Andrew Barron (footballer)

Andrew Barron (born 24 December 1980 in Invercargill) is a retired New Zealand association football player. Barron, naturally a central midfielder, combines full-time employment as an investment counselor and banker with semi-professional football.

For the Canadian ice speed skater, see Andrew Barron (speed skater).

Andrew Barron
Personal information
Full name Andrew Barron
Date of birth (1980-12-24) 24 December 1980
Place of birth Invercargill, New Zealand
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
1988–1997 Petone
2000–2003 WCU Crusaders
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Miramar Rangers
2003–2004 New Orleans Shell Shockers 29 (8)
2004–2005 Lisburn Distillery 16 (1)
2005–2006 Canterbury United 15 (1)
2006–2007 Team Wellington 12 (4)
2008 Minnesota Thunder 11 (0)
2008–2010 Team Wellington 22 (8)
2013 Kiwi FC
International career‡
2006–2010 New Zealand 12 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 April 2010
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 June 2010

He last played for Kiwi FC in Samoa and was also an All White who played at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, making him one of the very few amateur All Whites in recent years.

Club career

Barron signed for Canterbury United, a New Zealand Football Championship franchise at the start of the 2005–06 season. After impressing making 15 appearances and scoring one goal, he was scouted by other NZFC club Team Wellington for the following season and scored four goals in 12 appearances in a playmaker role.

In 2008, Barron went in search of a professional career overseas and signed with the Minnesota Thunder team of the USL First Division, however after struggling to make an impact, he returned to New Zealand to play for Team Wellington midway through the NZFC 2008–09 season. Barron has made 34 appearances (all starts) and scored 12 goals in both stints with the Wellington club.

International career

Barron made his debut for the New Zealand national football team in the first match of a two-game friendly series against Malaysia on 19 February 2006.[1] Barron scored his first international goal in the second match of the Malaysian series with an 88th-minute strike to seal a 2–1 win for the All Whites.[2]

Barron was included in the New Zealand squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, along with fellow non-professionals James Bannatyne and Aaron Scott[3] and was also part of the All Whites team which beat Bahrain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off match. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he made headlines when he featured as a late substitute against defending champions Italy and became the first non-professional footballer to participate in the tournament.[4]

International goals
# Date Opponent Final Score Result Competition
123 February 2006 Malaysia2–1WinFriendly
Last updated 7 April 2010

Career statistics
All-Time Club Performances
Club Season Premiership Irish Cup League Cup Europe Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Lisburn Distillery F.C.
(IFA Premiership)		 2004–05 16 1 16 1
Club Total161161
Club Season NZFC Chatham Cup Club World Cup Oceania Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Canterbury United
(New Zealand Football Championship)		 2005–06 15 1 15 1
Club Total151151
Club Season NZFC Chatham Cup Club World Cup Oceania Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Team Wellington
(New Zealand Football Championship)		 2006–07 12 4 12 4
Club Total124124
Club Season USL-1 Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Minnesota Thunder
(USL First Division)		 2008 11 0 11 0
Club Total110110
Club Season NZFC Chatham Cup Club World Cup Oceania Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Team Wellington
(New Zealand Football Championship)		 2008–09 7 4 7 4
2009–10 15 4 15 4
Club Total228206
Career totals 76 14 76 14
Last updated 30 April 2010

See also

References
  1. "New Zealand 1 Malaysia 0". New Zealand Football. 19 February 2006. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010.
  2. "New Zealand 2 Malaysia 1". New Zealand Football. 23 February 2006. Archived from the original on 11 August 2007.
  3. "Mind-boggling scenario for NZ footballers". Stuff. 30 May 2009.
  4. "Her er VMs glade amatør!". vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 4 June 2021.
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