Kerry FC have announced the signing of left-back Jonathan Hannafin ahead of the 2023 SSE Airtricity First Division season.
The 28-year-old Kerry man carries a wealth of football experience into the first-team squad. Jonathan played Under 19 League of Ireland with Cork City from 2012 to 2013 winning the league and cup double in his time with the Rebel Army. A move to local League of Ireland side Tralee Dynamos was on the cards in 2013 playing under 19 and under 20 before graduating to the senior side and playing in the ‘A Championship’. From Dynamos, Hannafin went on to play in the Munster Senior League with Fairview Rangers (2015-2017), Pike Rovers (2017-2019), where he played in the FAI Junior Cup Final and most recently with Mervue United (2019-2022).
Speaking on his signing for Kerry FC, Jonathan Hannafin said “I'm delighted to sign for Kerry FC and be a part of something very special. To sign for Kerry FC, I feel like I'm representing my own as a proud Kerry man. There's a huge togetherness within the club both on and off the field. It can be seen every day at training and within the clubhouse. I am just looking forward to wearing the Kerry FC jersey with pride.”
First Team Manager Billy Dennehy said “Jonathan is another Kerry player who travelled far and wide to try and play at the highest level possible that he could. If this platform had been here for him many years ago it probably would have helped his development he could have made as a younger player. But he, like many others, now that the platform is here, has come back in pre-season and is still coming back from a bad injury he had. But he has trained well so far and it will be interesting to see how he progresses as the season gets underway and gets fitter and athletically back to where he was before the injury. He is another great addition to the squad and we are delighted to have him on board.”
