Netan Nico Sansara (born 3 August 1989) 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 ...

who plays as a defender for

Råde Råde is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Karlshus. The parish of ''Raade'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The neighbouring ...

. He has previously played for

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

, Dundee,

AFC Telford United AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, they ...

Corby Town Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park. History The club was established in 1948, taking over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team ...

PAEEK FC PAEEK ( el, ΠΑΕΕΚ; short for Ποδοσφαιρική Αθλητική Ένωση Επαρχίας Κερύνειας, ''Podosfairiki Athlitiki Enosi Eparxeias Kerynias'', translated as "Football and Sport Union of Kyrenia District", lite ...

FC Vestsjælland FC Vestsjælland, also known as FCV Vikings, was a professional Danish association football club that played in the Danish 1st Division until its closure in 2015. They played their home matches at Harboe Arena Slagelse in Slagelse, which has a c ...

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the ...

and

FC Edmonton FC Edmonton was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club was founded in 2010 and competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 to 2017. The club went on hiatus when NASL ceased competitive operat ...

Early life

Sansara was born in

Darlaston Darlaston is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is located near Wednesbury and Willenhall. Topography Darlaston is situated between Wednesbury and Walsall in the valley of the Riv ...

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

. His parents were born in Britain and are of Indian descent. He grew up there, playing for his local team Darlaston Town. As a child he attended Pinfold Street Primary School and Darlaston Community Science College School; he played for all school football teams. He also represented his county, the Staffordshire district. During his time in the

youth team Sansara completed A-levels in Psychology, Physical Education and Biology.

Club career

Walsall

Sansara made his Walsall debut on 9 August 2008 in the

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

game with

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

which ended in a 1–1 draw. Having come through the youth ranks at Walsall, he was handed a professional contract at the age of 17, by then Walsall manager

Richard Money Richard Money (born 13 October 1955) is an English former footballer and manager who was most recently manager of National League club Hartlepool United. Before this, he managed Cambridge United, overseeing the side's return to the Football Leag ...

, after impressing him during youth team and reserve team games. Sansara made his professional debut the following season by newly appointed Walsall manager Jimmy Mullen against

. He said, "I thought he did well. But he's played well against Aston Villa and Wolves in pre-season, as well as other teams when Boertien wasn't available. I've given him his debut and he'll look back when he's 35 and say 'Jimmy Mullen gave me an opportunity'. He might even thank me one day! But I thought he was excellent – very good." At the start of the 2009–10 season, Sansara was handed the squad number three, by manager Chris Hutchings. However, during a pre-season friendly in July 2010 against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

, Sansara's progress was halted due to an ankle ligament injury sustained in a tackle with Greg Halford. He made a return to action for his first start away at

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

in October 2009. The Saddlers lost 2–1. Sansara went on to make another 19 appearances during the 2009–10 season.

Dundee, AFC Telford and Corby

The start of August 2010, saw Sansara make five appearances for Dundee in the Scottish First Division. Following his release by Dundee in October he joined

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...

on trial but failed to earn a deal and joined

on a non-contract basis deal. He left the club without making an appearance and finished the season with

PAEEK

In July 2011, it had been announced that Sansara had signed for Cypriot side

. It had been revealed that Sansara had also received other offers during the summer but was to have been quoted stating he thought this move was the best for the development of his career. On 17 September 2011, in the opening game of the season, Sansara made his debut for

. He completed the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over

Ethnikos Assia Ethnikos Assia Football Club ( el, Εθνικός 'Ασσιας) is a Cypriot football team currently playing in the Cypriot Second Division The Cypriot Second Division ( el, Πρωτάθλημα Β΄ Κατηγορίας) is the second highe ...

. In December 2011 it was announced that Sansara was offered a new deal by

after a string of impressive displays in defence for the Cypriot side. Sansara helped

to finish in fourth place. He made 26 appearances out of 27, missing only one game through suspension after picking up five bookings. His performances for

saw him shortlisted for the Player of the Year award at the inaugural Asian Football Awards, which took place at Wembley Stadium in January 2012. Sansara was offered a new contract in Dec 2011 and was said to be considering his options at the end of the 2011–12 campaign.

FC Vestsjælland

In July 2012 it was announced that Sansara had joined Danish First Division club

after rejecting a new two-year contract offered by former Cypriot club PAEEK. Sansara signed a one-year deal with the Danish club. On 8 August, Sansara made his

debut against

Hobro IK Hobro Idræts Klub () is a professional association football club based in the town of Hobro, Denmark, that competes in the 1st Division, the second tier of the Danish football league system. Founded in 1913, it is known by the short names 'Hob ...

, playing the full 90 minutes. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.

Boston United

In June 2013 Sansara turned down the chance to return to

after helping them win promotion to the Danish superliga. In July 2013 Sansara joined

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...

side

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...

Stourbridge FC

In January 2014 Sansara joined Calor League Southern Premier Division club Stourbridge FC despite impressing he left the club for personal reasons in June 2014

Fredrikstad

In July 2014 Sansara again made the move abroad this time to Norwegian first division club

. Sansara made his debut in the club's first game back after the summer break playing the full 90 minutes against Bryne FK. On 8 September 2014, Sansara signed a new two-year deal with the Norwegian club until 2016. The defender impressed immensely in his first eight games for the club, he scored three times. On 27 February 2015 it was announced that Sansara was made first team captain of

for the coming season.

FC Edmonton

On 9 February 2017, Sansara joined with

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

side

Gefle IF

On 26 January 2018, Sansara joined Swedish second-tier side Gefle.

IL Hødd

On 13 February 2019, Sansara joined

2. divisjon The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

side Hødd on a two-year deal. After the 2019 season Sansara was named in the

team of the year, voted as one of the best players in the league that season. Ahead of the 2021 season Sansara signed for 4. divisjon club

Råde IL Råde Idrettslag is a Norwegian sports club from Råde, Østfold. It has sections for association football, race walking, team handball, floorball, tennis, volleyball, speed skating and skiing. History The club was founded on 29 March 1929 as ...

, also being employed in the club with marketing, events and coach development.

International career

Sansara was called up by the England national under-18 team in March 2007, for their match with the Netherlands.

Personal life

Sansara worked with the

Professional Footballers' Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members. The aims of ...

(PFA) to try to increase the number of British Asians taking up a career in professional football, and has attended meetings with the PFA to achieve this goal. He is also an ambassador for Kick It Out (Lets Kick Racism Out of Football), when appointed Sansara was quoted "I have been working closely with the Kick It Out campaign for a while now, and I look forward to continuing to assist the work. I hope to act as a role model to the next generation of young British Asian talent." In January 2012, Sansara was nominated for the Asian player of the year award 2012 at the Asian Football Awards. The event held at Wembley stadium and supported by Kick It Out (Lets Kick Racism Out Of Football) and

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

. He was nominated alongside players such as

Zesh Rehman Zeshan Rehman ( ur, ; born 14 October 1983) is an English-born Pakistani former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is currently U18 coach and acting assistant coach at Portsmouth FC. He was the first British Asian to start ...

and

Michael Chopra Rocky Michael Chopra (born 23 December 1983) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a striker for West Allotment Celtic. A product of the Newcastle United youth system, he spent six years at the club without managing to se ...

. In May 2013, Sansara was crowned the British Indian Awards sports personality of the year after a season with Danish team

. Sansara beat England cricketers

Ravi Bopara Ravinder Singh Bopara (born 4 May 1985) is an English cricketer who plays for Sussex County Cricket Club in one day cricket. Originally a top-order batsman, his developing medium pace bowling has made him a batting all rounder in the one day ...

and

Monty Panesar Mudhsuden Singh "Monty" Panesar (born 25 April 1982) is a former English international cricketer. A left-arm spinner, Panesar made his Test cricket debut in 2006 against India in Nagpur and One Day International debut for England in 2007. In E ...

to the award.

Career statistics

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sansara, Netan 1989 births Living people People from Darlaston Sportspeople from the West Midlands (county) English footballers England youth international footballers English expatriate footballers Association football defenders English people of Indian descent British sportspeople of Indian descent British Asian footballers Darlaston Town F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Dundee F.C. players AFC Telford United players Corby Town F.C. players PAEEK players FC Vestsjælland players Boston United F.C. players Fredrikstad FK players FC Edmonton players Gefle IF players English Football League players Scottish Football League players National League (English football) players Cypriot Second Division players Danish 1st Division players Norwegian First Division players North American Soccer League players Superettan players Expatriate footballers in Cyprus Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate footballers in Norway Expatriate soccer players in Canada Expatriate footballers in Sweden English expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus English expatriate sportspeople in Denmark English expatriate sportspeople in Norway English expatriate sportspeople in Canada English expatriate sportspeople in Sweden