Will Baynham

Will Baynham
Personal information
Full name William Baynham
Date of birth (1997-06-13) 13 June 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Brisbane, Australia
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Preston Lions
Youth career
1999–2015 Brisbane City
2015–2017 AFC Bournemouth
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Yavapai Roughriders 29 (25)
2019 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 24 (10)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 FC Golden State Force 4 (0)
2019 Reading United 4 (1)
2019 Lions FC 1 (0)
2020–2022 Queen's Park 17 (5)
2023–2024 Lexington SC 12 (1)
2024– Preston Lions 16 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:53, 17 August 2024 (UTC)

William Baynham (born 13 June 1997) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Preston Lions[1] in the Victoria Premier League 1.

Career

Early career

Baynham played youth football for Brisbane City from the under-12's side through to the under-18's before moving to England to join the AFC Bournemouth academy. He left England to pursue college soccer opportunities in the United States.

He spent a season at Yavapai College, where he scored 25 goals in 29 appearances for the Roughriders.[2] He transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2019, scoring ten goals in 24 game, tallying eight assists for the Gauchos.[3][4]

While at college, Baynham also spent summers playing in the USL League Two, with a spell at FC Golden State Force in 2018,[5] and a spell at Reading United in 2019.[6][7][8]

After leaving college, Baynham signed with National Premier Leagues Queensland side Lions FC on 12 August 2019, where he made a single appearance.[9] In early 2020, Baynham had a trial with USL Championship side Phoenix Rising and with Canadian Premier League side Halifax Wanderers.[10][11]

Baynham was eligible for selection in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft but went undrafted.[12][13]

Professional career

On 22 September 2020, Baynham signed his first professional contract with Scottish League Two side Queen's Park,[14][15] where he helped the Spiders to promotion to the Scottish League One with five goals in 17 league appearances and earned himself a new one-year contract.[16] He was released by Queen's Park in the summer of 2022.[17][18]

On 12 January 2023, Baynham returned to the United States and signed with USL League One side Lexington SC ahead of their inaugural season.[19][20]

Personal life

Baynham holds Australian, Canadian, and British citizenship.[3]

References

  1. ^ Players Stats
  2. ^ "Arizona Community College Athletic Conference". Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Will Baynham". UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Gauchos Advance to NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals". Edhat. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  5. ^ "FC Golden State Force - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - # - william baynham -". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Reading United AC | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  7. ^ Furdyna, John (6 May 2019). "United Add Five More DI Talents to 2019 Roster". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Reading United Alumni". www.readingunitedac.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  9. ^ Media, F. F. A. "Lions vs SC Wanderers, Queensland NPL, 22nd August 2020". Retrieved 6 June 2023. [dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Wanderers take NCAA standout striker Will Baynham on trial". 9 March 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  11. ^ Jacques, John (9 March 2020). "Will Baynham Joins Halifax Wanderers On Trial". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  12. ^ Lewis, Michael (8 January 2020). "THEY'RE ELIGIBLE: 140 players can be selected in MLS SuperDraft". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  13. ^ Ralph, Matthew (8 January 2020). "Philadelphia Union Academy alums among players eligible for MLS SuperDraft". Brotherly Game. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  14. ^ Cairns, Ian (22 September 2020). "Spiders Sign Will Baynham". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Spiders add to squad | SPFL". spfl.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Contract Extension for Will Baynham at Queens Park – 14 Sports Management". 16 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  17. ^ Jacques, John (25 May 2022). "Baynham Set For Free Agency". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Scottish Championship ins & outs - Summer 2022". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Lexington Sporting Club adds striker Will Baynham to 2023 squad". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Meet the Lexington Sporting Club". 4 February 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.