Justin Donawa (born 27 June 1996) is a Bermudian

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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

and for the

Bermuda national football team The Bermuda national football team represents Bermuda in international football, and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association, which is a member of the CONCACAF. History 1964–1992 Bermuda played their first international match on 1 ...

. He previously appeared for

Somerset Trojans Somerset Cricket Club Trojans is a Bermudian football club based in Somerset that competes in the Bermudian Premier Division. History Trojans were formed in 1964 after a merger between ''West End Rovers'' and 2nd division ''Somerset Colts''. Ro ...

Black Rock FC Black Rock FC is an American soccer club that plays in USL League Two. The team's administrative base is in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. History The club was established in 2013 to develop Berkshire County players and prep school athletes ...

and

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. Donawa was a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

player and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

er while growing up in Bermuda, winning three medals in regional competitions and competing at the

2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the eighth edition of the biennial international athletics competition for youth (under-18) athletes. The five-day competition took place between 10 and 14 July at the RSC Olimpiyskiy stadium in ...

. He found success, however, in football, coming to the United States to attend the

Berkshire School Berkshire School is a private, co-ed boarding school for grades 9 through 12 located in Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA. History 1907–1943: Founding and early years Berkshire School (for boys) was established in 1907 at the foot of Mount Ever ...

and then

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

. Donawa won three

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

championships with the Big Green, appeared during school breaks with

, and spent time in the collegiate offseason with

. He was drafted by Columbus Crew SC in the third round of the

2019 MLS SuperDraft The 2019 MLS SuperDraft was the twentieth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is typically held in conjunction with the annual January United Soccer Coaches convention, which in 2019 was held in Chicago, Illinois. The fi ...

, but was not signed by the club. Donawa represented Bermuda at U20 level before breaking into the senior national team in 2015. He scored his first two goals for his country on his second cap, coming against the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Early life

Born in

Sandys Parish Sandys Parish ( "sands") is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Edwin Sandys (1561–1629), and hence there is no apostrophe in the name. It is located in the south west of the island chain, occupying the ...

, Bermuda, Donawa grew up playing three sports: he ran track and field and played football and cricket during his youth. Donawa took part in the Bermuda Football Association's prep school tour in 2010, earning himself a spot at the

Sheffield, Massachusetts Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,327 at the 2020 census. Sheffield is home to Berkshire School, a private prepa ...

. Competing alongside Jack Harrison and countryman

Zeiko Lewis Zeiko Troy Jahmiko Lewis (born 4 June 1994) is a Bermudian footballer who plays for the Bermuda national team. Career Youth and college Lewis was born in Spanish Point, Bermuda, where he was raised by his mother, Nicole, and father, Tory. ...

, Donawa was part of a Berkshire team that won

NEPSAC The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) is an organization that serves as the governing body for sports in preparatory schools and leagues in New England. The organization has 169 full member schools as well as 24 associate ...

Class A state titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He was selected to take part in the 2014 High School All-America Game, alongside Harrison and fellow NEPSAC players

Francis Atuahene Francis Takyi Atuahene (born 8 June 1996) is a Ghanaian association football, footballer. Career Youth & College Atuahene played three years of college soccer at the University of Michigan between 2015 and 2017. He left college a year early to ...

and

Edward Opoku Edward Opoku Yeboah Alexander (born 1 August 1997) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a winger. He previously appeared at the senior level with AC Connecticut, Columbus Crew SC, Saint Louis FC, and Birmingham Legion. Opoku ca ...

. At club level, Donawa appeared for Black Rock FC during his time at the Berkshire School. He committed to play

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

for coach Chad Riley and the

Dartmouth Big Green The Dartmouth College Big Green are the varsity and club athletic teams representing Dartmouth College, an American university located in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dartmouth's teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...

College and amateur

Donawa debuted for

Dartmouth Dartmouth may refer to: Places * Dartmouth, Devon, England ** Dartmouth Harbour * Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States * Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada * Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia Institutions * Dartmouth College, Ivy League university i ...

on 3 October 2015, coming off the bench in the Big Green's

opener against

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

. He played 48 minutes of a 1–0 Dartmouth victory. Donawa scored his first collegiate goal on 24 October, tallying the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, and scored his first NCAA tournament goal on 22 November as Dartmouth were eliminated in the

second round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

. Although he appeared in just 10 games, Donawa tallied two goals and three assists and was named Honorable Mention All-Ivy. As a sophomore, Donawa won a regular spot in the Dartmouth lineup, putting up stats of three goals and four assists in 17 appearances. All three of his goals were game-winners: against

