"I didn't want to go I guess, it was a scary time to be travelling."
Louise Quinn described how difficult it was to make the move from Arsenal to sign for Fiorentina during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Republic of Ireland defender made 20 appearances and scored three times for the Italian side before she moved back to England with Birmingham City in 2021.
Louise Quinn on moving to Florence.
Quinn, who has won 94-caps for her country, admitted she didn't want to leave the Women's Super League due to the pandemic and being happy in England.
She highlighted the opportunity to play Champions League football with Fiorentina being a factor in her moving to Italy.
"When I was initially going, it was very difficult, really difficult. I didn't want to go I guess, it was a scary time to be traveling. I wanted to stay in England as well to keep going forward in the WSL," Quinn told
SportsJOE at the Spar FAI Primary School 5s National Finals.
https://twitter.com/miedemastuff/status/1327699040260145152
"This option came up, for the city and club that Florence and Fiorentina is, it was hard to turn down. They were playing
Champions League football. It was definitely very difficult.
"With football, you do it for yourself, you do it for the people around you and share the experience with family and friends. I couldn't get one person over to me at the time. Doing the career you love without the people you love was difficult."
Quinn on playing football in Italy.
Quinn described the training sessions in Italy as "slower-paced" as the coaching was focused more on the technical side of the game.
The Blessington native said the speed of the game affected her sharpness when returning to Ireland to play international football.
"They do things the old school way. The training sessions were a bit longer and slower-paced. But still very technical," Quinn added.
"To try develop that into the speed of the game, It did affect me when it came to coming back into the national team. I felt like I wasn't as sharp."
The SPAR FAI Primary School 5s National Finals took place in AVIVA Stadium on Tuesday, May 17, where former Republic of Ireland International David Meyler and current Republic of Ireland women's footballer, Louise Quinn were in attendance supporting as girls and boys from 28 schools took to the field in a day that they will never forget. The 2022 SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme returned in physical form this year and saw an incredible 56,212 students involved from 1,081 schools
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