Hearts Women is delighted to announce the signing of Jackie Richards, who joins the club on a one-year deal, with the option for a further year included.
The forward arrives from Villanova Wildcats American University, where she scored six goals in 16 games. Prior to that, she bagged 11 goals and 13 assists for Campbell Camels.
The forward is comfortable playing centrally or on the left wing and now the 22-year-old will cross the pond to join up with Eva Olid’s side ahead of their pre-season trip to Spain next month.
Speaking to the Official Hearts Website, manager Eva Olid said:
“I’ve spoken a lot about natural balance in our team and last season, we were able to add to that in the defensive third by adding a left-footed defender. Now our focus was on the left side of our attack and I’m so happy that we’ve been able to address that with the addition of Jackie.
“She has so many qualities in the final third. She can score goals with her left-foot, right-foot and her head. Alongside this, her delivery from wide areas is fantastic.
“It’s been clear throughout this whole process that Jackie as an individual, is a great person and is so determined to succeed. She’s been doing everything to ensure she arrives in the best possible shape and that determination and desire is something which is going to help her personally and the team collectively."
Women’s Head of Recruitment Sean Burt added:
“I’ve spoken previously about recruiting rare profiles within the women’s game and Jackie is exactly that. She’s a strong, athletic player and is naturally left-footed, which is a rarity in the women’s game.
“As well as all that, it was Jackie’s technical ability that attracted us to her. She’s scored a variety of goals throughout her time in the US and naturally, that drew a lot of attention to her.
“Having had a lot of contact with Jackie throughout this transfer process, it’s clear that she’s determined to be a success here and has worked extremely hard in the off season to ensure she can hit the ground running as she looks to continue her footballing journey in Scotland.”
Welcome to Hearts, Jackie!
