Jamie Searle (born 25 November 2000) is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for National League club Forest Green Rovers. He was part of the New Zealand squad in the football competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics and made his senior debut in March 2022.[2][3][4] Searle played senior football for his local side Melville United while still a teenager, earning an academy place at Aston Villa after a trial, before spells at Swansea City and Barnsley.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jamie Spencer Searle | ||
| Date of birth | 25 November 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Whakatāne, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Forest Green Rovers | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2015 | Whakatāne Town | ||
| 2016 | Cambridge FC | ||
| 2017–2018 | Melville United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Melville United | 3 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Swansea City | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Barnsley | 1 | (0) |
| 2023– | Forest Green Rovers | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021 | New Zealand U-23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022– | New Zealand | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:54, 16 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2022 | |||
Early life
editSearle was born in 2000 in Whakatāne, and played for Whakatāne Town, Tauranga City and Cambridge FC in his early years. He completed his secondary education at St Peter's School in Cambridge, south-east of Hamilton.[5]
Club career
editMelville United and Aston Villa
editSearle began to play for the first team of Melville United during his time at school, making three appearances over three years.[5]
Searle's manager at Melville United, Sam Wilkinson, organised a month-long trial with Aston Villa, and after impressing in friendly matches he signed his first professional contract in August 2019.[6] For the first half-year, either his father or his mother was living with him in Birmingham; during the COVID-19 pandemic he lived on his own.
Swansea City
editAfter his time at Aston Villa, Searle trialled for Blackpool, Sunderland and Swansea City; in July 2020, he signed a one-year contract with Swansea.[7][5] On 15 June 2021, he signed a one-year extension, with a club option to extend for another season.[8] He was released by Swansea City at the end of his contract on 30 June 2022.[9]
Barnsley
editOn 16 June 2022, Searle agreed to join League One club Barnsley on a two-year deal upon the expiration of his Swansea City contract.[10][11]
International career
editSearle was a member of the New Zealand Olympic football team at the Tokyo 2020 games but did not play in their run to the quarter-finals.[12][2] Searle made his debut for the senior New Zealand side in March 2022, playing the full 90 minutes in a World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Jamie Searle". Barnsley F.C. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Jamie Searle". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Goodman, Eric (7 July 2021). "Tokyo Olympics Men's Soccer Preview – Group B (South Korea, Honduras, New Zealand, Romania)". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Grounds, Ben (15 July 2021). "Football at Olympics Tokyo 2020: Which Premier League stars are heading to the Games?". SkySports. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ a b c Nash, Mathew (12 July 2021). "Whakatane goalkeeper's Olympic dream". SunLive. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Ireland, Shane (9 August 2019). "'Journey has just started' Aston Villa have made this signing". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Shanks, Katee (9 August 2019). "Whakatāne footballer signs with English club Aston Villa". The Daily Post. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Jamie Searle signs new Swansea City contract | Swansea".
- ^ "SWANSEA CITY CONFIRM RETAINED LIST". Swansea City F.C. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "JAMIE SEARLE JOINS THE REDS". www.barnsleyfc.co.uk. 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Barnsley sign New Zealand goalkeeper Searle" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Jamie Searle". New Zealand Olympic Team. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand 7-1 New Caledonia (Mar 24, 2022) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 26 September 2023.