Waterford FC are thrilled to announce that the experienced Kevin Long has joined the Blues, becoming Jon Daly’s newest member of the side.
The former Republic of Ireland international with 17 appearances for the national side joins the Blues having spent the last 16 years plying his trade in England before spending time in the MLS with Toronto FC since the start of 2024.
Long started his career with his native Cork City FC, coming up through their academy set-up before making his debut in 2009 in a league cup clash away to St. Patrick’s Athletic.
After making 17 appearances for Cork, Long earned a move to Premier League side Burnley FC in November of 2009, where the centre-half agreed a three-and-a-half year deal with Burnley in a deal worth over six-figures.
After loan-spells with Accrington Stanley, Rochdale & Portsmouth where he gained experience at League 2 & League 1 level, Long earned his Burnley debut in 2012 during the Claret’s Championship campaign.
2015 saw Long make his Premier League debut under the management of Sean Dyche, coming on as a first-half substitute away to Newcastle United in an entertaining 3-3 draw.
After gaining experience at the highest level of English football, Long saw further time on loan at Barnsley in League 1 & MK Dons in the Championship during the 2015/16 season, before becoming a regular for Burnley from 2016 right through to 2022.
In total Long made 91 appearances for Burnley – 48 of which came in the Premier League alone, with the defender netting his sole Premier League goal in April 2018 helping his side earn their fifth consecutive Premier League win with victory at Turf Moor in a 2-1 win against Leicester City.
Long’s impressive rise in club football warranted a call-up to the Republic of Ireland Men’s National Team in 2017, where he made his international debut against Mexico in an International Friendly in New Jersey.
Long earned 16 further caps for his country, scoring once in 2019 against Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium – heading home Ireland’s second in a 3-1 win.
The defender spent the last two years with Toronto FC in the MLS, where he made 58 appearances across all competitions for the Canadian outfit, as he now makes the move back home for 2026.
Speaking to the club after putting pen-to-paper with the Blues, the 35 year old spoke of his excitement to getting straight to work at the club, saying:
“I’m excited to be here and looking forward to getting going. I’ve been away from Ireland for a long time so it feels good to be home. Hopefully I can bring my experience to this club and we can start climbing up the table”.
Blues Head Coach Jon Daly is delighted to secure the services of Long, commenting:
“I’m absolutely delighted to bring Kevin to Waterford. He has fantastic experience at the highest levels of the game and brings real leadership, quality and professionalism to the squad. Kevin is a player who will set standards every day, and I’m confident his presence will make a huge impact both on and off the pitch for this group.”
Long will wear the number 13 shirt for the Blues.
Welcome to Waterford, Kevin!
Kevin Long’s player sponsorship is now available for the 2026 season. To find out more, contact Waterford FC Commercial Manager Tony Kelly at tony.kelly@waterfordfc.ie.
