Sam Sutton

Sam Sutton (born 10 December 2001) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.

Sam Sutton
Personal information
Full name Sam Sutton
Date of birth (2001-12-10) 10 December 2001
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Wellington Phoenix
Number 19
Youth career
–2016 East Coast Bays
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016– Wellington Phoenix Reserves 40 (3)
2019– Wellington Phoenix 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 October 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 November 2019

Club career

Wellington Phoenix Reserves

Sutton joined the Wellington Phoenix as part of their academy in 2016[1] after moving down from Auckland.[2] He started playing for the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the New Zealand Football Championship in the 2016–17 season, making 4 appearances with 2 starts.[3] His debut in the national league was two weeks before he turned 15 when he came on in their away game against Southern United with the team leading 1–0 and looking for their first back-to-back wins in the reserve team's history.[2]

Wellington Phoenix

Sutton started training with the first team players during pre-season July 2019.[2] On 21 December 2019, Sutton made his A-League debut as a stoppage time substitute in the Phoenix 2–2 draw against Sydney FC in Sydney.[4] He followed that up with another 25 mins and his Sky Stadium home debut against Western Sydney Wanderers[5]

Sutton got his first start on the 25 July 2020 in a 1–1 draw with Adelaide United[6] playing for 60 minutes in an attacking midfield role.[2] The starting XI for the club was the youngest ever, with an average age of 25.02, because team-mates Callan Elliot and Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi also started alongside Sutton.[6]

On the 29 October 2020, Sutton signed a three-year deal with the Phoenix, his first professional contract with the club.[7]

Personal life

Sutton grew up on Auckland's North Shore and played for East Coast Bays as a junior. He was spotted by Wellington Phoenix's Academy Director Paul Temple at 12 years old and was asked to attend the Academy.[5] After moving to Wellington with his family, Sutton enrolled at Wellington College while training with the Phoenix academy.[8]

References
  1. "Sam Sutton joins WPFA". Wellington Phoenix Football Academy. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  2. Voerman, Andrew (4 August 2020). "Sam Sutton relishes first start for Wellington Phoenix as he eyes a professional contract". Stuff. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. "Sam Sutton Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  4. "Ulises Davila miss proves costly in Wellington Phoenix's Sydney FC stalemate". Stuff. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  5. "A-League: Rising Wellington Phoenix star Sam Sutton could be New Zealand football's next next big thing". NZ Herald. New Zealand Herald. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  6. Rollo, Phillip (26 July 2020). "Wellington Phoenix held by Adelaide United after Ulises Davila misses late penalty". Stuff. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. Francis, Ben. "A-League: Wellington Phoenix re-sign midfielder Sam Sutton on three-year deal". Newshub. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. Rollo, Phillip (23 December 2019). "'Now I'm on the other side': Sam Sutton goes from Phoenix fan to player". Stuff. Retrieved 29 October 2020.


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