Ata Jesse "AJ" Inia (born 25 April 2000) is a

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n professional footballer who currently plays for Chainat Hornbill F.C. of the

Thai League 2 Thai League 2 ( th, ไทยลีก 2), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. The top 3 are promoted to Thai League 1 at the end of the ...

. Upon joining Angkor Tiger of the

Cambodian Premier League The Cambodian Premier League ( km, លីគកំពូលកម្ពុជា, ) is the highest professional football division in Cambodia and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Cambodian League 2. Starting with the 2022 ...

in 2020, Inia became Tonga's first-ever professional footballer.

Club career

Inia played for the

Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the second-tier of the Australian soccer league ...

of Australia's

NPL Victoria The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer lea ...

from 2018. He competed with the team in the

2019 FFA Cup The 2019 FFA Cup was the sixth season of the FFA Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 32 teams contested the competition proper (from the Round of 32), including 10 of the 11 A-League teams (with Western United n ...

, including a

Round of 32 A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

match against

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was founded in 2003 to fil ...

of the A-League. In 2019, ''Star Weekly'' noted that "a delicious cross" by Inia resulting in a goal "provided a glimpse into Inia's bright future". Inia signed with Angkor Tiger of the

at the end of 2020 after having tested with the club. Angkor Tiger staff described him as “lightning fast Tongan winger”. The contract made him Tonga's first-ever professional footballer. In June 2021, ''Khmer Times'' reported that "Tongan standout Inia" was part of the club's "talented lineup". The publication also reported that Inia was also the first player of Tongan descent to play in the Kingdom of

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

. On July 12, 2021, Inia scored his first goal in Cambodia, playing in the position of striker, as Angkor Tiger recorded its sixth straight win in the MCL. Inia equalized in a match against

Boeung Ket Angkor FC Boeung Ket Football Club ( km, ក្លឹបបាល់ទាត់បឹងកេត, ) is a Cambodian professional football club based in Phnom Penh. It currently plays in the Cambodian Premier League, the top tier of football in the cou ...

on November 13, 2021, which ended 1–1. In December 2021, Inia decided to move his talents to the Thai League, joining Trang FC of the

Thai League 3 Thai League 3 or Thailand Regional Championship, commonly known as the T3, is the third level of Thai football. It was started in 2017 First season. In 2017, the League is divided in 2 regions and participated by 32 clubs 1st-4th clubs from 8 ...

in a direct transfer from the Angkor Tiger. In late February 2022 he re-joined

Caroline Springs George Cross FC Caroline Springs George Cross Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Fraser Rise, a north-western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and plays in State League Division 1, the fourth tier of football in Victoria. George ...

of the

Victorian State League 1 State League 1 is a semi-professional association football league in Victoria, Australia. Sitting at level 4 of the Victorian league system, below the three NPL Victoria divisions, it forms part of the fifth tier of the overall Australian leag ...

. That season he scored one goal in the league. In 2023 he returned to Thailand for a short stint with

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

before joining

Chainat Hornbill Chainat Hornbill Football Club ( Thai สโมสรฟุตบอลชัยนาท ฮอร์นบิล) is a Thai professional association football club based in Chai Nat province. The club plays in Thai League 2. History Foundation ...

of the

International career

Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, Inia was a candidate for the Australia under-23 team for the

2020 AFC U-23 Championship The 2020 AFC U-23 Championship was the fourth edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asi ...

after representing them in U-18 level, but withdrew due to a change of heart. He later expressed keen interest in representing the homeland of his father and grandparents, stating he would like to play with

at senior level. Inia has not yet featured for any Tongan national side.

References

External links

* *
AJ Inia at Oceania Football Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inia, Ata 2000 births Living people Australian men's soccer players Tongan men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Expatriate men's footballers in Cambodia Angkor Tiger FC players Australian sportspeople of Tongan descent Soccer players from Melbourne Australian expatriate sportspeople in Cambodia Australian expatriate men's soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand