Luke Heeney
Irish footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luke Heeney (born 6 February 1999) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right back for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford. He previously played for St Patrick's Athletic and Drogheda United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 February 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Bellewstown, County Meath, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Waterford | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | St Kevin's Boys | ||
| 2015–2018 | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2025 | Drogheda United | 173 | (4) |
| 2026– | Waterford | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:27, 2 December 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:30, 28 January 2025 (UTC) | |||
Career
Youth career
Bellewstown, County Meath native[1] Heeney began playing with St Kevin's Boys,[2] before joining the academy of League of Ireland club St Patrick's Athletic in 2015, playing for their under-17 side for two seasons before going on to play for their under-19 side for a further two seasons.[3]
St Patrick's Athletic
Heeney made his first team debut on 5 October 2018, replacing Jake Keegan from the bench in the 91st minute of a 1–1 draw away to Dundalk at Oriel Park in what proved to be his only senior appearance for the club.[4]
Drogheda United
Ahead of the 2019 season, Heeney signed for his local League of Ireland First Division club Drogheda United.[3] He made his debut in the opening game of the season on 22 February 2019, in a 4–0 win over Cobh Ramblers at United Park.[5] On 8 June 2019, he scored the first goal of his senior career, adding his side's third goal in a 4–2 win at home to Athlone Town.[6] Heeney made just 9 appearances in 2020 due to injury, but in the final of those 9 on 27 October 2020, he scored in a 2–0 win away to Cabinteely at Stradbrook Road to secure the 2020 League of Ireland First Division title and promotion for his side.[7] He made 31 appearances in all competitions in his side's first season back in the top flight as they avoided the Promotion/Relegation Playoff by 2 points.[8] On 10 December 2021, he signed a new contract with the club.[9] In early 2022, he was involved in a car crash that saw him miss several games while he recovered from his injuries.[10] He made 32 appearances in all competitions during the 2023 season and on 19 December 2023, he signed a new contract with the club.[11][12] On 23 September 2024, he made his 150th appearance for the club in a 0–0 draw with Galway United.[13] Heeney came off the bench in the 2024 FAI Cup final on 11 November 2024, as his side defeated Derry City 2–0 at the Aviva Stadium to win the Cup.[14] On 16 November 2024, he helped his side to a 3–1 win over Bray Wanderers at Tallaght Stadium in the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division Promotion/Relegation Playoff.[15] On 20 December 2024, he renewed his contract with Drogheda[16][17][18] amidst reported interest from rivals Dundalk,[19] having been praised as the club's standout player in 2024 by manager Kevin Doherty.[20] He scored 2 goals in 41 appearances in the 2025 season.[21] On 19 November 2025, it was announced that Heeney would be departing the club after scoring 4 goals in 197 appearances in 7 seasons with the club.[22][23]
Waterford
On 2 December 2025, Heeney signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford ahead of the 2026 season, becoming new manager Jon Daly's first new signing with the club.[24][25]
International career
Heeney made 2 appearances for the Republic of Ireland U19 side in February 2018 in 2 friendlies against Romania U19, winning 1–0[26] and 2–1.[27]
Career statistics
- As of match played on 1 November 2025[28]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2018 | LOI Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Drogheda United | 2019 | LOI First Division | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| 2020 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||||
| 2021 | LOI Premier Division | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 0[c] | 0 | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2025 | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[f] | 0 | 41 | 2 | |||
| Total | 173 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 197 | 4 | ||
| Waterford | 2026 | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0[g] | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 174 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 198 | 4 | ||
- Includes League of Ireland Cup
- Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup
- Appearances in the 2019 League of Ireland First Division Promotion Playoffs
- 1 appearance in the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division Promotion/Relegation Playoff; 2 appearances in the Leinster Senior Cup
- 1 appearance in the President of Ireland's Cup; 2 appearances in the Leinster Senior Cup
- Appearance(s) in the Munster Senior Cup