David John Foley (born 12 May 1987) 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 ...
. He played in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for
Hartlepool United and in the
North American Soccer League for the
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
and the
Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
Known for being captain of The Westoe F.C.
Career
England
Foley was trained as a scholar in
Hartlepool United's youth academy. As a scholar, he represented the
first team on several occasions and became Hartlepool's youngest ever player when he came on as a substitute against
Port Vale at the age of 16. Foley also played a key role in Hartlepool's Under 19s Dallas Cup winning team in 2004. During his time at the club Foley failed to score a league goal. However, he was more successful in cup competitions, scoring seven goals, most notably against
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Sto ...
which earned Hartlepool a famous 2–0 victory in 2009.
When his first-team appearances started to become limited Foley joined
Conference National
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
side
Barrow
Barrow may refer to:
Places
England
* Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area
** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)
* Barrow, Cheshire
* Barrow, Gloucestershire
* Barro ...
on a month's loan in August 2009, he played three times but failed to score.
North America
In February 2010 Foley's Hartlepool contract was cancelled so he could join the
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
. After playing for the team throughout the 2010 pre-season, he made his debut for the team on 16 April 2010, in a
2010 CFU Club Championship
The 2010 CFU Club Championship was the 12th edition of the CFU Club Championship, the annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean Football ...
game against
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an team
Racing des Gonaïves.
Foley signed with the
Fort Lauderdale Strikers in January 2013. He dressed in 5 games for the club and scored 2 goals before picking up a season-ending injury. On 10 March 2014, the Strikers announced that the club and Foley had officially parted ways by mutual agreement.
Return to England
After leaving Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Foley returned to England, and in June 2015 he joined hometown club South Shields on a free transfer. He scored on his competitive debut for the club on 8 August, but it was not enough to prevent a 3–2 defeat against
Northallerton Town in the Northern League Division Two. He netted again for the Mariners three days later, with his stunning 25-yard volley sealing a 3–2 win against
Billingham Town after Shields had earlier found themselves 2–0 down with 12 minutes to play. He also scored in Shields' next game, notching the opener in a 6–0 win over
Darlington Railway Athletic
Darlington Railway Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Darlington, England. They are currently members of the and play at Brinkburn Road.
History
The club was formed after World War I and initially played in the Darlington & Dist ...
. He suffered a hamstring injury against
Heaton Stannington on 18 August, and returned as a substitute in a win over
Ryhope Colliery Welfare on 6 October.
He went on to play a key part in a successful season for the Mariners, as they gained promotion to Division One of the Northern League as champions.
In June 2017, Foley turned down a new contract at South Shields to join
National League 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 Sy ...
side
Spennymoor Town
Spennymoor Town Football Club is a football club based in Spennymoor, County Durham, in the North East of England. They currently compete in and currently play their home matches at The Brewery Field.
The club began playing in the Northern L ...
, indicating his desire to play at a higher level. He scored eight league goals in total for Spennymoor. However, on 6 September 2018, Foley re-joined South Shields. On 31 October 2019 it was confirmed, that Foley had left the club for final time due to work commitments.
South Shields FC announce David Foley has left the club
shieldsgazette.com, 31 October 2019
Honours
Club
Hartlepool United
*League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Le ...
runners-up: 2006–07
Puerto Rico Islanders
* USSF Division 2 Pro League
The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding ...
: 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* CFU Club Championship
The Caribbean Club Championship, also known as the CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup, was an annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). ...
: 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, 2011
South Shields
* Northern League Northern League may refer to:
Sport
Baseball
* Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971
* Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...
Division Two champions: 2015–16
References
External links
In The Mad Crowd profile
Vital Hartlepool Profile: David Foley
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, David
1987 births
Living people
Footballers from South Shields
English footballers
Association football forwards
Association football midfielders
Hartlepool United F.C. players
Barrow A.F.C. players
Puerto Rico Islanders players
Fort Lauderdale Strikers players
South Shields F.C. (1974) players
Spennymoor Town F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
USSF Division 2 Professional League players
North American Soccer League players
Northern Football League players
English expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Puerto Rico
British expatriates in Puerto Rico