Paul Everton Ifill (born 20 October 1979) is a

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 ...

and manages

Christchurch United Christchurch United is an amateur association football club in Christchurch, New Zealand. They compete in various Mainland Football competitions at Junior and Senior level. The club has won six National League titles and six Chatham Cup trophi ...

. He spent most of his career playing as a right winger or a right midfielder, often described as an “old fashioned winger”. Born in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, England, Ifill was in part of

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 ...

's youth programme but was not offered a professional contract and moved to non-league Saltdean United. From there he was spotted by

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

where he spent nearly seven years before being signed by

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

in 2005. After two season with the Blades he transferred to

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 spent a further two seasons, before moving to New Zealand to play for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League, where he played from 2009 – 2014, until being forced into early retirement due to injury. Ifill has also made ten appearances for

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

, scoring six goals.

Club career

After rejection from

's youth team as a 16-year-old, Ifill returned to his home town,

. He enrolled on a physical education course at college and played non-League football in the same Saltdean United team as his father.

Millwall

Jeff Burnidge and Mick Beard scouted Ifill following a tip from a former Millwall player, and

signed him as a centre-forward. After he suffered injury at a crucial time between contracts, manager

Billy Bonds William Arthur Bonds (born 17 September 1946) is a former professional footballer and manager, who is most often associated with West Ham United with whom he spent 27 years as player and manager. He played 799 first-team games for West Ham in a ...

gave him just one month to prove himself. Ifill responded by scoring four goals the next Saturday and two more the following week. Injuries led to Millwall switching him to midfield, but a recurring back-injury prevented him from sprinting, a basic requirement for a winger. Despite seeing a number of different specialists, he was out for three months, and seemed in danger of having to end his career. Fortunately, a

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, which has, since the 19th century housed a large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery. It was named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.< ...

consultant diagnosed a pelvic flaw pressing on a nerve: the day after treatment he was able to sprint again. He was a member of the team that reached the

2004 FA Cup Final The 2004 FA Cup Final was the 123rd FA Cup Final and the fourth to be played at the Millennium Stadium, the Welsh national stadium in Cardiff, due to the ongoing reconstruction of the usual venue, London's Wembley Stadium. The match took place o ...

, where they lost to

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

3–0.

Sheffield United

He signed for

in May 2005 for £800,000, after making over 200 league appearances at

The New Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which i ...

. In his first season at

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

, United raced into a large lead, and despite falling behind eventual champions

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 ...

, the Blades finished as runners-up, securing promotion to the

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 ...

in the process. In the top flight, Ifill fell out of favour, and boss

Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...

placed him on the transfer list. During the January transfer window, Ifill left the Blades and after much competition from other clubs was unveiled by

, having signed for a reported £800,000 fee.

Crystal Palace

At Palace, Ifill's career stuttered, with him struggling for fitness. Warnock's appointment to the manager's post at Palace did not leave him without any chances, but nevertheless Ifill struggled to remain fit. On 18 August 2008, Ifill and teammate Carl Fletcher were put on the transfer list by manager

. He was released by Crystal Palace on 6 May 2009 with eight other players.

Wellington Phoenix

On 21 July 2009, Ifill signed a two-year contract with New Zealand-based

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...

of the Australian

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 ...

. He scored his first goal for his new club in his second appearance netting a header off a pinpoint cross from

Leo Bertos Leonida Christos Bertos (born 20 December 1981) is a New Zealand professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Hamilton Olympic in the National Premier Leagues. Leo Bertos is currently the head coach of Northern NSW NPL side West ...

to help secure a 2–1 win over Perth Glory at Westpac Stadium. Ifill's second goal came against

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional Association Football, soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under North American professional sports league organization#Systems ar ...

. On 6 September 2009 two days after his goal against Adelaide, Ifill signed a contract extension to keep him at the Phoenix until the end of the 2011–12 season, with an option for an extra year. Ifill's third goal came on 25 October 2009 as the Phoenix hammered

Gold Coast United Gold Coast United Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The earliest incarnation of the club formed in 1966 and its home ground was at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. The first era of Gold Coast Unit ...

6–0, a regular-season record for the largest win. Ifill not only scored, but provided three assists in a masterful performance. Ifill then scored in three consecutive games for the Phoenix, resulting in two wins and a draw for the fledgling club. On 31 December 2009, Ifill scored both goals in a 2–0 win over the

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...

, pushing the Phoenix back up to seventh position in a congested ladder. In Ifill's first two games of 2010, Ifill provided the Phoenix with an assist to

Eugene Dadi Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

in a match against the

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...

as well as a goal against

North Queensland Fury Northern Fury Football Club was an Australian professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from t ...

