"Thirty is a nice round number, we will finish there."
Kelly Bailie is preparing for her 30th and final season at Glentoran, a club she has represented since the age of 16.
In the close to three decades since her debut, the now 46-year-old has made over 750 appearances for the club, won over 30 trophies (including 13 league titles) and represented Northern Ireland 56 times.
Bailie has spent more consecutive seasons at the east Belfast side than the likes of Sait Altınordu at Altınordu S.K (27 years), Francesco Totti at Roma (25 years) and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United (24 years) and was shocked to learn she was among the longest-serving one-club players.
"I wouldn't even have been thinking about that until you mentioned it. It's hitting home, 30 years, I don't want to say you take it for granted, but I've never thought about it and when you do, that's some massively big players who have done some big things in world football, it's nuts," she told BBC Sport NI's Nicola McCarthy.
"Everything is surreal, you don't grow up and think this is what I want to do. I never expected anything like that. I'm extremely proud of it and entirely grateful for it all."
'The club, the environment, the people' key to Bailie's longevity
Bailie started at Glentoran when it was still called Belfast United, as a nimble left winger but she has since transitioned into a no-nonsense defender in the twilight years of her career.
She has won every domestic trophy possible, but when asked what the main driving factors behind staying at the Glens for so long she said it was "the club, the environment and the people".
Having admitted she contemplated going out on a high and retiring last year after Glentoran pipped Cliftonville to the Women's Premiership title, she confirmed that this year is "definitely" the end and has reflected fondly on all she has achieved for club and country.
"Lucky enough I haven't had any serious injuries, I know some players have had horrific injuries and difficult times," she added.
"The other thing is I'm pretty determined, so when I put my mind to something I'm all in and that's what I've done this year.
"I didn't even know there was a Northern Ireland team, I never went into football thinking I want to play for Northern Ireland, I just wanted to play football. You got the call-up and it was just surreal. It was hampered a little by work-life balance, you had to get it off work [for games] but I can't believe I got 56 [caps]."
Despite not starting every game for Glentoran, who are now managed by her former teammate Kim Turner, Bailie remains the consummate professional and scored highly in the club's pre-season running and strength testing.
In order to continue playing at the highest level well into her 40s, Bailie knows the importance of looking after herself off the pitch and prioritising good sleep and nutrition for recovery.
"I'm better at it now than I ever was because the game has developed. I would have went out on a Saturday night and showed up for training on Sunday morning!" she joked.
"When you're young it didn't phase you, now, I'm quite disciplined, I'll be in bed for 10pm and get my sleep, I'll eat right as much as possible and when we get programmes, I'll go to the gym and do them or I wouldn't be sitting here.
"When you're younger you can get away with cheating it a little bit but when you're older you can't."
'Players should feel so lucky because they're being given all the tools'
Bailie has witnessed the rapid growth of women's football in recent years and said it is in a markedly different place to when she started playing in the mid 1990s.
"When I look back, for quite a while, we were begging for pitches, we were lucky if a referee turned up, if they didn't your coaches did a half each and we were playing 40 minutes a half," she explained.
"Over time, bit by bit, that's developed, now we have analysis, nutrition, gym programmes and strength and conditioning coaches.
"Now players should feel so lucky because they're being given all the tools. It's amazing the game has grown as it has."
Bailie was the first woman inducted into the Glentoran Hall of Fame in 2025 and while not sure what she will do once she eventually hangs up the boots, she knows she will want to stay involved with the club and inspire the next generation.
"I don't know what happens next, I have to figure out how to do life because you're so conditioned in football.
"I will have to do something with the club, people ask me but I just don't know what that is yet, 100% I'll be about, but as a player, you have to know when to stop chasing the 18-year-olds around the pitch!"
