Joe Champness

Joseph "Joe" Champness (born 27 April 1997) is a retired Australian professional footballer who last played as a winger for Newcastle Jets. Additionally he releases music under the name JOWIC.

Joe Champness

Personal information
Date of birth	(1997-04-27) 27 April 1997
Place of birth	Auckland, New Zealand
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position(s)	Right winger
Club information
Current team	Newcastle Jets
Youth career
2013–2015	Moreton Bay United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015	Moreton Bay United	17	(3)
2016	Brisbane Roar NPL	14	(4)
2017	Académica de Coimbra	9	(0)
2017–2019	Newcastle Jets	36	(8)
National team^‡
2016–2017	Australia U-20	7	(2)
2018–2019	Australia U-23	3	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 March 2019

Early life

Champness attended St Patrick's College where he was college captain in 2014 and played for the Brisbane Roar Youth Team before moving to Newcastle to pursue his football career.

Football career

Club

Newcastle Jets

Champness signed a scholarship contract with the Newcastle Jets along with three other emerging youngsters in January 2017 until the end of the 2017-18 season, but almost immediately after the deals were announced Champness and former emerging Jet Antonee Burke signed a loan deal with Portuguese 2nd Division club Academica de Coimbra through to mid-2017. Champness spent his time at Academica playing football for the reserve team and occasionally training with the first team.

Champness had a successful pre-season in 2017 appearing regularly for the first team, scoring four goals and impressing new coach Ernie Merrick enough to reward him with a three-year deal until 2019/20 although he will still be playing under the scholarship contract for the 2017-18 season. Champness made his professional debut on the 7 October 2017 away to the Central Coast Mariners coming on late and scoring a goal in the 81st minute. Champness then started his first professional game in Round 5 at home against the Wellington Phoenix. Champness scored his second goal for Newcastle in round 8 starting the game and scoring in the 75th minute in the Jets 4-1 win over the Melbourne Victory.

On 14 August 2019, prior to the season after spending most of the pre-season in the United States, Champness decided to quit playing soccer, so that he can follow his music dream. He signed a deal with Newcastle Jets that if he decides to return to playing in the next three years, he will come back to Newcastle Jets.[1]

International

Champness was born in New Zealand to an Australian father and a Filipino mother, making him eligible to represent New Zealand, Australia and Philippines at international level.

He has represented Australia at youth level and was a member of the Young Socceroos team in the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship in Bahrain. Currently, he is a member of the Australia under-23 squad.

Club statistics

As of 8 February 2018[2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
AAC Secção de Futebol	2016–17	Campeonato de Portugal	9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
Newcastle Jets	2017–18	A-League	17	3	0	0	0	0	17	3
Career totals			26	3	0	0	0	0	26	3

Honours

International

Australia

• AFF U-19 Youth Championship: 2016

Music career

Outside from his football career, Joseph is a rapper under the name JOWIC. His single "My Plan" was released in February 2020.[3]

References

1. Rugari, Vince; Gardiner, James (14 August 2019). "'I know it's the right choice': Jets star to skip A-League season to pursue hip-hop career". The Sydney Morning Herald.
2. Joe Champness at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
3. Rayson, Zac (30 May 2020). "'No regrets': The rising star who gave up football to become a rapper in LA". Fox Sports. Retrieved 23 July 2020.

External links

• Joe Champness at Soccerway