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

on 11 September 2016,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

on 5 October, and Columbia on 22 October. Dartmouth won their third consecutive Ivy League crown and again advanced to the NCAA tournament, but were eliminated in the second round by Syracuse for the second consecutive season; Donawa was again named Honorable Mention All-Ivy. As a junior, Donawa tallied three goals and a career and team-high eight assists in 17 appearances. He scored against UMass Lowell on 20 September 2017, the only goal of a 1–0 Dartmouth victory, added a goal and an assist in a 2–1 win over Princeton on 30 September, and scored in a 3–0 win over Hofstra on 3 October, all part of a three-goal, one-assist performance in a four-game span. He was an integral part of a Dartmouth team that claimed their fourth consecutive Ivy League championship, but did not take a kick in the penalty shootout as the Big Green were eliminated from the NCAA tournament by New Hampshire. Donawa was named First Team All-Ivy following the season. As a senior, Donawa missed much of the year due to injury, tallying two goals and an assist in just six appearances. He scored game-winning goals in back-to-back overtime victories, against

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

on 22 September 2018 and Albany on 25 September, but would play his final collegiate game on 2 October against

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and miss the remainder of the season due to a sprained ankle. He finished his collegiate career with ten goals from 50 appearances.

Somerset Trojans

Donawa came through the youth setup at

, playing in the Player Development League and the U-14 KO Cup. He made his senior debut for Somerset on 2 January 2014, appearing off the bench in the Friendship Trophy final as the Trojans claimed a 3–2 victory against Hamilton Parish F.C., Hamilton Parish. He continued to appear for Somerset for four more seasons, albeit infrequently as he could only play for the club while on breaks from school. Donawa returned to Somerset during the 2014–15 Bermudian Premier Division, 2014–15 season, playing against Robin Hood F.C., Robin Hood in the Friendship Trophy and helping the club to claim their first Bermudian Premier Division title in 22 years. He was unable to appear in the title-deciding victory over Southampton Rangers S.C., Southampton Rangers, however, after suffering a sprained ankle while on international duty. Donawa helped the club to another championship in 2015–16 Bermudian Premier Division, 2015–16, appearing in the Friendship Trophy while on holiday from school. He scored the final goal of a 3–0 victory against Hamilton Parish in the semifinals, giving Somerset the chance to win their eleventh Friendship Trophy after the new year. Against PHC Zebras in the final, Donawa scored the winning goal just before halftime as the Trojans claimed a 2–1 victory. On 12 December 2016, Donawa scored his first career Bermudian Premier League goal. His eighth-minute strike, off an assist from Hubert Buttersfield, helped Somerset claim a 2–2 draw against Devonshire Cougars. His second league goal had to wait until the 2017–18 Bermudian Premier Division, 2017–18 season, coming in a 3–1 victory over X-Roads Warriors F.C., X-Roads Warriors on 11 December 2017. He also added a goal in the semi-finals of the Expansion League Festive Tournament later that month and played the full 90 minutes in a 3–3 draw with North Village Rams on 17 March that clinched Premier Division safety for Somerset. The match against North Village would mark Donawa's final game with the club, as he was unable to participate during the 2018–19 Bermudian Premier Division, 2018–19 season due to injury and a lack of international clearance.

Black Rock FC

Following his junior season at Dartmouth, Donawa was on the roster of Premier Development League expansion club

. He did not make an appearance as Black Rock qualified for the 2018 PDL season#Playoffs, Eastern Conference semifinals.

Club career

2019 trials

Donawa was not selected to take part in the 2019 MLS Combine after struggling through an injury-ridden senior season at Dartmouth. He went on trial at Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen F.C., Aberdeen during December, and although he "definitely got good feedback" was not signed by the club. On 14 January 2019, Columbus Crew SC drafted Donawa with the 66th overall pick in the

. He joined the club for preseason as an unsigned draft pick, but was released midway through camp without earning a contract. Following his release, Donawa went on an unsuccessful trial with USL Championship club Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. He continued his search for a club following the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, moving to England and going on trial with National League North side

. Donawa impressed manager Alun Armstrong (footballer), Alun Armstrong during his trial, tallying a goal in a Exhibition game#Club football, friendly against Northallerton Town F.C., Northallerton Town while being described as "a game-changer" and "as good as gold".

Darlington

After impressing during his trial with

, Donawa was offered a deal for the 2019–20 National League, 2019–20 season. He joined fellow Bermudian international Osagi Bascome with the Quakers. Donawa made his debut for Darlington on 3 August 2019 in their 3–1 loss away at Farsley Celtic F.C., Farsley Celtic. He made his first start two weeks later in a 2–0 win at home to Southport F.C., Southport, showing his pace on the left wing before being switched to right wing-back (association football), wing-back after a defensive injury. Donawa's first National League North goal was a late winner in Darlington's first away win of the season, against Alfreton Town F.C., Alfreton Town. He continued as a regular in matchday squad, apart from when required for international duty, although became frustrated at being used as an impact substitute rather than in the starting eleven. According to the ''The Northern Echo, Northern Echo'' review, Donawa "married electric pace with impressive aerial ability to score nine goals in his debut season", which made him the team's second highest scorer. He signed on for a second season, and added another two goals from five matches before leaving the club in October 2020.

