Stephen Robert Ward (born 20 August 1985) is a retired Irish professional footballer who played as a left-back and is currently assistant manager at Brackley Town.
Ward began his senior career with Bohemians in his native Ireland, before moving to English Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2007. Featuring regularly, he was part of their promotion to the Premier League two years later and played over 230 times for the club. Following consecutive relegation's though he was transfer listed and after spending the 2013–14 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion he eventually left to return to the Premier League with Burnley in 2014. He spent five seasons at Turf Moor making 113 appearances for the Clarets before joining Stoke City in June 2019. Following the end of his contract at Stoke City, Ward signed for Ipswich Town in August 2020. He spent one season at Ipswich before being released and joining Walsall in July 2021.
From 2011 until his retirement from international football in March 2019, he had been a regular member of the Republic of Ireland's international squads, and played at UEFA Euro 2012 and UEFA Euro 2016.
Ward received his first full call-up to the Republic of Ireland national team on 4 May 2011, for friendlies against Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia. He made his national team debut on 24 May 2011 in a Nations Cup game against Northern Ireland, where he opened the scoring in a 5–0 victory. Ward made his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland against Slovakia in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match, during which he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. Ward scored his second international goal in the second leg of the play-off for UEFA Euro 2012 against Estonia, sealing Ireland's place in their first major tournament since 2002 with an unprecedented 5–1 aggregate win.
Ward was picked in Trapattoni's 23-man squad for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine, going on to play in all three of their matches in the tournament before their group stage elimination.
He played in three of Ireland's four matches at Euro 2016 as the Boys in Green made the knockout stages, losing to France in the Round of 16.
He announced his retirement from international football on 14 March 2019 after missing out on the final squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia.
English Championship 2015-2016 Burnley | English Championship 2008-2009 Wolves |
2003-2007 |
2007-2014 |
2014-2019 |
2019-2020 |
2020-2021 |
2021-2022 |
2017-2019 |
| Bohemians | Appearances | Irish Premier Division | 2005 | 29 |
| Bohemians | Goals | Irish Premier Division | 2005 | 7 |