STATESBORO, Ga. – Former South Georgia Tormenta FC midfielder Kelly Giddes has signed her first professional contract with K.F.F Vllaznia Shkodër of the Albanian Women’s National Championship, the First Division of Women’s soccer in Albania. The USL W League champion joins the First Division Albanian side ahead of its UEFA Champions League campaign.
“I’m so thankful I got the opportunity to play at Tormenta FC and be able to train at such a high level, the experience at Tormenta FC will help me with the transition to the professional level. K.F.F Vllznia in Albania provides the best opportunity to further my career. Vllaznia is the most successful team in the country, so I am looking forward to continuing that success in the upcoming season.”
K.F.F Vllznia Midfielder Kelly Giddes
With Tormenta FC, Giddes registered five appearances in the regular season, tallying 204 minutes and scoring a goal in Tormenta FC’s dominating 8-0 win against SC United Bantams in the final game of the regular season. During the playoffs, Giddes saw playtime in the first round against FC Miami City.
A Palm Beach Atlantic alum, Giddes played 47 games for the Sailfish across all competitions. Prior to Palm Beach Atlantic, Giddes attended Calvary Christian School, where she was the CCS Athlete of the Year and was the leading scorer for the soccer team all four years.
“Kelly has all the tools to play at the professional level. She possesses a unique combination of speed, power, grace and fluidity as a wide player. She can consistently beat players 1-v-1 and go to goal, and she can create space for herself to provide quality service from wide areas. She can play both goal scorer and provider. Kelly is also not afraid to do the work up front in pressing situations and will track back and defend when needed. It was a pleasure working with her here at Tormenta FC and helping her in her journey. I look forward to watching her continued development at the pro level this year.”
Tormenta FC Head Coach Jim Robbins
Giddes heads overseas to join a competitive K.F.F Vllaznia team, which aspires to compete against some of the best teams in Europe. K.F.F Vllaznia has won the Albanian National Championship nine times, as well as the Albanian’s Women Cup nine times. Last year, K.F.F Vllaznia was able to get to the second round of the UEFA Champions League but was knocked out by Juventus Women of Italy.
The USL W League is a pre-professional women’s soccer league set to kick off play in May 2022. It will serve as the nation’s premier pre-professional league developing the next generation of women’s soccer talent both on and off the field. The USL W League strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity, and career development.
