Niall Quinn#Early and personal life

{{blockquote|text="I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City, but Sunderland got under my skin. I love Sunderland."|sign=Niall Quinn, The Autobiography}}

Quinn played Gaelic football for the Perrystown, Dublin 12, club Robert Emmets.[http://homepage.eircom.net/~pfur/quinn.html Niall Quinn] He also played underage football and hurling for Dublin. In July 1983, Quinn captained a Dublin Colleges GAA party on a one-month tour of Australia.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} Aged 16, he played in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship final,{{cite news|title=Robson out as jinx hits United again |work=The Times |date=14 December 1985|first=Clive|last=White}} and was offered a contract to play professional Australian rules football before settling on a career in association football.{{cite book |last=James|first= Gary| title= The Official Manchester City Hall of Fame |publisher= Hamlyn |year=2005 |isbn= 0-600-61282-1 |pages=108–9}} He played for Drimnagh Castle Secondary School team. He also played Gaelic football[http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2002/03/07/story24400.asp Irish Examiner – 2002/03/07: Quinn game for Gaelic] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005150012/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2002/03/07/story24400.asp |date=5 October 2008 }} for County Kildare club Eadestown after his retirement, winning a junior C county title in 2008.[http://www.leinsterleader.ie/sport/Niall-Quinn-helps-Eadestown-to.4590113.jp Junior C victory] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209011808/http://www.leinsterleader.ie/sport/Niall-Quinn-helps-Eadestown-to.4590113.jp |date=9 December 2008 }} He started his career in association football as a youth for Irish club Manortown United and then Lourdes Celtic in Crumlin, Dublin 12.

After an unsuccessful trial at Fulham, he signed professional forms with English club Arsenal in 1983. He was signed as a centre-forward, but also had a brief spell as a centre-half for the Arsenal third team.{{cite news|title=Without targets what are Gunners?|work=The Sunday Times |date=22 December 1985|first=Brian|last=Glanville|author-link=Brian Glanville}} After scoring 18 goals in 18 reserve matches in the first half of the 1985–86 season, Quinn was included in the first-team squad for a match against Liverpool. Quinn scored in the match as Arsenal recorded a 2–0 win.{{cite web |url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/554/niall-quinn |title=Niall Quinn |publisher=Arsenal FC |access-date=28 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108035220/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/554/niall-quinn |archive-date=8 November 2012}} He made a further 11 league appearances for Arsenal that season, but failed to score as they finished seventh in the league.{{Cite web |url=http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/LeagueTables/Season1985-86/ClubResults/1985-86Arsenal.html |title=Footballsite - Arsenal results 1985/86 |access-date=6 February 2012 |archive-date=31 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731140931/http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/LeagueTables/Season1985-86/ClubResults/1985-86Arsenal.html |url-status=dead }} The end of the season brought Quinn his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland national team.{{cite news|title=Sport in brief: Quinn selected|work=The Times |date=20 May 1986}}

Quinn found himself playing under a new manager for the following season, as George Graham was appointed in place of Don Howe.{{cite web |url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/grahams-glory-years/george-graham-appointed-as-manager |title=George Graham appointed as manager | Graham's Glory Years | History | Arsenal.com |access-date=30 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208044503/http://www.arsenal.com/history/grahams-glory-years/george-graham-appointed-as-manager |archive-date=8 December 2015}} Quinn had a regular place in the side that season, appearing in 35 league games and scoring eight goals. He also collected a Football League Cup winner's medal as Arsenal triumphed 2–1 over Liverpool.{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/arsenal-s-league-cup-finals-a-history|title=Arsenal's League Cup Finals: A history|website=Arsenal.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617153436/http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/arsenal-s-league-cup-finals-a-history|archive-date=17 June 2016}} However, after Arsenal signed another target man, Alan Smith, in the 1987 close season,{{cite news|title=Graham happy as he keeps up pressure on the chosen|work=The Times |date=5 August 1987|first=Dennis|last=Signy}} Quinn struggled to get into the team. Over the next three seasons he managed a total of just 20 league appearances and five goals – his three appearances in 1988–89 not being enough for a title medal. Quinn's lack of opportunities led him to submit a written transfer request at the start of the 1989–90 season.{{cite news|title=Allen staying at Tottenham|work=The Times |date=2 August 1989|first=Dennis|last=Signy}} In total he scored 20 goals in 94 appearances for Arsenal, of which 81 were starts.

