Jake Billy Doyle-Hayes (born 30 December 1998) is an Irish professional

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

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for club

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 ...

. He has represented

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

as a youth international. Doyle-Hayes is a product of the

Aston Villa Academy The Aston Villa Under-21s, formerly known as Aston Villa Reserves and Aston Villa Under-23s, are the most senior youth development team of Aston Villa and compete in Premier League 2, the EFL Trophy and the Birmingham Senior Cup in the 2024–2 ...

and spent six years at the club, making appearances in the

Football League 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 ...

in 2017 and 2018 before loan spells at

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...

and

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

, he left Villa in June 2020. After a season with St Mirren, he signed for

Hibernian Hibernian may refer to: * Of Hibernia, Latin name for Ireland; hence ** Irish (disambiguation) Hibernian, Hibernians or The Hibernian may refer to: Sports clubs * Hibernian F.C., a Scottish football club, founded 1875 * Hibernian W.F.C., a Sc ...

in June 2021. Doyle-Hayes was released by Hibernian in January 2025 following persistent injuries, and he then returned to Irish football with Sligo Rovers.

Club career

Aston Villa

In his early teens, he was spotted by scouts while playing for Cavan-Monaghan, a regional representative side. There was interest from

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

and Chelsea but he ultimately chose Aston Villa where former Ireland captain

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...

was the assistant manager. Doyle-Hayes made his debut for Aston Villa in the League Cup on 22 August 2017, starting the match in midfield in a 4-1 victory over

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 ...

. On 5 September 2017 Doyle-Hayes agreed a new three-year contract with the club. On 31 January 2019, Doyle-Hayes joined

on a 6-month loan. However, he struggled to cement a place in the first team due to injury and international call-ups and only made 6 appearances. On 1 August 2019, Doyle-Hayes joined

EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...

side

on a season-long loan. He impressed Cheltenham fans immediately, and was voted player of the month for August. Doyle-Hayes scored his first ever goal at senior level on 17 September 2019, in a 3-2 victory over

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

. On 25 June 2020, Doyle-Hayes was released by Aston Villa.

St Mirren

On 3 November 2020, Doyle-Hayes signed a short-term contract with

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

side St Mirren, due to last until the end of the 2020–21 season. Doyle-Hayes explained that while he had had "a lot of interest" since leaving Aston Villa, the opportunity to work with manager

Jim Goodwin James Michael Goodwin (born 20 November 1981) is an Irish football manager and former player who is the manager of Dundee United. Goodwin had a playing career from 2000 to 2019 in Scotland and England, playing in a defensive role with Celtic, ...

excited him the most. Doyle-Hayes made his debut on 6 November 2020, in a 0-0 draw in the Scottish Premiership against

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...

. Doyle-Hayes scored his first goal in the Scottish Premiership on 22 November 2020, in a 1–0 victory at

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

. He made 30 appearances in total for St Mirren, before choosing to leave the club at the end of his contract.

Hibernian

Doyle-Hayes signed a two-year contract with

in June 2021. He played regularly for the team during his first season with the club, and he signed an extended contract in November 2021. On 19 February 2022, Doyle-Hayes scored both goals in a 2–0 win against Ross County in the

. Hibs accepted an offer from

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

for Doyle-Hayes in December 2022, but he rejected that proposal. His appearances over the next two seasons were limited by persistent injuries, and he was released from his contract in January 2025. In May 2025, Doyle-Hayes began court proceedings against Hibernian due to an ankle injury caused by then manager Lee Johnson during a training session.

Sligo Rovers

On 13 February 2025, Doyle-Hayes signed for

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...

for the upcoming

2025 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2025 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the 41st season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its ...

season.

Exeter City

On 1 August 2025, Doyle-Hayes joined

EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...

side

for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal. Doyle-Hayes was given the number 31 shirt which is reserved for the clubs "1931 Fund Player" which is a player part funded by the supporters.

Legal issues

In May 2025, Doyle-Hayes began legal action against Hibernian, after a tackle from his then manager Lee Johnson during a training match left Doyle-Hayes requiring surgery, which he claimed had "greatly restricted" his subsequent career.

Career statistics

Honours

Aston Villa U23s * Premier League Cup: 2018–19

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle-Hayes, Jake 1998 births Living people Aston Villa F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players St Mirren F.C. players Scottish Professional Football League players English Football League players Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Association footballers from County Cavan Men's association football midfielders People from Ballyjamesduff Hibernian F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players League of Ireland players 21st-century Irish sportsmen Exeter City F.C. players