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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Mark McCadden

Stephanie Roche explains name change after Shamrock Rovers move

Ireland striker Stephanie Roche has played her last ever game of football!

The new Shamrock Rovers striker will go by the name Stephanie Zambra next season, following her marriage earlier this year to Bray Wanderers midfielder Dean Zambra.

Roche made the move last week from Peamount United to Rovers, ahead of the Hoops’ high-profile return to the Women’s Premier Division.

The 58-time capped striker - the runner up in the 2014 FIFA Puskas Goal of the Year award - married Zambra in front of friends and family at the Tulfarris Golf Resort in Wicklow.

Dean Zambra has been at Bray Wanderers since the start of this year. He was previously with Longford Town.

Stephanie is currently in training for a different sport altogether - she is rehearsing for RTE's popular show, Dancing with the Stars.

She said of her tough new regime: “I had someone message me on social media saying ‘ah it is better than pre-season training’ and I replied ‘no it’s not, it’s ten times worse’ than that.

“It has been all go since two weeks ago we started training. So it has been all go and six hours in training or more everyday so it’s full on.

“It’s just totally different. To be fair, during the off season I always like to do something different. Because when I take a break from football I always like to also try to stay fit and do spinning classes and try to stay fit as best as I can with something different.

“But this is totally different to me and the first few days I had to learn how to walk as a dancer. And that sounds so simple.

"But my feet were cramping when I got home that night because I was pointing my toe for so long, so it is just completely different muscles being used."

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