Scott van-der-Sluis (born 9 January 2001) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

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

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. In 2023, he appeared as a contestant on the tenth series of '' Love Island'' and the fifth series of '' Love Island USA'', as well as the spin-off '' Love Island Games''.

Club career

Early career

Van-der-Sluis signed for

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 ...

as an eight-year-old in 2009. A boyhood

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

fan, he moved to the Reds' academy in 2010 and spent five seasons with the club. After leaving Liverpool in 2015, Van-der-Sluis joined

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

and moved to

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

for four years, leaving at the expiration of his contract in 2019. He also played in the English non-league system, for

Northwich Victoria Northwich is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. It lies on the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers River Weaver, Weaver and River Dane, Dane, east of Chester, south of Warr ...

, Runcorn Linnets and Merthyr Town.

Bangor City

In 2021, Van-der-Sluis came back to his native

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

and signed for

Cymru Leagues The Cymru Leagues is an umbrella name for the top two tiers of the Welsh football league system. It consists of the Cymru Premier at Tier 1, as well as the Cymru North and Cymru South at the second tier. Tier 1 The Cymru Premier is the national ...

club

Bangor City Bangor City Football Club () was a Welsh football club from the City of Bangor, Gwynedd. Founded in 1876, Bangor City have been founder members of the North Wales Coast League, the Welsh National League, the North Wales Combination, the W ...

, quickly establishing himself as club-captain. However, following a

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; ) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, its Wales women's national football team, correspo ...

league suspension that stopped the club from playing matches, Van-der-Sluis left the club in early 2022.

Shelbourne

On 16 June 2022, Van-der-Sluis signed for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

club Shelbourne. On 26 August 2022, he made his debut for Shelbourne, keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

win against Bonagee United. On 30 November 2022, he renewed his contract with Shelbourne for the upcoming 2023 season. In June 2023, it was announced that he had left the club without making a league appearance, in order to participate on ''Love Island''; Shelbourne manager

Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player. He is the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C., Shelbourne. He began his pro ...

said Van-der-Sluis would not be returning to the club.

International career

He has represented

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

at U15, U16 and U17 level a total of 10 times, winning the Victory Shield in 2015.

Personal life

Van-der-Sluis is the younger brother of former footballer Jamie Reed.

''Love Island''

In 2023, Van-der-Sluis was confirmed as a contestant on the tenth series of '' Love Island'', entering the villa as a "bombshell" on Day 11. He was dumped alongside Abi Moores on Day 52. Less than a month after being dumped from British version, Van-der-Sluis joined the fifth series of '' Love Island USA''. He was eliminated after just one week. He then took part in the spin-off '' Love Island Games'', where he was dumped after three days. Since Van-der-Sluis has appeared on three different versions on the ''Love Island'' franchise in under three months, he is one of the most frequent contestants to appear in the show's history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van-Der-Sluis, Scott 2001 births Living people People from Connah's Quay Footballers from Flintshire Love Island (2015 TV series) contestants Welsh men's footballers 21st-century Welsh sportsmen Men's association football goalkeepers Shelbourne F.C. players League of Ireland players Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland