Jamie Searle
Jamie Searle is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Eastbourne Borough. He was part of the New Zealand squad in the football competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics and made his senior debut in March 2022. Searle played senior football for his local side Melville United while still a teenager, earning an academy place at Aston Villa after a trial, before spells at Swansea City and Barnsley.
Early life
Searle was born in 2000 in Whakatāne, and played for Whakatāne Town, Tauranga City and Cambridge FC in his early years. He completed his secondary education at St Peter's School in Cambridge, south-east of Hamilton.Club career
Melville United and Aston Villa
Searle began to play for the first team of Melville United during his time at school, making three appearances over three years.Searle's manager at Melville United, Sam Wilkinson, organised a month-long trial with Aston Villa, and after impressing in friendly matches he signed his first professional contract in August 2019. For the first half-year, either his father or his mother was living with him in Birmingham; during the COVID-19 pandemic he lived on his own.