Manchester City manager Howard Kendall signed Quinn for £800,000 in March 1990, shortly before the transfer deadline.{{cite book |last=Penney |first=Ian |title=The Maine Road Encyclopedia |publisher=Mainstream |location=Edinburgh |year=1995 |isbn= 1-85158-710-1}} He marked his debut with a goal, in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea at Maine Road. He scored 22 times in his first full season, and he went on to spend six years at the club, scoring 78 goals in 245 appearances; his time at City was hampered by a cruciate ligament injury in 1993–94. Although he returned to the side the following season, he managed just eight goals from 35 games.

His most notable game for City was 20 April 1991 when he scored early on and saved a penalty as City beat Derby County 2–1, relegating Derby in the process.[http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,13854,1330963,00.html Who has saved and scored a penalty in the same match?], The Guardian, 20 October 2004 City goalkeeper Tony Coton had been sent off before half time for fouling Dean Saunders to concede the penalty. At this time teams rarely named goalkeepers as substitutes, so Quinn replaced Coton in goal. Other notable games included the Manchester derby on 7 November 1993, in which he scored twice in the first half to put City 2–0 up against United by half time, although a remarkable United comeback saw City lose 3–2.{{Cite web|url=https://www.11v11.com/matches/manchester-city-v-manchester-united-07-november-1993-21401/|title=Manchester City v Manchester United, 07 November 1993|website=11v11.com|access-date=2020-04-09}}

In the 1993 close season, Everton made a bid to sign Quinn and a further bid was made early in the 1993–94 season, but both bids were rejected and Quinn remained at Maine Road for a further three seasons.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hpkWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7xMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4885,638683&dq=howard+kendall&hl=en Quinn could lead exodus from Manchester City], New Straits Times, 2 September 1993. Retrieved 3 February 2012. A cruciate ligament injury sustained in a match against Sheffield Wednesday in November 1993 caused Quinn to miss the majority of the 1993–94 season, and prevented him from playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He returned at the start of the 1994–95 season, but the partnership forged by Uwe Rösler and Paul Walsh in his absence meant he was not always a starter. In an attempt to reduce the wage bill, Manchester City tried to sell Quinn in the 1995 close season, but a proposed move to Lisbon club Sporting fell through after failure to agree contractual terms.{{cite news| title=Sporting turn cool on Quinn |first=Don |last=Beet |work=The Guardian |page=21 |date=6 June 1995}}

He managed a total of 193 league appearances in over six years at Maine Road, and scored a total of 64 goals for them.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=43016|title = Football photographic encyclopedia, footballer, world cup, champions league, football championship, olympic games & hero images by sporting-heroes.net}}

File:Kevin Phillips & Niall Quinn.jpg; both players scored a combined 194 goals in all competitions within six seasons]]

Quinn finished his career with a highly successful spell at Sunderland, joining the north-east club in August 1996 for a club record £1.3 million, although he missed six months of his first season due to a knee injury – similar to the one which ruined his World Cup chances three years earlier. Before his injury, he had got off to a fine start to his Sunderland career, finding the net twice on his debut in a 4–1 win at Nottingham Forest. In his absence from September to March, Sunderland struggled and although he was back in action by the end of the season, they were relegated.[http://www.statbunker.com/football/btb/index.php?PL=match&MatchID=1745 Premier League 96/97 / Notts Forest vs Sunderland] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120910194248/http://www.statbunker.com/football/btb/index.php?PL=match&MatchID=1745 |date=10 September 2012 }}, Statbunker.com. Retrieved 3 February 2012.

His partnership with striker Kevin Phillips, signed in the 1997 close season, was one of the most prolific in the Football League in the late 1990s/early 2000s (a combined 194 goals for both players in all competitions from 1997–98 to 2002–03) and helped the club to regain promotion to the Premiership for the 1999–2000 season. In March 1999, Quinn again had to play in goal, this time replacing the injured Thomas Sørensen in a game against Bradford City. In similar circumstances to when playing for Manchester City against Derby County in 1991, Quinn scored and then went in goal, and kept a clean sheet to help his side win.{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-quinn-turns-his-talents-to-keeping-clean-1079672.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-quinn-turns-his-talents-to-keeping-clean-1079672.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Football: Quinn turns his talents to keeping clean |date=22 October 2011 |publisher=Independent |access-date=8 November 2019}} He also has the distinction of being the first player to score at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, against Manchester City in 1997. He quickly became a legend at Sunderland, winning both the Sunderland and North East Sportswriters' Player of the Year awards in 1999 after scoring 21 goals in Sunderland's record-breaking Division One title-winning season. His final appearance for Sunderland came on 19 October 2002 against West Ham United.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/2317775.stm|title=Sinclair flattens Black Cats|publisher=BBC|date=19 October 2002 |access-date=21 March 2010}}

In a league career lasting 17 years, he had played a total of 475 times in the Premier League and Football League, scoring 141 goals.

