Darren Eales
Darren Eales (born 6 August 1972) is an English retired association football striker who played both collegiately and professionally in the United States. He was a 1995 first team All American and earned his Cambridge Blue in 1998. In July 2010, he was appointed director of football administration at Tottenham Hotspur.[1] He currently serves as president of Major League Soccer's Atlanta United.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 August 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Chelmsford, England | ||
| Playing position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Atlanta United (president) | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1994 | Brown Bears | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1996 | Hampton Roads Mariners | ||
| 1997 | Hershey Wildcats | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
As president, Darren participates in much of the fan culture of the team. He can be seen walking among the crowd on game days and joins Tailgating.
Early life
Eales grew up in Cambridge, England. As he approached the end of his secondary education, he was faced with the decision of attending University or pursuing a football career. When approached by a scout from an American University offering him the opportunity to both play and attend College, he decided to move to the United States.[3]
Education and college football
Eales attended Brown University, a member of the Ivy League, playing on the school's NCAA Division I soccer team from 1991 to 1994. In his final season, he was the Ivy League Player of the Year and a first team All American. He received a first class bachelor's degree in economics.
Playing career
U.S. football
In 1995, Eales signed with the Hampton Roads Mariners of the USISL. He spent two seasons with the Mariners, scoring 24 goals in 19 games in 1995.[4] In 1997, he played five games for the Hershey Wildcats.
English football
Eales continued to play at the amateur level. In 2001, he joined the Newmarket Town Reserves in the Kershaw League.[5] He later moved to the Lancashire County Football Association where he played for Millhead Reserves from 2004 to 2006 and Higher Poynton from 2006 to 2007.
Professional career
In 1997, Eales returned to England where he read law at Cambridge, and gained his Cambridge Blue in 1998. He became a member of the bar in 2000 and eventually joined 2 Temple Gardens.[6] On 6 May 2006, he was hired as an in-house legal counsel by West Brom.[7] and was subsequently made a Director and Company Secretary.
On 2 March 2010, Spurs announced that Eales was joining them as club secretary at the end of that season.[8] On 1 July 2010, he officially joined the club as Director of Football Administration.[1][9]
On 10 September 2014, Eales was named the president of the new Atlanta MLS expansion club, Atlanta United FC.[2]
References
- Club Announcement Tottenham Hotspur, 1 July 2010
- "Tottenham Hotspur executive Darren Eales named president of MLS Atlanta expansion club". mlssoccer.com. 10 September 2014.
- NCAA Division I Breakout Coaches and Student-Athletes in the Year 2000 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, 20 June 1995
- The Year in American Soccer – 1995 Archived 5 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine American Soccer History Archives, 29 January 2006
- Eales dives in to end the deadlock Archived 8 July 2012 at Archive.today Cambridge News, 3 October 2002
- Vicarious Liability for sport at work – from Scotland Thompsons Solicitors, Law Bulletin – October 2005
- Trading Places Times Online (subscription required)
- Club Announcement Tottenham Hotspur, 2 March 2010
- Spurs withdraw from NextGen Series after breach of competition rules Mail Online, 3 February 2012