Neil Kilkenny

Born in Enfield, London, Kilkenny moved to Australia with his family at the age of four, and grew up in Brisbane. A promising schoolboy footballer, he captained the Queensland schools' representative team. When Kilkenny was eleven, the family returned to England to maximise his chances of making a career in the game. At twelve, he was invited to join Arsenal's youth development scheme, and while a student at Ravenscroft School, Barnet, he played for Middlesex Schools and appeared for Arsenal's under-17 team. In July 2002 he began a two-year scholarship programme in Arsenal's Academy. By the 2003–04 season, he had graduated to Arsenal's under-19 team and once been an unused substitute for the reserves, and had played international football for Republic of Ireland under-19s, qualifying via grandparents from Sligo, and for England under-18s. However, he became unhappy at Arsenal, chose to leave the club, and after trials with clubs including Aston Villa, Manchester City and Leicester City, he joined Birmingham City on a free transfer in January 2004.

Birmingham City and loans

Kilkenny signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Birmingham. The club's academy director felt he had "the ability to play at the highest level", and prioritised adding a "work ethic and competitiveness" to his "great technique". The player travelled with the first team for the game at Charlton Athletic in April 2004, but was not included in the matchday squad. Perceived as not ready for the first team at Premier League level, he was loaned to League One club Oldham Athletic in November 2004 to gain first-team experience. He made his debut in the Football League as a second-half substitute in Oldham's 3–2 win at home to Barnsley on 20 November, and scored two goals in his second game, a 3–1 win away to Bradford City, four days later. He played a full part in Oldham's season: he took the free kick which led to the winning goal against Premier League Manchester City in the FA Cup, and ended up as winner of the club's Players' Young Player of the Season award. At the start of the 2005–06 season he became part of the Birmingham first-team squad, though manager Steve Bruce warned him that he would not easily find his way into the team. On 20 September 2005, he made his Birmingham first-team debut in the League Cup away at Scunthorpe United, as a 26th-minute substitute to replace the injured Muzzy Izzet. Four days later, with six other midfielders unavailable through injury or suspension, he made his full home debut against Liverpool in the…

Kilkenny, who was born in England with Irish grandparents, moved to Australia at a young age and grew up there, so was eligible to play internationally for Australia, England and the Republic of Ireland. He played for Ireland at under-19 level and for England under-20s, but shortly before the 2006 World Cup he committed to Australia. He was among a group of young players, selected by manager Guus Hiddink, who trained with the Australian squad in Germany prior to the tournament, and made his international debut on 7 June 2006, coming on as a late substitute in their 3–1 victory in a World Cup warm-up game against Liechtenstein in Ulm, Germany. In 2007, he was a part of the Australian Olyroos for the 2008 Beijing Olympics qualifying campaign. In June 2008 he was one of 33 players called up for a pre-Olympic training camp prior to selection of the final 18-man squad. He was included in the final 18-man squad and played one game in the Olympics for Australia, who were knocked out in the group stages. After Leeds' FA Cup win over Manchester United put Kilkenny back on the international radar, Australia sent scouts to watch him as a possibility for the 2010 World Cup squad, but manager Pim Verbeek did not select him. In December 2010, Kilkenny was selected in Australia's 23-man squad for the 2011 Asian Cup. Kilkenny came on as a second-half substitute against United Arab Emirates in a warm-up game for the Asian Cup. He played his first game in the Asian Cup when he came on as a…

He has four children with his English girlfriend Caprice. His brothers, Gary and Paul Kilkenny supported him very much growing up along with his father and mother. Brian and Janet Kilkenny. Kilkenny is himself a fan of his former side Arsenal but holds an affinity with Leeds United, the team he made the majority of his career appearances with. In October 2024, Kilkenny joined Football West as their Football Development Officer, overseeing a new academy in partnership with Football Australia.