Kofi Ashton Shaw (born 4 December 2006) is an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for club

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

Career

Born in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, Shaw joined the

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

academy at the under-7s age group before being released eight years later. Following his release, he joined

, reportedly drawing interest from

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

clubs in December 2022 following an impressive

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

performance against

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...

. At the 2023–24 end of season awards, Shaw was named as Rovers' Under-18s Player of the Season. The following week, he was rewarded with a first senior appearance, replacing Luke Thomas in a final-day 2–0 defeat to

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

. Having remained in the first-team picture over pre-season, Shaw made his first appearance of the 2024–25 season in an

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

First Round defeat to

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

, replacing

Promise Omochere Promise Osazee Omochere (born 18 October 2000) is an Irish professional football player who plays as a forward for club Bristol Rovers. Career Bohemians Omochere joined the Bohemians senior team in 2018 after spending time with their academy. ...

in the second-half. The following week, on his first senior start, he scored a first senior goal in a 3–3

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...

Group Stage draw with Tottenham Hotspur U21, his performance improving manager Matt Taylor. In September 2024, he once again was reported to be of interest to Premier League sides with

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

and

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

reportedly monitoring his development alongside

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

. On 21 October 2024, Shaw signed a new contract until June 2027, before joining

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

side

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...

on loan until January 2025. On 21 December 2024, he scored a first goal for the club with the equaliser in an eventual 2–1 defeat to

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...

. Aged 18 years and 17 days, he become the club's second youngest ever goalscorer. On 10 January 2025, his loan was extended for the remainder of the season. On 18 February 2025, he was recalled from his loan. Following his recall, new manager

Iñigo Calderón Íñigo Calderón Zapatería (born 4 January 1982) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right-back, currently a manager. He played for Alicante and Alavés in Spain, joining Brighton & Hove Albion in 2010 and going on t ...

revealed that he was a big fan of Shaw and promised he would "have his minutes". Following a run of starts in the first-team, he became a key member of the first-team squad in the eyes of the management team, once again being linked with clubs in the Premier League. Despite the club's continuing struggles on the pitch, Shaw himself was nominated for the 2025 League One Apprentice of the Season, losing out to Jake Richards of

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

. Following relegation, he was named as the club's Young Player of the Year.

Personal life

Born in England, Shaw is of Ghanaian descent.

Career statistics

Honours

Individual *

Young Player of the Year: 2024–25

References

External links

Kofi Shaw
at Bristol Rovers F.C. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Kofi Living people 2006 births Footballers from Gloucester English men's footballers English people of Ghanaian descent Men's association football midfielders Bristol Rovers F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players