Alfie Robert John Mawson (born 19 January 1994) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
centre back for
EFL League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
.
He started his senior career with
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
from the youth ranks but spent his entire time on loan with four clubs, including three loan spells with
Maidenhead United
Maidenhead United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. They are currently members of and have played at York Road since 1871, making it the 'oldest senior football ground continuously ...
and winning the
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
Player of the Year award with
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
in 2015. He was transferred to
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
after failing to record a League appearance with Brentford, and made 49 appearances during the one season there, helping the former to win promotion to the Championship. He signed for
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
in 2016, and his second season there he featured in every Premier League match of the campaign but could not prevent the team from relegation.
Mawson has made six appearances for the
England under-21 team and was called up for the
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
squad in March 2018 but did not play in the two friendlies.
Early life
Mawson was born and raised in
Hillingdon, London.
Club career
Early career
A
centre back, Mawson joined the
Reading academy at the age of nine.
He remained with the club until his release at age 15 and subsequently had unsuccessful trials with
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
and
Millwall.
[
]
Brentford
Mawson joined Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
in the summer of 2010 on a two-year scholarship. He played for the youth team during the 2010–11 season and progressed into the Development Squad during the 2011–12 season,[ making nine appearances. He also took over the youth team ]captaincy
A captaincy ( es, capitanía , pt, capitania , hr, kapetanija) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule ...
during the latter part of the season. In April 2012, Mawson signed a two-year professional contract at Brentford.[ He was included in the squad for the Bees' ]pre-season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
tour of Germany in July 2012 and appeared in the opening match against ZFC Meuselwitz. Mawson suffered an injury-hit 2012–13 season and managed only 12 Development Squad appearances.
Mawson made his professional debut in a 5–0 League Cup second round defeat at Derby County in August 2013, replacing Sam Saunders after 73 minutes. He scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season with the opener in a 1–1 Professional Development League 2 South draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on 16 September 2013. He scored his second goal in a 4–1 defeat to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
on 26 November and his third in the return fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion on 27 January 2014. Mawson made 12 appearances and scored three goals for the Development Squad during the 2013–14 season, in addition to making one first-team appearance.[ A torn ]meniscus
Meniscus may refer to:
*Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity
*Meniscus (liquid)
The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
in a Development Squad match ended Mawson's season early, prompting him to contemplate quitting football, before signing a new one-year deal on 5 June 2014. Mawson spent the entire 2014–15 season away on loan and after excelling, he was offered a new two-year contract in April 2015. He turned the deal down and departed Griffin Park
Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...
when his contract expired on 30 June. An undisclosed compensation fee was agreed in February 2016.
Maidenhead United (loans)
Mawson signed for Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
club Maidenhead United
Maidenhead United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. They are currently members of and have played at York Road since 1871, making it the 'oldest senior football ground continuously ...
on 13 December 2012 on a one-month loan, earning praise from manager Johnson Hippolyte for his performance on his debut in a 1–0 win against Truro City
Truro City Football Club ( kw, Klub Peldroes Truru) is an English football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently play in the Southern League, at the seventh tier of the English football league system. They are the highest ranked clu ...
. Mawson returned to Brentford on 9 January 2013, before re-signing for Maidenhead United on loan for the rest of the season on 21 February.[ He made nine appearances during the 2012–13 season as Maidenhead narrowly avoided relegation.][ Mawson rejoined Maidenhead United for a third loan spell on 4 October 2013, which ran initially until 29 October and was later extended until 4 January 2014.][ Mawson was recalled from his loan early on 28 November after four appearances.]
Luton Town (loan)
On 28 November 2013, Mawson moved on loan to Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
club Luton Town until 4 January 2014, to cover for injuries to defenders Steve McNulty
Stephen Michael McNulty (born 26 September 1983) is an English professional footballer and coach who is currently manager of Northern Premier League Division One West side Bootle. He has played in the English Football League for Fleetwood Tow ...
, Andy Parry, Alex Lacey
Alexander Lawrence Lacey (born 31 May 1993) is an English footballer who plays as a central defender for Hartlepool United.
Career
Luton Town
Born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Lacey joined the Luton Town youth set-up as a first-year sc ...
and Anthony Charles.[ He made his debut in a 5–0 away league victory over Alfreton Town on 7 December, but was substituted for Joe Davis at half time due to an injury. He returned to Brentford on 10 January after making just one appearance.][
]
Welling United (loan)
On 31 January 2014, Mawson joined Conference Premier club Welling United
Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football.
History
Welling United Foot ...
on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season. He made his debut with a start in a 1–1 draw away to Tamworth on 22 February. Mawson scored his first Wings goal on his second appearance, heading home the second in a 2–0 home win over Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
on 25 February. A knee injury disrupted Mawson's time at Welling and he returned to Brentford at the end of the season, having made 9 appearances and scored one goal.[
]
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)
Mawson joined League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
club Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
on 9 August 2014 on a one-month youth loan, as cover for the injured Gary Doherty
Gary Michael Thomas Doherty (born 31 January 1980) is an Irish former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender, having previously also played as a forward (association football), forward. He gained international hon ...
. He made his Wycombe debut (the first Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
appearance of his career) on the opening day of the 2014–15 season, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–0 away win over Newport County alongside former Brentford teammate Aaron Pierre
Aaron Jordan Pierre (born 17 February 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for League Two club Sutton United and the Grenada national team.
He began his career in the academy at Premier League club Fulham, before join ...
at centre back. After appearing in each of Wycombe's first six matches of the season, Mawson's loan was extended until 1 January 2015. Mawson's 100% appearance record came to an end on his 19th appearance of the season, after suffering an injury in a 3–1 defeat to Burton Albion on 17 November.[ He returned to action on 29 November against ]Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
and capped Wycombe's afternoon with the first Football League goal of his career in a 3–1 victory. His performance won him a place in the Football League Team of the Week.
On 3 January 2015, Mawson's loan was extended until the end of the season, including the play-offs if required, with no recall clause. Mawson's three goals in four matches in March helped ensure Wycombe held onto the third automatic promotion place.[ He scored a vital winning goal in Wycombe's 2–1 victory over ]Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
on 11 April, to end a run of successive defeats, which kept Wycombe four points clear of fourth-place Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
. Mawson's performance was recognised with his second inclusion of the season in the Football League Team of the Week. Mawson's 97th-minute winner in a 3–2 victory over Northampton Town on the final day was not enough to prevent Wycombe from having to settle for fourth place and a play-off semi-final matchup versus Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
. However, his season ended in disappointment after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Southend United in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. He finished the 2014–15 season with 50 appearances and seven goals.[ Mawson swept the board at Wycombe's end-of-season awards ceremony, winning the Supporters' and Players' Player of the Year awards, in addition to the Official Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Association's Player, Young Player and Away Travel Player of the Year awards.] He also won the Wycombe Wanderers Independent Supporters' Club Player of the Year award. He finished third in the running for the League Two Player of the Year award.
Barnsley
Mawson signed for League One club Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on 30 June 2015 on a three-year contract.[ He scored his first goal for the Reds in a 3–2 away win over Millwall. He impressed in the 2015–16 season, scoring seven goals in 58 appearances.][ He played a big part in Barnsley's season, including beating Oxford United 3–2 to win the ]Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
on 3 April 2016, and in earning promotion to the Championship after beating Millwall 3–1 in the play-off final.
Swansea City
After just four league matches experience in the Championship with Barnsley, Mawson signed for Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
on 30 August 2016 on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his full debut on 22 October 2016 in the 0–0 home draw against Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
in the Premier League after which he presented with the man of the match award for his work in defence. He scored his first goal for the club on 3 January 2017 in a 2–1 win against Crystal Palace.
In the 2017–18 season, Mawson scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win against Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 22 January 2018 to help Swansea's survival hopes. Despite this, the club struggled, particularly on the attacking point of view, and despite the player featured in all 38 Premier League fixtures, he did not prevent the club's relegation, which was confirmed on the final day of the season.[
]
Fulham
After Swansea's relegation from the Premier League, Mawson signed for newly promoted club Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £20 million.
Bristol City (loan)
On 6 September 2020, Mawson signed for Championship club Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
on a season-long loan. On 26 March 2021, Mawson was recalled by Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
after making eleven league appearances for Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
.
Wycombe Wanderers
On 11 August 2022, Mawson re-signed for League One club Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
, with whom he had previously been on loan, on a one-year deal.
International career
Mawson played six times and scored one goal for the England national under-21 team
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
from 2016 to 2017, scoring his only goal on 19 June 2017 in a 2–1 win against Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
at the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2017) was the 21st edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international youth football championship organised by UEFA for the men's under-21 na ...
. England were eventually knocked out by Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the semi-final.
On 15 March 2018, Mawson was named for the first time in the England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
squad for pre-2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
friendlies against the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in March.
Career statistics
Honours
Barnsley
* Football League One play-offs: 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
[
*]Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
: 2015–16[
Individual
*]Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
Supporters' Player of the Year: 2014–15[
*Wycombe Wanderers Players' Player of the Year: 2014–15][
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mawson, Alfie
1994 births
Living people
Footballers from Hillingdon
English footballers
England under-21 international footballers
Association football defenders
Reading F.C. players
Brentford F.C. players
Maidenhead United F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Welling United F.C. players
Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
Barnsley F.C. players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Fulham F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
National League (English football) players
English Football League players
Premier League players