Thomas Matthew Champion (born 15 May 1986) is an English former professional and semi-professional footballer who last played for Lewes.

Tom Champion
Personal information
Full name Thomas Matthew Champion[1]
Date of birth (1986-05-15) 15 May 1986 (age 38)[2]
Place of birth Barnet, England
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Lewes
Youth career
0000–2004 Watford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Barnet 7 (0)
2005Wealdstone (loan) 0 (0)
2005–2010 Bishop's Stortford 114 (4)
2010 Braintree Town 19 (0)
2010–2013 Dartford 114 (5)
2013–2015 Cambridge United 81 (1)
2015–2017 Barnet 52 (1)
2016Lincoln City (loan) 5 (0)
2017–2021 Boreham Wood 146 (4)
2021–2022 Woking 36 (0)
2022–2023 Lewes 39 (3)
Total 613 (18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:45, 7 May 2022 (UTC)

Career

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Early years

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Born in London, Champion began his professional career with Barnet, after playing for Watford's youth setup. In February 2005, he joined Wealdstone on loan for a month.[3] Champion subsequently returned to the Bees, and joined Bishop's Stortford in July.

Dartford

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In the 2010 summer, after appearing regularly with Bishop's Stortford (and with a short stint at Braintree Town), Champion joined Dartford. He featured regularly for the side, also being an ever-present figure during the promotion campaign to the Conference Premier, featuring in 39 matches.

Cambridge United

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On 8 May 2013 Champion joined Cambridge United, alongside Dartford teammate Tom Bonner.[4] He appeared in all league matches during the season, helping the club return to League Two. On 8 August 2014 Champion played in Cambridge's first match back in League Two, starting in a 1–0 home win against Plymouth Argyle.[5]

Barnet

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Champion rejoined Barnet on a two-year deal in May 2015.[6] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win during an FA Cup first round tie against Blackpool.[7] Champion was made available for a free transfer at the end of the 2015–16 season,[8] and joined Lincoln City on a 93-day loan on 12 September 2016.[9] A month later his loan was cancelled early by mutual consent.[10] Champion was released by the Bees at the end of the 2016–17 season. In total, he played 57 times, scoring two goals.[11]

Boreham Wood

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Champion joined Boreham Wood on a one-year deal in June 2017.[12]

Woking

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On 8 June 2021, Champion joined fellow National League side, Woking on a one-year deal.[13] On 21 August 2021, Champion made his Woking debut during their 2–1 away victory over Wealdstone, replacing Max Kretzschmar in the 74th minute.[14] He went onto feature thirty-eight times in all competitions before leaving at the end of his contract in July 2022.[15]

Lewes

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On 8 August 2022, it was announced that Champion had joined Lewes ahead of the 2022–23 campaign.[16] He announced his retirement from football after the 22/23 season on April 6, 2023, and played his final game on April 22, in a 3-1 win against Canvey Island.

Career statistics

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As of match played 7 May 2022
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dartford 2010–11[17] Conference South 36 2 4 0 2[a] 1 42 3
2011–12[17] Conference South 36 2 1 0 7[b] 0 44 2
2012–13[17] Conference Premier 42 1 2 0 7[a] 0 51 1
Total 114 5 7 0 16 1 137 6
Cambridge United 2013–14[17] Conference Premier 43 1 4 0 9[c] 0 56 1
2014–15[18] League Two 38 0 6 0 1 0 1[d] 0 46 0
Total 81 1 10 0 1 0 10 0 102 1
Barnet 2015–16[19] League Two 26 0 1 1 2 0 1[d] 0 30 1
2016–17[20] League Two 26 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 27 1
Total 52 1 2 1 2 0 1 0 57 2
Lincoln City (loan) 2016–17[20] National League 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Boreham Wood 2017–18[17] National League 42 1 3 0 7[e] 0 52 1
2018–19[17] National League 44 1 2 0 2[a] 0 48 1
2019–20[17] National League 34 1 1 0 3[f] 0 38 1
2020–21[17] National League 26 1 3 0 0 0 29 1
Total 146 4 9 0 0 0 12 0 167 4
Woking 2021–22[17] National League 36 0 1 0 1[a] 0 38 0
Lewes 2022–23[17] Isthmian League Premier Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 434 11 29 1 3 0 40 1 506 13
  1. ^ a b c d Appearances in FA Trophy
  2. ^ Four appearances in FA Trophy, three in Conference South play-offs
  3. ^ Six appearances in FA Trophy, three in Conference Premier play-offs
  4. ^ a b Appearances in Football League Trophy
  5. ^ Four appearances in FA Trophy, three in National League play-offs
  6. ^ One appearance in FA Trophy, two in National League play-offs

Honours

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Cambridge United

References

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  1. ^ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/05/2013 and 31/05/2013". The Football Association. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Cambridge United". FootballSquads. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Champion joins Wealdstone". Barnet Mad. 25 February 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Cambridge United sign Dartford duo Tom Bonner and Tom Champion". BBC Sport. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Cambridge 1–0 Plymouth". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  6. ^ Tom Champion returns to the Bees!
  7. ^ Barnet 2–0 Blackpool
  8. ^ Barnet make four available for free transfer
  9. ^ Barnet's Champion Joins On Loan
  10. ^ "Lincoln City boss defends Tom Champion after Barnet midfielder's loan spell is cut short". Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  11. ^ Tomp champion
  12. ^ Boreham Wood sign Champion[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ O'Sullivan, Daniel (8 June 2021). "Tom Champion Signs". Woking F.C. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Wealdstone vs. Woking". Soccerway. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  15. ^ O'Sullivan, Daniel (18 May 2022). "2021/22 Retained and Released List". Woking F.C. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Men's Squad 2022/23 Update: Defence". Lewes F.C. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "T. Champion: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Games played by Tom Champion in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Games played by Tom Champion in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Games played by Tom Champion in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Cambridge 4-0 Gosport". BBC Sport. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
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