ireland women's international footballers Category:Expatriate women's footballers in England Category:Bristol City W.F.C. players Category:Women's Super League players Category:Women's association football forwards Category:Peamount United F.C. players Category:League of Ireland Women's Premier Division players Category:Florida State Seminoles women's soccer players Category:Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Republic of Ireland expatriate women's association footballers Category:Republic of Ireland women's youth international footballers Category:Sportspeople from Ballinasloe Category:2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players Category:21st-century Irish sportswomen Category:Everton F.C. Women players