Quinn played in the qualifiers for the 1986 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship, and made his Irish international debut at under-17 level against Northern Ireland at Seaview in a 6–1 friendly win in January 1985, the first ever fixture between the two nations. Quinn scored a hat trick, as did Eamonn Dolan. However, Arsenal refused permission for Quinn to travel to the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championships.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}}

Quinn made his senior debut as a substitute against the host nation in the Iceland Triangular Tournament in 1986. Quinn played for his country at two World Cups, in 1990 and 2002; he missed the 1994 FIFA World Cup because of injury.{{cite web|url= https://www.the42.ie/niall-quinn-on-usa-94-4686559-Jun2019/|title ='My first memory is being so gutted to miss out... Man City wouldn't let me play'|date=18 June 2019|work=The 42|access-date=18 June 2019}} Quinn was also a member of the Irish squad that participated in the 1988 European Championship playing just once, as a substitute in the Republic of Ireland's 1–0 win over England in Stuttgart.

Quinn scored the equaliser against the Netherlands in the 1990 FIFA World Cup which allowed the Republic to progress to the second round of that tournament. In the qualifiers for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he scored against Cyprus on his 35th birthday to break the all-time goalscoring record, then held by Frank Stapleton. In the tournament proper, his header set up Robbie Keane's late equaliser against Germany, which was the only goal Germany conceded before the final. In the second-round, with the Republic behind 1–0 to Spain, it was a foul on Quinn that led to Ireland's last-minute penalty, converted by Robbie Keane, which tied the game and brought extra-time, but the Republic lost 3–2 in the resulting penalty shootout.

After the tournament, he announced his retirement from international football, amassing 92 caps. At the time, he was his country's all-time top scorer with 21 goals; this record was later surpassed by Robbie Keane in October 2004.

Quinn had a testimonial match between Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland in 2002. He donated the entire proceeds to charity, an act for which he received a number of awards, including an honorary MBE. Instead of receiving an appearance fee for the game, all the players received a letter from a sick child. Quinn played for both teams during the match, which raised over £1 million. The Republic of Ireland won the match 3–0.{{cite web |quote= The testimonial game, held at The Stadium of Light, Sunderland, raised more than £1 million |url= http://www.beaconfellowship.org.uk/biography2003_14.asp |title= Niall Quinn |work= Biography |publisher= Beacon Fellowship |access-date= 3 February 2012 |archive-date= 7 February 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120207140712/http://www.beaconfellowship.org.uk/biography2003_14.asp |url-status= dead }}

File:Quinn, Niall.jpg, 2008]]

File:Premier League and DEC unite to tackle famine (6344940162).jpg participate in a game of headers at 11 Downing Street, while schoolchildren from Gillespie Primary School look on, 2011]]

Quinn retired in 2003 at the age of 37, taking a brief coaching role at Sunderland. Quinn has also made appearances as a television pundit and commentator for televised matches involving his former teams with Sky Sports. He made a single league appearance for Thai Premier League side BEC Tero Sasana in March 2006 to promote the league and the side's link with Arsenal.{{cite web|title=Quinn to play for BEC Tero today|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/03/04/sport/sport_20001975.php|website=The Nation|access-date=22 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202212802/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/03/04/sport/sport_20001975.php|archive-date=2 February 2010}}

Quinn released an acclaimed autobiography Niall Quinn – The Autobiography (2002), which was ghostwritten by Tom Humphries. It won the Best Autobiography category in the inaugural British Sports Book Awards.{{cite web |title=Previous Winners |url=https://sportsbookawards.com/previous-winners/ |website=Sports Book Awards |access-date=29 March 2020}} It was also nominated for a William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/3038269/Autobiographies-dominate-shortlist.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Sarah | last=Edworthy | title=Autobiographies dominate shortlist | date=21 November 2002}} The book is not structured chronologically, but rather in the context of Quinn's career swansong, the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

