Leroy Jennings (born 3 March 1998) is a professional football player who last played as a central midfielder for Sydney United in the National Premier Leagues NSW. Born in Australia, Jennings has represented Fiji at youth level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leroy Jennings[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 3 March 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2013 | LA Galaxy II | ||
| 2014–2016 | Wrexham | ||
| 2016–2017 | Newcastle Jets | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Newcastle Jets Youth | 16 | (3) |
| 2018 | Sutherland Sharks | 20 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Blacktown City | 34 | (9) |
| 2021–2022 | Wollongong Wolves | 38 | (13) |
| 2023– | Sydney United | 16 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Fiji U20 | 3 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 August 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 September 2016 | |||
Club career
editJennings signed for LA Galaxy academy on a 1-year deal after showing a good performance during trial, impressing the directors and receiving praise from David Beckham.[2][3] After leaving LA Galaxy, Jennings signed for Wrexham in 2014, playing for the academy for two seasons.[4]
On 27 October 2016, Jennings signed for the Newcastle Jets. He played for the youth team, making 16 appearances and 3 goals in the league.[5][6] After departing and having stints with Sutherland Sharks and Blacktown City, Jennings signed for Wollongong Wolves on 24 December 2020.[7][8]
On 17 December 2022, Jennings was announced to play for Sydney United for the 2023 NPL NSW season.[9] He made his debut for the club on 5 February 2023 against Fairfield rivals Marconi, scoring two goals in the second half to win the match 3–1 at full time.[10]
International career
editJennings was selected for the Fiji national under-20 team ahead of their 2016 OFC U-20 Championship. Jennings played all three group matches, scoring one goal against New Caledonia but failing to qualify for the knockout rounds.[11] However, one month before the OFC 2018 FIFA World Cup playoff, Jennings rejected the call-up for the Fiji national team because of his interest in representing Australia instead.[12]
Personal life
editJennings was born in Sydney, Australia to parents of Italian and Tongan-Fijian descent.[2][7][13] He is the cousin to Michael Jennings and George Jennings, both of whom played rugby league professionally in the National Rugby League.[14] He is also related to Arthur Jennings, who represented the New Zealand national rugby union team during his playing career.[15]
Outside of football, Jennings took an interest in boxing and basketball, the latter after taking inspiration from The Last Dance on Netflix.[13] He also learnt to speak Italian, having been able to speak basic for most of his early life and to play the piano during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[13] He is affectionately nicknamed the "speedster" or "specimen" by his teammates.[7][13]
Honours
editWith Sydney United 58:
- Waratah Cup Champions: 2023[16]
References
edit- ^ a b "Leroy Jennings". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Jennings' battle with Beckham jnr opens up a Galaxy of opportunities in Los Angeles". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Slevison, Andrew (24 February 2012). "Sydney youth Jennings set to join LA Galaxy after praise from Beckham". Tribal Football. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Wrexham Archive: Leroy Jennings". Tribal Football.
- ^ "Jennings chases football dream". Tribal Football. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Kerry, Craig (29 October 2016). "Leroy Jennings joins Newcastle Jets Youth team". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ a b c "Wolves snap up speedster Jennings". Football NSW. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Mee, Cameron (24 December 2020). "New Wolves recruit Leroy Jennings determined to fire in Wollongong". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Sydney United 58 focused on Premiership push in 2023". Football NSW. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "United 58 prove too strong for Stallions in derby opener". Football NSW. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Amadeu, Pedro (19 June 2020). "The teenage dream of Fijian forward Leroy Jennings". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Jennings Out, Gamel Go Local". Fiji Sun. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d Stavroulakis, Mark (19 May 2020). "Shooting Hoops, Boxing and learning Italian for Leroy Jennings". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Bossi, Dominic (15 November 2015). "David Beckham and Brooklyn Beckham take Old Trafford by storm in UNICEF charity match". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
It was at the MLS club where he clashed with Australian youth player Leroy Jennings, cousin of NRL stars Michael and George Jennings...
- ^ Jackson, Glenn (21 May 2012). "Blues brothers keeping it all in the family". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Football NSW (10 September 2023). "Sydney United 58 taste Waratah Cup success". Football NSW. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
External links
edit- Leroy Jennings at Football NSW