Pealling attended Haggerston School and was spotted by Arsenal Ladies manager Vic Akers during a five-a-side tournament when she was 13.
[1] At the time of her retirement in 2006,[2] Pealling was the club's longest serving player, the record appearance holder and had won the most trophies.
[5] When Jayne Ludlow retired in July 2013, the legendary Welsh midfielder paid tribute to "unsung hero" Pealling in an interview with the Arsenal website: "I should really thank Kirsty because when I was scoring 30 goals a season, it was mostly because of her crosses from the right wing.
However, Pealling and Joanne Broadhurst were controversially dropped from the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, with manager Ted Copeland saying "They are not international footballers at this level.
[9] She was allotted 99 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.