Paul Cunningham (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul David Cunningham | ||
| Date of birth | 18 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Team Taranaki | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2008 | West Virginia Mountaineers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008 | Fisher Athletic | ||
| 2008–2009 | Sorrento | ||
| 2010–2014 | Balestier Khalsa | 111 | (15) |
| 2015- | Team Taranaki | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:59, 22 October 2016 (UTC). | |||
Paul David Cunningham (born 18 June 1986) is a New Zealand professional soccer player who plays for S.League club Balestier Khalsa, as a defender.
Career
West Virginia Mountaineers
Cunningham earned a soccer scholarship to Div 1 Big east University West Virginia University and played college soccer with the West Virginia Mountaineers,[1] for 4 years.
Fisher Athletic
Following the completion of his studies, Cunningham played professionally in England for Fisher Athletic.
Sorrento
He later joined Australian side Sorrento and played for 8 months.[2]
Balestier Khalsa
He moved to S.League club Balestier Khalsa for the 2010 season.[3]
In 2011 Cunningham was named club captain of Balestier and has led Balestier to a record finish in the 2013 S.League season.Cunningham was 1 of 5 players Shortlisted for player of the season in 2013 and eventually lost out to Korean Marquee signing Lee Kwan Woo.[4] Cunningham was also approached by Perth Glory to play for them that season but rejected Perth after discussion with Balestier chairman, Thavaneson.[5]
Cunningham has stated that he wants to play for Singapore at international level.[6]
Following a contract dispute between Cunningham and Balestier at the end of the 2014 season where Cunningham was only offered a 15-day extension to his contract allowing him to lead the Tigers out for the Singapore Cup final, the 5 year association between club and player ended on a sour note. Cunningham continued to train in the lead up to the final, which Balestier won, after he rejected the contract.[7]
Team Taranaki
In 2015, Cunningham signed for Team Taranaki, an amateur association football club based in the Taranaki region, New Zealand. Despite interest from various overseas professional clubs, he and his wife Sarah made the decision to return to Taranaki as they look forward to settling back in New Zealand.[8]
Honours
Club
Balestier Khalsa
- 2013 Singapore League Cup: Champions
References
- ↑ West Virginia Mountaineers profile
- ↑ Tony Bird (28 November 2009). "Pursuit of beautiful game paying off". Stuff.co.nz.
- ↑ Paul Cunningham profile at Soccerway
- ↑
- ↑ "Paul rips Balestier". The New Paper. Retrieved Jan 10, 2015.
- ↑ "'I want to play for Singapore'". The New Paper. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "Paul rips Balestier". The New Paper. Retrieved Jan 10, 2015.
- ↑ "WELCOMES NEW SIGNING PAUL CUNNINGHAM". Retrieved Oct 21, 2016.