Football star Julie expects first child

Jan 2 2009 by John Woods, Irvine Herald

SCOTLAND star Julie Fleeting is expecting her first baby in the summer.

And that means the 28-year-old, who has won more than 100 caps and scored 100 goals for her country, will have to put her football career with Arsenal and Scotland on hold until next summer.

Julie, who married Morton goalkeeper Colin Stewart at St Mary’s Church in Irvine in June 2005, admitted they were delighted at the news.

She has been told by her doctor to sit out the rest of the season because football is a contact sport – but there’s no way she’s ready to hang up her boots.

“There's no way I plan to retire just yet,” she said.

“I love playing for Arsenal and Scotland and have every intention of playing again once the baby is born.”

The news comes just a few weeks after Julie, a former Scottish Sportswoman of the Year, travelled to Buckingham Palace to receive the MBE she was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List last summer.

She received the award in recognition of her services to women’s football and her role in promoting the sport on the international stage.

Although she plays for Arsenal Ladies in the Women's English Premier League, Julie still stays in Kilwinning and flies south to play at weekends.

She fits everything around her day job as a PE teacher at Auchenharvie Academy in Stevenston.

Julie, who started off her football career with St Winning’s Primary School and Corsehill Boys’ Club, won her first cap at 15 and is widely regarded as Scotland's greatest ever female footballer.

She famously scored a hat trick in the English Women’s FA Cup Final.

As well as starring for Arsenal, Julie also had a spell in the United States and last year visited Cyprus, Sweden, France, Russia, Portugal and Slovakia.

Her dad Jim was formerly manager of Kilmarnock and is now SFA Director of Football Development.