Tom Champion

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[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)
2005 → Wealdstone (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)
2016 → Lincoln 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

Early years

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

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

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

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

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

Woking

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

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
As of match played 7 May 2022
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dartford 2010–11[17] Conference South 36240—2[lower-alpha 1]1423
2011–12[17] Conference South 36210—7[lower-alpha 2]0442
2012–13[17] Conference Premier 42120—7[lower-alpha 1]0511
Total 114570—1611376
Cambridge United 2013–14[17] Conference Premier 43140—9[lower-alpha 3]0561
2014–15[18] League Two 38060101[lower-alpha 4]0460
Total 811100101001021
Barnet 2015–16[19] League Two 26011201[lower-alpha 4]0301
2016–17[20] League Two 261100000271
Total 521212010572
Lincoln City (loan) 2016–17[20] National League 5000—0050
Boreham Wood 2017–18[17] National League 42130—7[lower-alpha 5]0521
2018–19[17] National League 44120—2[lower-alpha 1]0481
2019–20[17] National League 34110—3[lower-alpha 6]0381
2020–21[17] National League 26130—00291
Total 146490001201674
Woking 2021–22[17] National League 36010—1[lower-alpha 1]0380
Lewes 2022–23[17] Isthmian League Premier Division 0000—0000
Career total 434112913040150613
  1. 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. 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

Cambridge United

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/05/2013 and 31/05/2013". The Football Association. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  2. "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. Squad News | Retained List
  12. Boreham Wood sign Champion
  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. "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. "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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