A large portion of the proceeds from Quinn's 2002 testimonial match were donated to City Hospitals Sunderland to help fund the building of a new children's centre. The centre was subsequently named "The Niall Quinn Children's Centre" in his honour and Quinn officially opened it in 2004.{{cite news| url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/6982152.footballer-niall-opens-childrens-centre-built-testimonial-game/ | title=Footballer Niall opens children's centre built after testimonial game | date=6 August 2004 | access-date=1 November 2024}}{{cite news| url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/sunderland-echo/20120221/282892317572975?srsltid=AfmBOoqSb2Z5zNnX0GHRWHFwXhMSXthL6_qgZv6BeMTYP4REQJf1ElYD | title=Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions | date=21 February 2012 | access-date=1 November 2024}}

Heading the Drumaville Consortium of wealthy Irish businessmen, in June 2006, Quinn successfully brokered a deal to buy a controlling stake in Sunderland.{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060725/ai_n16640036 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210040529/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060725/ai_n16640036 | url-status=dead | archive-date=10 December 2008 | title=Football: Quinn set to take over as new Sunderland manager |first=Gordon |last=Tynan |newspaper=Independent |date=25 July 2006 }} In July, Quinn became the chairman and manager of Sunderland.{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/reluctant-quinn-will-step-in-to-manage-sunderland-409166.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/reluctant-quinn-will-step-in-to-manage-sunderland-409166.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | work=The Independent | location=London | title=Reluctant Quinn will step in to manage Sunderland | first=Gordon | last=Tynan | date=25 July 2006 | access-date=20 May 2010}} The deal was finalised on 27 July, with sufficient shares being sold to the consortium in order for them to take complete control.

His managerial career did not get off to a good start as Sunderland lost its first four league games in a row. On 22 August, Sunderland played Bury away in the League Cup where they lost 2–0.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/aug/23/match.sunderland | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Shakers make Sunderland quake as Quinn prepares to step aside | first=Stuart | last=James | date=23 August 2006 | access-date=20 May 2010}} After the match, Quinn said that a new manager would be appointed by Sunderland's next game. Quinn stepped to one side (to continue in his role as Sunderland chairman) paving the way for Roy Keane to take charge. This was highly unexpected considering the huge rift between the two arising from Keane's infamous ejection from the 2002 World Cup. Keane was appointed manager of the club on 28 August. The appointment matured into a great success, with Sunderland clinching an immediate Premier League comeback as Football League Championship champions. Quinn made substantial amounts of money available for buying new players, as he had a declared ambition to establish Sunderland as a top club.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

In 2008, he received the James Joyce Award of the Literary & Historical Society in University College Dublin.

In 2010, Quinn was named a patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.{{cite web|url=http://sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.blogspot.com/2010/11/niall-quinn-becomes-patron-of-sir-bobby.html |title=Niall Quinn Becomes A Patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation |publisher=Sir Bobby Robson Foundation |date=5 November 2010 |access-date=29 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827083219/http://sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.blogspot.com/2010/11/niall-quinn-becomes-patron-of-sir-bobby.html |archive-date=27 August 2011 |url-status=dead}}

In October 2011, Ellis Short replaced Quinn as chairman of Sunderland. Quinn was appointed as Director of International Development on behalf of the club{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/oct/03/niall-quinn-sunderland-ellis-short | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=New role for Niall Quinn as Ellis Short becomes Sunderland chairman | date=3 October 2011}} and remained in this role until stepping down in February 2012 and after six years involved with the running of the club saying "Everything is in place for Sunderland to really make a statement, which was always my aim".{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17094436|title=Niall Quinn quits Sunderland role after six years|publisher=BBC|date=20 February 2012 |access-date=20 February 2012}}

Since leaving Sunderland, Quinn is now chairman of a satellite broadband company in Ireland called Q Sat.{{cite web| url = http://www.qsat.ie| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110809091427/http://qsat.ie/| archive-date = 2011-08-09| title = Q Sat- Satellite Low Cost Broadband All Over Ireland}}

In 2012, Quinn started commentating for Sky Sports and normally commentates alongside Martin Tyler.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}

He won, also in 2012, the North East Football Writers' Association's Personality of the Year for 2011. In November 2013, Quinn was bestowed with the Freedom of Sunderland award by the city of Sunderland.

