Jesse Dempsey
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jesse Joe Dempsey[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 January 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Wexford, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fleetwood Town (on loan from Waterford) | ||
| Number | 36 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2020 | Wexford Albion | ||
| 2020 | Wexford | ||
| 2021–2022 | Waterford | ||
| 2023 | UCD | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023 | UCD | 21 | (0) |
| 2024 | Lecce | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Waterford | 20 | (1) |
| 2026– | → Fleetwood Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 3 | |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:30, 1 September 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:30, 1 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Jesse Joe Dempsey (born 15 January 2005) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left back for club Fleetwood Town, on loan from League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford.
Club career
[edit]Youth career
[edit]Wexford native Dempsey attended school at Wexford CBS and started playing football with Wexford Albion, where he earned a move to the academy of local League of Ireland club Wexford FC in 2020 and played there for a season, then spent two years at Waterford's academy before joining UCD's Under-19 side in 2023.[3][4]
UCD
[edit]Dempsey made his debut in senior football on 17 February 2023, playing the full 90 minutes in UCD's 1–1 draw away to Dundalk in the first game of the season at Oriel Park.[5] He made 23 appearances in all competitions with the club in what was his first season in senior football in 2023.[6]
Lecce
[edit]On 8 January 2024, Dempsey signed for Serie A club Lecce, turning down other options in Ireland and the UK in favour of the move to Italy.[7][8][9]
Waterford
[edit]On 16 July 2024, Dempsey returned to Waterford, where he had previously played in the club's academy, playing for their Under-20 side initially before breaking into the first team in pre-season of 2025.[10][4] On 17 January 2025, Dempsey made his senior debut for the club, in a 1–0 win over Bandon in the Munster Senior Cup.[11] On 10 July 2025, he signed his first professional contract with the club, signing a multi-year contract.[4] On 5 October 2025, Dempsey scored his first goal in senior football, helping his side to a crucial 2–0 victory away to Drogheda United in their fight against relegation.[12]
Fleetwood Town loan
[edit]On 31 July 2026, Dempsey signed for Waterford's sister club EFL League Two side Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan deal.[13][14][15][16]
International career
[edit]In September 2023, Dempsey received his first international call-up for the Republic of Ireland U19 side.[17] On 9 September 2023, he made his debut for the side in a 1–0 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina U19.[18]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played on 17 July 2026[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| UCD | 2023 | LOI Premier Division | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0[c] | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Lecce | 2023–24 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Waterford | 2024 | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[d] | 0 | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[d] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |||
| Fleetwood Town (loan) | 2026–27 | EFL League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 41 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 1 | ||
References
[edit]- ↑ "Jesse Joe Dempsey".
- ↑ https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/jesse-dempsey/1470696
- ↑ Weekly, Wexford (2 August 2026). "Wexford football player signs with professional English football side | Wexford Weekly".
- 1 2 3 "Dempsey Secures First Professional Contract – Waterford FC | Official Site". waterfordfc.ie.
- ↑ "Dundalk FC once again held to a draw by UCD following late strike". Louth Live. 18 February 2023.
- ↑ "Jesse Dempsey | Stats". extratime.com.
- ↑ Ferrante, Andrea (8 January 2024). "Primavera 1: Dempsey a Lecce per le visite mediche".
- ↑ Fallon, John (8 January 2024). "UCD defender Jesse Dempsey snapped up by Lecce". Irish Examiner.
- ↑ Dempsey, Andrew. "Jesse Dempsey completes switch from UCD to Serie A side Lecce". extratime.com.
- ↑ "Jesse Dempsey | Football Stats | Waterford | Age 21 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com.
- ↑ "Bandon AFC knocked out of Munster Senior Cup by Waterford". echo live. 18 January 2025.
- ↑ Flanagan, Adrian (5 October 2025). "Waterford boost survival hopes as they defeat Drogheda". Irish Examiner.
- ↑ Paddock, Rob (31 July 2026). "Jesse Dempsey Joins Town On Loan".
- ↑ "Fleetwood Town bolster defence with Jesse Dempsey loan move". BBC Sport. 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Jesse Dempsey Joins Fleetwood Town on Loan – Waterford FC | Official Site". waterfordfc.ie.
- ↑ "Jesse Dempsey Joins Fleetwood Town on Loan". 1 August 2026.
- ↑ "MU19 | Mohan names squad for Bosnia & Herzegovina friendlies". www.fai.ie.
- ↑ "REPORT | MU19 | Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0 Ireland". www.fai.ie.
- ↑ "Republic of Ireland - J. Dempsey - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway.
- 2005 births
- Living people
- People from Wexford, County Wexford
- Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Wexford F.C. players
- Waterford F.C. players
- University College Dublin A.F.C. players
- US Lecce players
- Fleetwood Town F.C. players
- League of Ireland players
- Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Irish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- Irish expatriate sportspeople in England
- 21st-century Irish sportsmen