William Baynham (born 13 June 1997) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Preston Lions[1] in the Victoria Premier League 1.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Baynham | ||
| Date of birth | 13 June 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Brisbane, Australia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Preston Lions | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2015 | Brisbane City | ||
| 2015–2017 | AFC Bournemouth | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | Yavapai Roughriders | 29 | (25) |
| 2019 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 24 | (10) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | FC Golden State Force | 4 | (0) |
| 2019 | Reading United | 4 | (1) |
| 2019 | Lions FC | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Queen's Park | 17 | (5) |
| 2023–2024 | Lexington SC | 12 | (1) |
| 2024– | Preston Lions | 16 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:53, 17 August 2024 (UTC) | |||
Career
editEarly career
editBaynham played youth football for Brisbane City from the under-12's side through to the under-18's before moving to England to join the AFC Bournemouth academy. He left England to pursue college soccer opportunities in the United States.
He spent a season at Yavapai College, where he scored 25 goals in 29 appearances for the Roughriders.[2] He transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2019, scoring ten goals in 24 game, tallying eight assists for the Gauchos.[3][4]
While at college, Baynham also spent summers playing in the USL League Two, with a spell at FC Golden State Force in 2018,[5] and a spell at Reading United in 2019.[6][7][8]
After leaving college, Baynham signed with National Premier Leagues Queensland side Lions FC on 12 August 2019, where he made a single appearance.[9] In early 2020, Baynham had a trial with USL Championship side Phoenix Rising and with Canadian Premier League side Halifax Wanderers.[10][11]
Baynham was eligible for selection in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft but went undrafted.[12][13]
Professional career
editOn 22 September 2020, Baynham signed his first professional contract with Scottish League Two side Queen's Park,[14][15] where he helped the Spiders to promotion to the Scottish League One with five goals in 17 league appearances and earned himself a new one-year contract.[16] He was released by Queen's Park in the summer of 2022.[17][18]
On 12 January 2023, Baynham returned to the United States and signed with USL League One side Lexington SC ahead of their inaugural season.[19][20]
Personal life
editBaynham holds Australian, Canadian, and British citizenship.[3]
References
edit- ^ Players Stats
- ^ "Arizona Community College Athletic Conference". Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Will Baynham". UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Gauchos Advance to NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals". Edhat. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "FC Golden State Force - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - # - william baynham -". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Reading United AC | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Furdyna, John (6 May 2019). "United Add Five More DI Talents to 2019 Roster". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Reading United Alumni". www.readingunitedac.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Media, F. F. A. "Lions vs SC Wanderers, Queensland NPL, 22nd August 2020". Retrieved 6 June 2023. [dead link]
- ^ "Wanderers take NCAA standout striker Will Baynham on trial". 9 March 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Jacques, John (9 March 2020). "Will Baynham Joins Halifax Wanderers On Trial". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (8 January 2020). "THEY'RE ELIGIBLE: 140 players can be selected in MLS SuperDraft". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Ralph, Matthew (8 January 2020). "Philadelphia Union Academy alums among players eligible for MLS SuperDraft". Brotherly Game. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Cairns, Ian (22 September 2020). "Spiders Sign Will Baynham". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Spiders add to squad | SPFL". spfl.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Contract Extension for Will Baynham at Queens Park – 14 Sports Management". 16 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Jacques, John (25 May 2022). "Baynham Set For Free Agency". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Scottish Championship ins & outs - Summer 2022". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Lexington Sporting Club adds striker Will Baynham to 2023 squad". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Meet the Lexington Sporting Club". 4 February 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.