In January 2020, Quinn was appointed as interim deputy chief executive officer of the Football Association of Ireland, choosing to go without salary until the financial future of the organisation could be secured.{{Cite news |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2020/0123/1110444-niall-quinn-set-to-become-deputy-ceo-at-fai/ |title=Niall Quinn appointed interim deputy CEO at FAI |last=O'Donoghue |first=Tony |date=23 January 2020 |work=RTÉ Sport |access-date=24 January 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/its-for-a-fraction-of-what-the-old-gang-were-at-niall-quinn-to-defer-salary-as-fais-interim-deputy-ceo-38889640.html |title='It's for a fraction of what the old gang were at' - Niall Quinn to defer salary as FAI's interim deputy CEO |last=Bennett |first=Stephen |date=23 January 2020 |work=Irish Independent |access-date=24 January 2020 |language=en}} In September 2020 he stepped down from his interim CEO role.{{cite web|title=Niall Quinn steps down from FAI deputy interim CEO role|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/niall-quinn-steps-down-from-fai-deputy-interim-ceo-role-39509127.html|access-date=2020-09-07|website=independent}}

Quinn has his own song titled "Niall Quinn's Disco Pants". The song was originally created by Manchester City supporters during a night out on a pre-season tour in Penola, Italy, in 1992. There had been a bust-up with City team-mate Steve McMahon and Quinn had removed his torn and bloodied shirt and was dancing with Rick Holden wearing just a pair of cut-off jeans. He was "hardly aware" that there were a group of hardcore City fans watching and they treated him to "the first performance of the song that will follow me till the end of my career."Niall Quinn, The Autobiography (Headline Publishing, 2002), 182.

The song was adopted by Sunderland fans and released as a single by the club's dedicated fanzine A Love Supreme. It reached no. 56 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1999.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/apr/02/football.travel |title=Fans thrown off plane over Niall Quinn's Disco Pants |last=Gillan |first=Audrey |author-link=Audrey Gillan |date=2 April 2007|website=theguardian.com|access-date=5 July 2015}}

Quinn has received praise for his relationship with Sunderland fans. This was highlighted in March 2007 when, during his tenure as chairman, Quinn paid over £8,000 out of club funds to allow around 80 Sunderland fans to travel home by taxi when stranded at Bristol airport after being ejected from their scheduled flight home. The incident happened on Saturday night when Quinn, Sunderland staff and a group of supporters boarded an easyJet flight from Bristol to Newcastle, following Sunderland's 1–0 win at Championship promotion rivals Cardiff. After spotting Quinn, many of the fans broke into song, serenading Quinn with "Niall Quinn's Disco Pants".

The EasyJet pilot alleged that a number of supporters were drunk and they were ejected from the plane. Quinn, outraged at the fans' treatment, also left the plane and commandeered a fleet of taxis and minivans to return the fans home.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/6517635.stm | work=BBC News | title=Quinn pays bill for stranded fans | date=2 April 2007}}

Both Quinn's parents are from Thurles, County Tipperary.{{cite news |first=Declan |last=Bogue |title=What makes world beaters? |newspaper=Gaelic Life |date=4 September 2009}} His father as well as his uncles on his mother's side played hurling for Tipperary. He was born in Dublin. He now lives in Kildare. He has been married to the Irish model Gillian Roe since 1992,{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Andrea |title=How Niall Quinn made his most vital match |url=https://www.independent.ie/incoming/incoming_dailyfeed/how-niall-quinn-made-his-most-vital-match-26692524.html |access-date=31 May 2021 |work=Irish Independent |date=24 October 2010}} and they have two children: Aisling and Michael.{{cite news|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/quinn-familys-heartbreak-in-speed-tragedy-2956306.html|title=Quinn family's heartbreak in Speed tragedy|date=7 December 2011|access-date=7 December 2011|first=M|last=F|work=Evening Herald}}

In 2011, he also began investing €700,000 in the company behind Q Sat, a satellite broadband business. He went on to be the chairman of QSat, which provided internet service to 3000 homes in Ireland, but shut down in 2017.{{Cite web |date=19 May 2017 |title=Niall Quinn's QSAT broadband service shut down over dispute |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2017/0519/876502-niall-quinns-qsat-broadband-service-shut-down-over-dis/ |website=RTE News}}

In 2005, Quinn was banned for driving for three months and ordered to pay a €200 fine after admitting drink-driving.{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/former-soccer-star-loses-driving-licence-1.1182154 | title=Former soccer star loses driving licence | newspaper=The Irish Times }}

He is the founder and president of Team Taca, a private podcast that collaborates with soccer clubs to produce private and localised club podcasts.

:Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Quinn goal.

Arsenal

• Football League Cup: 1986–87{{cite web |url=https://www.11v11.com/matches/arsenal-v-liverpool-05-april-1987-31633/ |title=Arsenal v Liverpool, 05 April 1987 |website=11v11.com |publisher=AFS Enterprises |access-date=12 March 2020}}

Sunderland

• Football League First Division: 1998–99{{cite book |editor1-first=Glenda |editor1-last=Rollin |editor2-first=Jack |editor2-last=Rollin |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1999–2000 |year=1999 |publisher=Headline Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=978-0-7472-7627-2 |pages=32, 352–353}}

Individual

• Irish Young Player of the Year: 1990{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/1111/741092-niall-quinn-and-paul-mcgrath/|title=Soccer Awards for Niall Quinn and Paul McGrath 1990|website=RTE.ie}}
• Manchester City Player of the Year: 1991
• PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 First Division{{cite book |editor-first=Barry J. |editor-last=Hugman |title=The 1999–2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile |year=1999 |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=Harpenden |isbn=978-1-85291-607-7 |page=352}}
• Sunderland Player of the Year: 1999
• North East Football Writers' Player of 1999
• Beacon Fellowship Prize for his contribution to medical and children's charities, 2003[http://www.beaconfellowship.org.uk/2003_winners.asp Beacon Prize Winners 2003] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213233318/http://www.beaconfellowship.org.uk/2003_winners.asp |date=13 February 2012 }}. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
• PFA Merit Award: 2002
• North East Football Writers' Association's Personality of the Year: 2011{{cite web|url=http://footballwriters.co.uk/news/football-writers-prepare-to-honour-niall-quinn/|title=FOOTBALL WRITERS PREPARE TO HONOUR NIALL QUINN|website=Football Writers.co.uk}}
• Freedom of Sunderland award: 2013{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-24902620|title=Niall Quinn 'delighted' with freedom of Sunderland award|work=BBC News|date=11 November 2013}}

• List of outfield association footballers who played in goal
• List of players who have converted from one football code to another

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• {{Soccerbase}}
• {{soccerbase (manager)|id=2038|name=Niall Quinn}}
• [http://www.niall-quinn.com/ The Niall Quinn Living Tribute Site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060617212645/http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Archive/1%2C%2C-158%2C00.html Niall Quinn articles for The Guardian]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040507140835/http://www.discopants.freeserve.co.uk/ Fan site]

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{{1998–99 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}

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{{Republic of Ireland squad UEFA Euro 1988}}

{{Republic of Ireland squad 1990 FIFA World Cup}}

{{Republic of Ireland squad 2002 FIFA World Cup}}

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{{Sunderland A.F.C. managers}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Niall}}

Category:1966 births

Category:Living people

Category:Association footballers from Dublin (city)

Category:Arsenal F.C. players

Category:Manchester City F.C. players

Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players

Niall Quinn

Category:Premier League players

Category:English Football League players

Niall Quinn

Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players

Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players

Category:UEFA Euro 1988 players

Category:Businesspeople from Dublin (city)

Category:Dual players

Category:Eadestown Gaelic footballers

Category:English Football Hall of Fame inductees

Category:Gaelic footballers who switched code

Category:Gaelic games players from Dublin (city)

Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in England

Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in Thailand

Category:Manortown United F.C. players

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Men's association football forwards

Category:People educated at Drimnagh Castle Secondary School

Category:Republic of Ireland association football chairmen and investors

Category:Republic of Ireland association football managers

Category:Republic of Ireland expatriate association football managers

Category:Republic of Ireland men's association footballers

Category:Republic of Ireland men's international footballers

Category:Republic of Ireland men's B international footballers

Category:Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers

Category:Republic of Ireland men's under-23 international footballers

Category:Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers

Category:Robert Emmets Gaelic footballers

Category:Robert Emmets hurlers

Category:Sunderland A.F.C. directors and chairmen

Category:Sunderland A.F.C. managers

Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen