Jacob Luke Butterfield (born 10 June 1990) 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
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
club
Scunthorpe United.
Butterfield came through the youth academy at
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 ...
and went on to establish himself as a first team player over a five-year spell between 2007 and 2012. He moved to
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 ...
side
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
but failed to make a league appearance and spent time on loan with
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
before signing permanently for
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
. He has since played for
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
,
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
,
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
,
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
and
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
. Between 2020 and 2022 he played outside of English football firstly with
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
side
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
before a stint in the
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...
with
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
.
Club career
Early career
Born in
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
, Butterfield spent a brief spell with the youth team of hometown club
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
at the age of 7 or 8, before joining the
Manchester United Academy
Manchester United Football Club Under-21s is the most senior of Manchester United's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. They play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of the Professional Development League. The team is effectiv ...
.
Barnsley
Butterfield was described as a star of the future by manager at the time,
Simon Davey. He had worked with Butterfield in the
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 ...
academy before being appointed as manager in 2006. He made his debut for Barnsley in a
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
tie against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in August 2007 coming on as a substitute for
Martin Devaney during a 2–0 loss. Butterfield also made a substitute appearance in Barnsley's 2008
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
semi-final against
Cardiff City.
Butterfield scored his first senior goal on 8 August 2009 with a 59th-minute goal at
Hillsborough against local rivals
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
. This goal proved to be vital as it spurred Barnsley on to claw back to 2–2 as Barnsley were 2–0 down at half time. He also made an appearance coming on as a substitute versus former club Manchester United in a League Cup tie in which Barnsley suffered a 2–0 defeat.
On 17 September 2011, he captained Barnsley for the first time. It was in their 1–1 draw at home to
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 ...
. Many believed at the time that Butterfield, at just 21 years of age, had become Barnsley's youngest ever captain. But, in fact,
Eric Winstanley
Eric Winstanley (15 November 1944 – 20 May 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre-back in the Football League for Barnsley and Chesterfield.
Early life
Eric Winstanley was born on 15 November 1944 in Barnsley ...
had captained the Reds at aged 19 in the 1960s. Butterfield was having an exceptional season and Premier League scouts were regularly in attendance at Oakwell. He was soon rewarded for his efforts with a call up to the England under 21 squad.
Butterfield missed the rest of the 2011–12 season through injury following a shocking 'tackle' in the New Year's Eve derby encounter with
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
bringing his "amazing" form to an end. Scans taken after the match showed it to be torn anterior cruciate ligaments. He finished the season – albeit prematurely – with five goals to his name and a growing reputation in The Championship, described by his manager
Keith Hill as the best midfielder in the league.
Norwich City
On 3 July 2012, Butterfield signed for
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on a four-year contract. Butterfield was out of contract, but Barnsley were entitled to compensation, due to his age. He made his debut for the club on 26 September in a 1–0 win over
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
in the
Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
. However, he failed to gain a first team place at the club, with his only other first team appearance being another League Cup game against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
, and spent most of his time with Norwich out on loan.
On 8 November, Butterfield joined
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
on loan for a month, this becoming
Dougie Freedman
Douglas Alan Freedman (born 25 May 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is the current sporting director of Crystal Palace.
Freedman played as a striker, primarily for Crystal Palace and also had spells as ...
's first signing since taking over at the
Reebok Stadium
The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming righ ...
. He made his debut on 17 November, in a 1–1 draw at home against his former 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 ...
. The loan was extended outside the Window by another month on 1 December.
Butterfield left Bolton and went back to Norwich City on 3 January 2013.
On 16 January 2013, it was announced that Butterfield had signed on loan for
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, where he was given the squad number six. He made his début on 19 January, where he was part of the starting eleven, in a goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers. His last appearance for Crystal Palace was on 5 March, when he started in the 4–2 victory over
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
. He returned to Norwich before the end of that month.
Middlesbrough
On 2 September 2013, Butterfield signed a three-year contract, with a one-year option to extend, at
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
for an undisclosed fee.
