Aaron Daniel Clapham (born 15 January 1987) is a former

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

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 ...

and current Football coach. Clapham spent most of his senior footballing career with ISPS Handa Premiership club Canterbury United FC.

Club career

In 2005 Clapham accepted a football scholarship at

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on in the fore ...

Loretto, Pennsylvania Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,302. Like the rest of Cambria County, it is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. Loretto is the home of Saint Franc ...

before joining the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

where he spent 2 seasons, scoring 8 times in 37 appearances. He then moved to Australia, joining

Dandenong Thunder Dandenong Thunder SC is a soccer club from Dandenong, a suburb in the South-East region of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They are an Albanian Australian-backed club. Thunder compete in the National Premier Leagues Victoria. In 2012, Dandenon ...

in the

Victorian Premier League 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 ...

. Clapham played 117 times for

Canterbury United Canterbury United Dragons are a semi-professional football club from Christchurch, New Zealand. The team plays most of its matches at English Park in Christchurch, though they occasionally play in Nelson. The club last played in the ISPS Handa ...

, having scored 61 goals from the centre of midfield. His first goal came in his club's 2–0 victory over Waikato FC on 8 November 2009. Having helped his side to 4th in the New Zealand Football Championship and progressing to the playoff final, he was awarded New Zealand Football Championship Player of the Year for the 2009–10 season. Clapham has long been considered one of the top players in the New Zealand Football Championship, being named to the league's team of the month in November, December, January, and February during the 2009–10 season. Clapham captained Canterbury United to their highest league position of 2nd place in the 2011–12 season. On 7 February 2011, he signed a one-game loan deal from

to play for

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 ...

in the A-League. On 2 June 2020, he retired from football, after a final season at

Canterbury United Dragons Canterbury United Dragons are a semi-professional football club from Christchurch, New Zealand. The team plays most of its matches at English Park in Christchurch, though they occasionally play in Nelson. The club last played in the ISPS Handa ...

International career

Clapham has earned national representation at Under-20 level, where he represented New Zealand at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. After impressing for Canterbury United during the 2009–10 season, Clapham was selected as a part of a 15-man

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

training camp for Australia and New Zealand-based players. Following a strong performance for New Zealand 'A' against a NZFC Select XI at the conclusion of the camp on 8 May 2010, Clapham was named as a surprise call-up by

All Whites The New Zealand men's national football team ( mi, Tīma hoka a-motu o Aotearoa) represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Footbal ...

coach Ricki Herbert for New Zealand's

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

campaign. Clapham made his official international debut on 10 October 2010 when he came on as a late substitute in his country's 1–1 draw with Honduras.

International goals and caps

New Zealand's goal tally first.

International career statistics

Coaching career

Clapham was named on 31 July 2020, as Assistant coach of the

New Zealand national under-17 football team The New Zealand Under 17's football team, more commonly known as the Young All Whites, is controlled by New Zealand Football and represents New Zealand in international Under 17 or youth football competitions. New Zealand was the host nation fo ...

Personal life

His sister Sara Clapham also represented New Zealand internationally, making 3 appearances for the New Zealand senior women's team.

References

External links

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NZ Football Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapham, Aaron 1987 births Living people Saint Francis University alumni University of Louisville alumni Louisville Cardinals men's soccer players Canterbury United Dragons players Wellington Phoenix FC players New Zealand men's association footballers New Zealand men's international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2012 OFC Nations Cup players Dandenong Thunder SC players Men's association football midfielders Team Wellington FC players New Zealand Football Championship players Association footballers from Christchurch