Solihull Moors

On 27 October 2020, Donawa signed for Solihull Moors F.C., Solihull Moors of the fifth-tier National League (division), National League. The fee was undisclosed, but was understood by ''North East Sports News'' to be £15,000 plus add-ons. He made his debut four days later as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 defeat away to Maidenhead United F.C., Maidenhead United. On 24 April 2021, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 win against Yeovil Town F.C., Yeovil Town. He was one of four players to be offered a new contract at the end of the 2022–23 National League, 2022–23 season.

Altrincham

On 23 June 2023 Donawa signed for

becoming the clubs 7th signing of the 2023/24 season.

International career

Donawa first broke into the Bermudian international setup at the Bermuda national under-20 football team, under-20 level, appearing during 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying. He received his first senior call-up for a training camp ahead of the first round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round, 2018 World Cup qualification and received his first cap in a Exhibition game#International football, friendly against Grenada national football team, Grenada on 6 March 2015. He played 58 minutes of a 2–2 draw before being substituted for Jalen Harvey. Donawa made his competitive debut for the Gombey Warriors on 25 March 2015, starting and scoring his first two international goals in a 5–0 World Cup qualifying victory against the

. His 57th- and 70th-minute goals were the fourth and fifth strikes of the night for Bermuda. Donawa continued to be called up during his time at Dartmouth, earning eight caps over his four years with the Big Green.

Life outside of football

Personal life

Donawa is the nephew of Roger Trott, who played five List A cricket matches for Bermuda national cricket team, Bermuda in the 1990s. Donawa's father, Jay, was a distance runner who competed at Auburn Tigers, Auburn in the 1990s; his grandfather, Delwyn Trott, played for the inaugural Devonshire Colts F.C., Devonshire Colts side in the 1950s; and his younger brother Mateo played alongside him for Somerset Trojans. As a youth, Donawa played cricket for the Somerset Cricket Club, competing as a Fast bowling, fast bowler. He was called into a training squad for the Bermuda national cricket team, Bermuda national team in May 2016, but was forced to give up the sport while going to school in the United States.

Track and field career

Donawa began competing in track and field at the age of 14, winning a bronze medal in the boys' under-17

at the 2011 CARIFTA Games. He returned at the 2012 CARIFTA Games, winning a gold medal in the event with a jump of 14.63 metres. Donawa qualified for the 2012 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics, finishing second in the Male Junior B category. He also competed in the

, placing seventh in the triple jump with a personal best of 15.65 metres. At Dartmouth, Donawa continued to compete in the triple jump while also beginning to compete in the long jump. He placed second in the triple jump at the 2016

Indoor Championship with a jump of 15.57 metres, his collegiate-best mark. In 2017, Donawa took 17th place at the NCAA East Regional during the outdoor season. In his final collegiate meet, the 2018 Ivy League Indoor Championships, Donawa won the Ivy League title with another 15.57 metre jump, making him the first Dartmouth athlete to win a team and individual Ivy League championship in two different sports since Adam Nelson in 1997.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''Scores and results list Bermuda's goal tally first.''

Honours

Football

Dartmouth *

: 2015, 2016 Ivy League men's soccer season, 2016, 2017 Ivy League men's soccer season, 2017 * Honorable Mention All-Ivy: 2015, 2016 * First Team All-Ivy: 2017 Somerset Trojans * Bermudian Premier Division: 2014–15 Bermudian Premier Division, 2014–15 * Friendship Trophy: 2015–16 Black Rock FC * Northeast Division: 2018 PDL season, 2018

Track and field

Dartmouth * All-Ivy League (triple jump – indoors): 2016, 2018

References

External links

Dartmouth profile

Somerset profile

Justin Donawa
at USL League Two * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Donawa, Justin Living people 1996 births Bermudian men's footballers Male triple jumpers Male long jumpers Bermudian cricketers People from Sandys Parish Men's association football forwards Dartmouth Big Green men's soccer players Dartmouth Big Green men's track and field athletes Columbus Crew draft picks Darlington F.C. players Solihull Moors F.C. players Altrincham F.C. players National League (English football) players Bermuda men's international footballers 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Bermudian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Bermudian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in England Bermudian expatriate sportspeople in England Berkshire School alumni