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
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 last played 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.