Meet Tara, the viral Peterborough Women’s star who has very different day job

WHENEVER Tara Mae Kirk scores for Peterborough United, which is seemingly every week, she goes viral online.

The former Leicester striker, 20, bagged a brace at the weekend for the Posh in a 10-0 rout of Long Buckby in the Northants County Cup.

But, regardless of the tidy finish, there was something even more impressive with her first goal - and it came in the form of the club's goal announcement.

Astonishingly, a post addressing the minute of the strike, while sharing a glam photo of the pretty brunette, has now attracted over 5 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter.

And this is a regular occurrence, with millions turning Tara into a cult figure in the women's football world.

She recently appeared on YouTuber Joe Weller's channel, where she challenged the social media star's football skills.

Away from the pitch, she lives a very different life.

Tara loves travelling and spent her summer trekking around Asia.

Football

Goalscorer Tara began her football dream at girlhood club Leicester City when she was just seven.

She would later make her debut for The Foxes against Reading in 2019.

Around the same time, Ireland gave her an international call-up when she was just 16.

But last season she began a new chapter in her career.

Peterborough United snapped her up ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

She would go on to become the club's topscorer in the FA Women's National League in her first year.

The goals have continued to flow for the prolific forward.

Speaking about her own game, Kirk revealed: "I'm quick off the mark, quite sneaky inside the box and unpredictable, but my main aim when I'm on the pitch is to find the back of the net."

And she has become a viral sensation online, thanks to the club's goal announcements.

Her two goal announcements revealed on X have drawn over five million for her first, 2.6 for her second at current time of writing.

Previously, fans called for her to receive a nomination for the Puskas Award following a wonder strike against Lincoln City.

Fun

Her new found fame online has made Tara a catch for YouTubers.

Most recently, Joe Weller - who boasts a social media channel with 5.3 million followers - invited her on to showcase her skills.

They challenged each other to a variety of skills.

Tara, wearing a Brazil strip, took on Joe in a one-on-one challenge, free kicks and penalties.

Uploaded eight days ago, it has been watched 290,000 times.

The 10-minute clip gave Tara the chance to show off her amazing football ability.

She also gave Joe a run for his money, beating him in the penalty shootout game.

Day job

Playing for semi-pro Peterborough is a part-time gig for Tara.

Outside of football, she works in event management - gaining her qualification at Champions UK plc.

She recently graduated from Loughborough University with a BTEC in business, management, marketing and retailed support services.

Before that, she worked as a hostess at her beloved Leicester City.

While one of her first jobs was as a waitress at the Crown Inn pub in Leicestershire.

Jet-set life

Regardless of her part-time status, when it comes to holidays Tara certainly enjoys herself.

This summer, she went exploring Asia.

She took in Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka - soaking up the sun on her travels.

She took in sights including the Sigiriya Rock and Phi Phi islands for some diving fun.

Earlier in the summer, Tara also visited Istanbul and enjoyed seeing the stunning architecture of the Old City.

As she continues to gain more fame as an influencer, expect those troops to become even more glam.