. Ifill's tenth goal for the Wellington Phoenix came on 7 February 2010 via a penalty against

in a 1–0 win. The goal put the Wellington club into the top four leading into the final round of the regular season. Ifill then scored twice more against Central Coast Mariners in the final round of the regular season to help his team to a 3–0 win, securing fourth position. In the process, Ifill joined former Phoenix marksman

Shane Smeltz Shane Edward Smeltz (born 29 September 1981) is a New Zealand Australian footballer. He plays as a striker for Guiseley AFC in the Northern Premier League, the 7th tier of English football. Smeltz had spent much of his early career playing i ...

as record holder of most goals scored in a regular season (12). Ifill scored in the penalty shoot-out as the Phoenix prevailed over

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 19 ...

1–1 (4–2 on penalties) in the first week of the playoffs. Ifill scored an extra-time goal as the Phoenix moved past

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...

3–1 in the second week. However Ifill had a comparatively quiet match as the Phoenix were downed 4–2 by eventual champions

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...

in the Preliminary Final. Ifill was injured early in the Phoenix's game against Newcastle Jets on 18 December 2010, and it was initially feared he had broken his leg. However, later scans showed that there was no fracture, but an ankle sprain with some ligament damage. The expectation was that he would miss six weeks of the 2010/11 season. On 8 December 2011, it was announced that Ifill had signed a two-year contract extension with the club.

Wairarapa United

On 2020 Paul Ifill return to football to play for

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

side

Wairarapa United Wairarapa United is a Association football, football club based in Masterton, New Zealand and are currently competing in the Central Premier League, Central League. Club history The club was formed by the merger of Masterton (soccer), Masterton ...

Christchurch United

In November 2021, Ifill signed for Southern League side

as a player coach.

Coaching career

In 2015, Ifill took on a player/ coach role at Wairarapa United in the Men's Central League. He runs this alongside his two Paul Ifill Football Academies in Nelson and Masterton. In February 2021, Ifill was appointed coach of the

Samoa women's national football team The Samoa women's national football team represents Samoa in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Football Federation Samoa. History The team contested the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, winning silver. The team topped Gro ...

. In November 2021, Ifill was appointed as the head coach of Christchurch United Football Club.

International career

Ifill plays internationally for

due to parental nationality and played in two

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

qualifying games for Barbados in June 2004 against St Kitts & Nevis. He was recalled to the squad for three Caribbean Nations Cup 2007 Group B fixtures against St Kitts and Nevis,

Antigua & Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two major ...

and

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...

at the

Antigua Recreation Ground Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team. It had Tes ...

. On 24 September 2006, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

for Barbados during their 7–1 Gold Cup qualifying victory over Anguilla at the

. Ifill was recalled for Barbados' semifinal Group G, in which he scored twice in three games, as the hosts advanced to the finals, in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, in January 2007. He scored all his international goals for Barbados in the

2006–07 Caribbean Nations Cup The 2007 Caribbean Cup (known as the Digicel Caribbean Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the fourteenth edition of the biennial Caribbean Cup, the finals of which were contested in Trinidad and Tobago between 12 January and 23 January 2007. The fou ...

, the qualification tournament for the

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from ...

. Ifill captained his country against USA in two

2010 World Cup qualification Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oce ...

matches, which Barbados lost 9–0 on aggregate. Ifill was forced to retire from international football in 2010, when a representative of the

Barbados Football Association The Barbados Football Association is the governing body of association football in Barbados. It is responsible the administration of football in Barbados with responsibility for the Barbadian national football team as well as the other Barbados ...

lost his passport.

Career statistics

Honours

Millwall Football League Trophy Runner Up-1998-99 Football League Second Division.2000-01 *

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 ...

runner-up: 2003–04

References

External links

* *
Wellington Phoenix profile

Paul Ifill Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ifill, Paul 1979 births Living people People with acquired Barbadian citizenship Barbadian footballers Association football wingers Wellington Phoenix FC players Team Wellington players Tasman United players A-League Men players New Zealand Football Championship players Barbados international footballers Barbadian expatriate footballers Barbadian expatriates in New Zealand Expatriate association footballers in New Zealand Barbadian football managers Women's association football managers Samoa women's national football team managers Barbadian expatriate football managers Expatriate association football managers in New Zealand Barbadian expatriates in Samoa Expatriate football managers in Samoa Footballers from Brighton English footballers Saltdean United F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players FA Cup Final players English expatriate footballers English expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand English football managers English women's football managers English expatriate football managers English expatriate sportspeople in Samoa English sportspeople of Barbadian descent Black British sportsmen