Kicking King Molloy hopes 'this is just the start'Fri, November 13, 2026 at 3:14 PM UTC
Peter Molloy hopes winning the Ireland's Kicking King title at Ryan Field in Chicago is "just the start" as he sets his sights on a career in American football.
The 18-year-old, who plays Gaelic football for St Brigid's in Belfast and also represented Methodist College in rugby, was successful with a 50-yard effort at the home of Northwestern University to win the Leader Kicking competition and collect $10,000 in prize money.
Molloy saw off Cork's Gearoid Quinn, Roscommon's Patrick Gaynor and Down's Daniel McKernan in the final which took place at half-time in the Northwestern v Iowa game in front of over 35,000 fans.
"Winning Ireland's Kicking King is an unbelievable feeling," Molly said.
"When I first went along to Ravenhill [for try-outs], I never imagined it would end with me kicking at Ryan Field in Chicago and winning the whole competition.
"Getting the chance to kick at the Aviva and then come over to America and kick at Ryan Field has been incredible.
"Hopefully this is just the start, and I can keep developing and see where it takes me."
Leader 'excited' for Molloy's next move
Over 1,000 hopefuls entered try-outs across the island of Ireland over the summer with the hope of making the final 10 who travelled to the United States to take part in the competition which is organised by Tadhg Leader.
Molloy's performance at the initial Belfast session saw him progress through the regional selection process, earning him the opportunity to kick at half-time at Dublin's Aviva Stadium earlier this year during North Carolina's 15-10 win over TCU in the College Football Classic.
There, he was successful from 50 yards which saw him progress further, culminating in the Ireland's Kicking King final in Chicago last weekend.
"Peter has shown exactly what Ireland's Kicking King is all about," said Tadhg Leader, founder of Leader Kicking which has helped more than 20 Irish athletes progress into NCAA Division I and NFL programmes.
"He came into the programme with a Gaelic football and rugby background, embraced the coaching and continued to improve at every stage of the competition.
"There is an incredible amount of kicking talent in Ireland and Peter is another example of what can happen when young athletes are given a platform and a pathway.
"Winning the competition is a fantastic achievement, but the really exciting part for Peter is what could come next."
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Source: Sports
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