Fijian footballer (born 1998)
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.
Club career
Jennings 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
Jennings 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
Jennings 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
With Sydney United 58 :
References
^ 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 .
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External links