Kayleigh Barton
Welsh footballer (born 1988)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kayleigh Anne Marie Barton (née Green; born 22 March 1988) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward, making 89 appearances for the Wales national team. She is now a coach with the Welsh national team.
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|
Kayleigh Green in February 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kayleigh Anne Marie Barton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 March 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2016 | Cardiff City | ||
| 2016–2018 | Yeovil Town | 29 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Chieti Calcio Femminile (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2018–2023 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 62 | (7) |
| 2023–2025 | Charlton Athletic | 38 | (11) |
| International career | |||
| 2012–2025 | Wales | 89 | (22) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025– | Saltdean United | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Barton began her career with Cardiff City, before joining Yeovil Town in 2016. She spent time on loan with Italian side Chieti Calcio Femminile in 2017.
Early life
Barton was born in Cardiff, growing up in the Llanedeyrn area of the city. She is one of four children born to her parents, Dave and Cathy Sellwood. She has three brothers.[2] She played football as a teenager but gave up playing on a regular basis at the age of 16, working several different jobs. Barton worked at branches of Tesco and Morrisons, in a call centre and studied plumbing in college.[2][3]
Club career
Barton decided to return to playing senior football in 2012, joining Cardiff City. She joined Yeovil Town in 2016 and spent time on loan with Italian team Chieti Calcio Femminile during her time there, making five appearances for the Serie B side.[4] In 2018, Barton joined FA WSL 1 club Brighton & Hove Albion upon the expiration of her contract with Yeovil.[5][6] Barton had previously continued working full-time alongside her playing career prior to joining Brighton.[3]
2020–21 season
On 18 October 2020, Barton was seen to be awarded 2 yellow cards in a 2–2 away draw at Everton by referee Lucy Oliver but was not sent off. Toffees boss Willie Kirk told BBC Sport, "It's frustrating the referee made that mistake."[7][8]
Charlton Athletic
On 19 July 2023, Barton was announced at Charlton on a one year contract[9] where she remained until 2025.[10]
International career
Barton made her debut for the Wales women's national football team in 2012 against Portugal.
Barton was named in the Wales squad for the 2016 Cyprus Women's Cup.[11] She scored against Finland in the 2016 Cyprus Women's Cup on 2 March 2016, scoring in the 34th minute.[12]
Barton was named in the Wales squad for the 2018 Cyprus Women's Cup as a centre-forward.[13] Wales manager Jayne Ludlow moved Barton from her usual position as a defender to play as a centre-forward for a match against Finland, in which she scored.[2]
Barton was part of the Wales squad that were runners-up in the 2023 Pinatar Cup.[14]
On 19 October 2024, Barton was called up to the Wales side for European qualifying play offs.[15]
Kayleigh currently has 86 caps,[16] scoring 22 goals in her career.[17]
In June 2025, Barton was named in Wales' squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2025.[18] Following the euros, Barton retired from both club and international football with 89 appearances and 22 goals.[19]
Coaching career
Saltdean United
On 9 June 2025, Barton was named head coach of fifth tier London and South East Women's Regional Football League club Saltdean United, to work alongside Katie McIntyre and Amy Green.[20] Barton later took on a role as Head of Girls’ Football for AF Global in London, leading girls’ development programmes within the organisation’s academy structure.[21] She officially announced her retirement as a player in August 2025.[22]
Wales
Following her retirement from international play, Barton took up a position coaching with the Wales' under-17s squad before joining the coaching staff of the senior national team ahead of the 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign in March 2026.[23]
Personal life
Green said in a 2022 interview that she will marry her former Brighton teammate Kirsty Barton; they had their wedding the next year.[24][25] On 10 February 2024, it was announced that Green would go by Kayleigh Barton going forwards.[26]
Career statistics
Club
Some entries are missing or incomplete due to lack of historical statistics.
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cardiff City Ladies | 2015-16 | FA Women's Premier League | ||||||||
| Yeovil Town | 2016–17 | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | WSL | |||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||
| Chieti Calcio Femminile (Loan) | 2017 | Serie B | ||||||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2018–19 | WSL | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 3 |
| 2019–20 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 6 | ||
| 2020-21 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||
| Total | 87 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 111 | 14 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2023–24 | Women's Championship | 21 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 1 | ||
| Career total | ||||||||||
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 26 April 2026
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Saltdean United | 9 June 2025 | Present | 28 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 111 | 15 | +96 | 85.71 |
| Career total | 28 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 111 | 15 | +96 | 85.71 | ||
International appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | Prior to 2012 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 89 | 22 | |
