Goalkeeper Nicole McClure has swapped the colours of Swedish Club Sundsvall DFF for that of Sion Swifts Ladies FC, having now found a new home in the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL).

McClure, who late last year said she was fully focused on two main goals — qualifying the Reggae Girlz to the Fifa Women’s World Cup and transitioning to the highest level in her professional career — is nearing her heart’s desire.

She achieved the qualification feat by pulling off the two most important saves of her career in the Reggae Girlz 4-2 penalty win over Panama in the third-place playoff during the Concacaf Women’s Championships in Texas last October.

That victory propelled Jamaica into the history books as the first Caribbean team to qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

And the move from Sundsvall DFF has now brought the goaltender one step closer to getting her hands on the other objective in her professional career — playing in the English Women’s Super League.

“The offer came about through a friend of mine; he asked what my plans are leading up to the World Cup and he offered to help. He made a call to the Sion Swifts coaches, I spoke with them that same day and two weeks later, the deal was closed,” McClure told the Jamaica Observer from Fort Lauderdale shortly after inking the deal.

“I’m very excited about joining Sion this season, I didn’t expect to go to Northern Ireland to play ball, but I’m grateful for the opportunity. It will be a new challenge and I’m looking forward to writing this chapter in my career,” the New York-based player added.

McClure, who honed her craft in and around Europe, boasts a high level of experience, excellent positioning and quick reflexes, attributes that drove head coach Hue Menzies and team to put her on the line for that crucial shootout in place of Sydney Schneider.

Like she has done for teams in the United States, Iceland, Switzerland and more recently Sweden, as well as in the Reggae Girlz set up, McClure is expected to be that steadying presence at the back for Sion Swifts in the top-level women’s Irish league.

Though the contract will only last for the season, which runs from April to September, the 29-year-old is eager to give the short campaign her usual best as a stabilising force in the Swifts last line of defence.

According to McClure, who was born in Jamaica, Queens in New York, to Jamaican parents Charles and Sharon, such a platform will play an integral role in her preparation for this summer’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in France.

“This is a huge boost to my career, as playing in the UK has been a dream of mine for some years now… I believe playing there will certainly prepare me for the World Cup and I’m excited to learn from the coaches and adapt to yet another playing style,” McClure shared.

“Playing for Sion will be essential in my preparation for those international matchups and so every game and training session leading to June is very much welcomed as I learn something new with each team.

“So after this contract expires, my goal is to play at the highest international club level, preferably in the Women’s Super League in England,” she declared.

But for now, her energy and verve are being concentrated on the Reggae Girlz second World Cup preparation camp which started yesterday and will include two friendlies against Chile on Thursday and Sunday at the National Stadium and Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall, respectively.

Those games will be instrumental for Menzies and his team in narrowing down the overall pool to the final 23-member squad for the June 7 to July 7 World Cup.

“I expect the upcoming camps and matches for both Sion and our national team to be very competitive as I move forward. So I’m very excited to play against Chile, they are just as hungry as we are and I’m looking forward to two great games and a successful camp this week,” she noted.

McClure, Schneider, Yazmeen Jamieson and Chris-Ann Chambers are currently the leading contenders for the three goalkeeping slots on the final roster.

“I’m confident that I will give my best in everything I do to secure a spot in the final 23, my exploits from last year have already sunk in and that was just the first step. Now it is time to move forward, refocus and compete to the best of my abilities,” McClure ended.