Jacobbi Tugman (born 3 October 2004) is a

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

er who plays for

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

NIFL Championship The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championsh ...

club Newington and the Cayman Islands national team.

Youth career

Tugman was a standout in the Cayman Islands youth football system. He competed in the CUC Primary Football League for Bodden Town Primary and was a regular scorer in the competition. The team reached the cup final in 2014. The following season he was his team's top goalscorer. In 2014 at age nine, Tugman was invited to a two-week trial with

Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football ...

after he was spotted by head coach Steve Foley during a visit to the islands. After a successful trial in August 2014, he was invited back for further testing. He returned in August 2015 and scored against an academy side of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. By 2016 Tugman had joined the academy of

Cayman Islands Premier League The Cayman Islands League is the top football league in the Cayman Islands, created in 1980. Despite being a league competition in CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCA ...

club

Academy SC Academy SC is an Cayman Islands amateur football club based in George Town which currently plays in Cayman Islands Premier League. Honours *CIFA Fosters First Division: (1) ** 2014–15 *Cayman Islands FA Cup The Cayman Islands FA Cup is ...

. That season Tugman was the lead scorer in a seven-a-side tournament hosted by the club. The following season the club went undefeated en route to winning the U13

Cayman Islands FA Cup The Cayman Islands FA Cup is the top knockout tournament of the Cayman Islands football. The cup was first known as the Schlitz Beer Cup and was donated by Jacques Scott. It was retired by Saprissa FC, the title holders from 1972 to 1974, and was ...

. Tugman scored two goals in the eventual 4–0 victory over

Sunset FC Sunset Football Club is a professional football club based in George Town, Cayman Islands George Town is the capital and largest city in the Cayman Islands, located on Grand Cayman. It was named after King George III. , the city had a popula ...

in the final. In summer 2017 Tugman returned to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

again for a trial period with

Barnet FC Barnet Football Club () is a professional association football club based in London Borough of Harrow, North West London. The team currently competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. The club was foun ...

and another stint with Ipswich Town.

Club career

By 2021 Tugman had joined

Leiston F.C. Leiston Football Club is a Association football, football club based in Leiston, Suffolk, England. They are currently members of the and play at Victory Road. History Established in 1880, the club was initially closely linked to the Richard G ...

of the

Southern League Premier Division The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and e ...

. He was part of both the reserve and senior sides. In 2022 the club advanced to the final of the

Suffolk Premier Cup The Suffolk Premier Cup is the top level football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ...

before ultimately falling to Ipswich Wanderers F.C. 0–1 with Tugman in the squad. Following his departure from Leiston in 2022, Tugman joined his brother

Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...

at Capel Plough of the

Suffolk and Ipswich Football League The Suffolk and Ipswich Football League is a football competition based in Suffolk, England. The league has a total of eight divisions; the Senior Division and Divisions 1–3 for first teams, three divisions (Leagues A, B and C) for reserve tea ...

. He made one first-team appearance during the season. In February 2023, Tugman went on trial with

CSM Alexandria Club Sportiv Municipal Alexandria, commonly known as CSM Alexandria or simply as Alexandria, is a Romanian professional football club based in Alexandria, Teleorman County, currently competes in Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian footbal ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Liga III The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. It was founded in 1936 and was called Divizia C until 2006. An exception was the seasons 1992–93 to 1996–97, in which the league was call ...

. During a training match against

CS Tunari Club Sportiv Tunari, commonly known as CS Tunari, or simply as Tunari, is a Romanian football club based in Tunari, Ilfov County, currently competes in Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian football. Founded in 1980, the club situated near ...

, he seriously injured a Tunari player which resulted in the match being abandoned and the player requiring surgery to repair

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

and

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

fractures. When the league resumed the following month, Tugman was part of the league roster but missed the first match against

ACS Flacăra Horezu Asociația Club Sportiv Viitorul Horezu, commonly known as Viitorul Horezu, or simply as Viitorul, is a Romanian football (soccer), football club originally from Horezu, Vâlcea County. The team currently competes in Liga IV Vâlcea, Liga IV – ...

through injury. That season the club won promotion to

Liga II The Liga 2, most commonly spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07 football season. It is currently Sponso ...

for the 2023–24 season. On 30 August 2023 Tugman made his competitive senior debut for the club in a

2023–24 Cupa României The 2023–24 Cupa României is the 86th season of the annual Romanian primary football knockout tournament. The winner will qualify for the first qualifying round of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League. It is the second season in which the Round o ...

match against

CS Concordia Chiajna Clubul Sportiv Concordia Chiajna, commonly known as Concordia Chiajna, is a Romanian professional football club based in Chiajna, Ilfov County, which competes in the Liga II. Founded in 1957, the team's best period was between 2011 and 2019, wh ...

. He started the match and played the first forty-five minutes of the eventual 1–0 victory. In the next round, Tugman assisted on a goal by

Adrian Gîdea Adrian Mihai Gîdea (born 13 March 2000) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga II club Bihor Oradea. Club career Gîdea made his debut for CFR Cluj on 22 December 2020, in a 0–0 Liga I draw with U Craiova. ...

to help earn an upset victory over

Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

club

FC Botoșani Asociația Fotbal Club Botoșani (), commonly known as FC Botoșani or simply Botoșani, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Botoșani, Botoșani County, that competes in the Liga I. In 2013, twelve years after being ...

on 2 November 2023. As of October 2023, Tugman had not appeared in a league match for the club, but continued to appear in cup and friendly matches. On 9 August 2024, it was announced that Tugman had joined Newington F.C. of

International career

Tugman received his first call-up to the Cayman Islands national team in March 2023 for a

2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League C The 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League C was the lowest division of the 2022–23 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League, the second season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 41 member associations ...

match away to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. He was an unused substitute in the match. Later that year, he and the other Caymanian player at clubs abroad had missed matches with the national team because of their distance. Tugman made his senior debut on 8 June 2023 in a 1–0 victory over

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada men's national soccer team, Canada, Mexico national football team, Mexico, and the United States men's national soccer team, United States at the 2026 FIFA ...

. The victory was the Cayman team's first-ever win in World Cup qualification. Early in the second half of the match, Tugman took a shot that hit the crossbar for a near goal.

International career statistics

References

External links

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NIFL profileLeiston FC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tugman, Jacobbi 2004 births Living people Men's association football forwards Caymanian men's footballers Caymanian expatriate men's footballers Cayman Islands Premier League players Liga II players CSM Alexandria footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Caymanian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Cayman Islands men's youth international footballers Cayman Islands men's international footballers 21st-century British sportsmen