He made his debut in a 3–1 defeat at
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 14 September 2013. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 win over
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on 5 October 2013. He would go on to score a goal that was controversially disallowed at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday. He scored one of the goals of the season for the Boro against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
and followed that up with the winning goal at eventual runners up,
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
a week later to end the campaign in good form. He was also part of the Boro side whose victory on the 26 April 2014 relegated his former club, Barnsley to the third tier of English football.
Huddersfield Town
On 13 August 2014, Butterfield joined
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
and signed a four-year deal, which was part of a swap deal that saw
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Cla ...
join Middlesbrough. He made his début for the Terriers in their 3–1 defeat to
Cardiff City at the
Cardiff City Stadium
The Cardiff City Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team.
Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2014 ...
on 16 August 2014. His first goal for Huddersfield Town came in a 2–1 win against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
at the
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Reading. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in the EFL Championship. It also provides the finish for the Rea ...
in the 10th minute on 19 August 2014. His first home goal for the Terriers came in the 4–2 win over
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
on 18 October 2014. He repeated that trick just a few days later on 21 October 2014, scoring from close range in the 1–1 draw with
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
, prompting new manager
Chris Powell
Christopher George Robin Powell (born 8 September 1969) is an English football coach and former player, who is currently head of coaching at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur's Academy and a coach for the England national team. As a left b ...
to set Butterfield a target of reaching double figures for the season. He scored his fourth for the club in a 2–1 home victory over former club,
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
, a cracking strike from the angle of the box and started 2015 in good form when playing a key role in the club's 3–1 win over high flying Watford, setting up the opening goal for
Nahki Wells
Nahki Michael Wells (born 1 June 1990) is a Bermudian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bristol City and the Bermuda national team.
Wells began his career in his native Bermuda, playing for Dandy Town Hornets and Berm ...
. He went on to score another two goals, created many more and was voted the club's Player of the Season for the 2014–15 season.
Derby County
On 1 September 2015, Butterfield joined
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
for around £5 million on a four-year deal. He scored his first goal for ''The Rams'' in a 3–0 win over
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
on 31 October 2015. He scored twice for Derby County away at Hull on his 200th appearance of his Football League career .
Butterfield joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan on 31 August 2017, in a loan swap-deal involving
Sam Winnall
Sam Thomas Winnall (born 19 January 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League One club Burton Albion
Career Wolverhampton Wanderers
Winnall joined the youth ranks of Wolverhampton Wanderers as a teenager, be ...
moving in the other direction from Wednesday to Derby for the duration of the 2017–18 season.
In January 2019 he moved on loan to
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
. At Bradford he scored once in a 3–1 win over
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
on 9 March 2019.
Luton Town
On 30 July 2019, Butterfield joined
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
after Derby agreed to mutually terminate his deal. The length of his contract at Luton was not disclosed. He made his debut on 2 August in a 3–3 draw with his former club Middlesbrough, coming on as a 60th minute substitute. He scored his first goal for Luton against Barnsley on 24 August 2019, another former club of his. Butterfield was released at the end of the
2019–20 season.
Melbourne Victory
On 26 October 2020, Butterfield signed for
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
side
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
, joining his former
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
teammate
Callum McManaman
Callum Henry McManaman (born 25 April 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger, most recently for Tranmere Rovers.
Born in Whiston, Merseyside, lived and brought up in Rainhill, Merseyside, McManaman began his youth c ...
.
St Johnstone
On 13 December 2021, Butterfield joined
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...
side
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
until the end of the season.
On 22 December 2021, Butterfield scored his first goal for
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
in a 2–1 defeat against
Ross County in the
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...
.
Scunthorpe United
On 18 July 2022, Butterfield joined
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
club
Scunthorpe United, reuniniting with
Keith Hill whom Butterfield played under previously at Barnsley.
International career
Butterfield was called up to represent England at
under-21 level, though he never made an appearance.
Career statistics
References
External links
Jacob Butterfield profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butterfield, Jacob
1990 births
Living people
Footballers from Bradford
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Barnsley F.C. players
Norwich City F.C. players
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Bradford City A.F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Melbourne Victory FC players
St Johnstone F.C. players
Scunthorpe United F.C. players
English Football League players
A-League Men players
Scottish Professional Football League players
English expatriate footballers
English expatriate sportspeople in Australia
Expatriate soccer players in Australia