{{Short description|English footballer}} {{About|the footballer|other people with the same name|David Foley (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox football biography | name = David Foley | image = David-foley-footballer.jpg | image_size = 175 | caption = Foley playing for Puerto Rico Islanders in 2010 | fullname = David John Foley | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|5|12|df=y}} | birth_place = South Shields, England | height = | position = Forward | currentclub = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Hartlepool United | years1 = 2003–2010 | clubs1 = Hartlepool United | caps1 = 98 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2009 | clubs2 = → Barrow (loan) | caps2 = 3 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2010–2012 | clubs3 = Puerto Rico Islanders | caps3 = 74 | goals3 = 24 | years4 = 2013–2014 | clubs4 = Fort Lauderdale Strikers | caps4 = 5 | goals4 = 2 | years5 = 2015–2017 | clubs5 = South Shields | caps5 = 87 | goals5 = 49 | years6 = 2017–2018 | clubs6 = Spennymoor Town | caps6 = 39 | goals6 = 8 | years7 = 2018–2019 | clubs7 = South Shields | caps7 = 37 | goals7 = 14 }}
'''David John Foley''' (born 12 May 1987) is an English footballer. He played in the Football League for Hartlepool United and in the North American Soccer League for the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
==Career== ===England=== Foley was trained as a scholar in Hartlepool United's youth academy. As a scholar, he represented the first team on several occasions and became Hartlepool's youngest ever player when he came on as a substitute against Port Vale at the age of 16. Foley also played a key role in Hartlepool's Under 19s Dallas Cup winning team in 2004. During his time at the club Foley failed to score a league goal. However, he was more successful in cup competitions, scoring seven goals, most notably against Premier League side Stoke City which earned Hartlepool a famous 2–0 victory in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/7803271.stm |title=Hartlepool 2–0 Stoke |publisher=BBC Sport |date=3 January 2009 |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-date=24 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424142611/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7803271.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
When his first-team appearances started to become limited Foley joined Conference National side Barrow on a month's loan in August 2009,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/barrow/8214024.stm |title=Striker Foley agrees Barrow loan |publisher=BBC Sport |date=21 August 2009 |access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> he played three times but failed to score.
===North America=== In February 2010 Foley's Hartlepool contract was cancelled so he could join the Puerto Rico Islanders.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hartlepool.vitalfootball.co.uk/david-foley-leaves-hartlepool-for-america/ |title=David Foley leaves Hartlepool for America |website=Vital Hartlepool |date=15 February 2010 |accessdate=1 February 2019}}</ref> After playing for the team throughout the 2010 pre-season, he made his debut for the team on 16 April 2010, in a 2010 CFU Club Championship game against Haitian team Racing des Gonaïves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://concacaf.globalsportsmedia.com/page.php?sport%3Dsoccer%26language_id%3Dus%26page%3Dtournament%26view%3Dmatch%26match_id%3D924140 |title=CFU Club Championship 2010: Racing des Gonaives 0–2 Puerto Rico Islanders |publisher=CONCACAF |accessdate=21 August 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811170147/http://concacaf.globalsportsmedia.com/page.php?sport=soccer&language_id=us&page=tournament&view=match&match_id=924140 |archivedate=11 August 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref>
Foley signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in January 2013. He dressed in 5 games for the club and scored 2 goals before picking up a season-ending injury. On 10 March 2014, the Strikers announced that the club and Foley had officially parted ways by mutual agreement.
===Return to England=== After leaving Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Foley returned to England, and in June 2015 he joined hometown club South Shields on a free transfer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://southshieldsfc.co.uk/david-foley-signs/ |title=David Foley signs |first=Daniel |last=Prince |publisher=South Shields F.C. |date=12 June 2015 |accessdate=1 February 2019 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127093033/https://southshieldsfc.co.uk/david-foley-signs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He scored on his competitive debut for the club on 8 August, but it was not enough to prevent a 3–2 defeat against Northallerton Town in the Northern League Division Two. He netted again for the Mariners three days later, with his stunning 25-yard volley sealing a 3–2 win against Billingham Town after Shields had earlier found themselves 2–0 down with 12 minutes to play. He also scored in Shields' next game, notching the opener in a 6–0 win over Darlington Railway Athletic. He suffered a hamstring injury against Heaton Stannington on 18 August, and returned as a substitute in a win over Ryhope Colliery Welfare on 6 October.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}
He went on to play a key part in a successful season for the Mariners, as they gained promotion to Division One of the Northern League as champions.
In June 2017, Foley turned down a new contract at South Shields to join National League North side Spennymoor Town, indicating his desire to play at a higher level.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.southshieldsfc.co.uk/foley-joins-spennymoor-after-turning-down-new-deal/ |title=Foley joins Spennymoor after turning down new deal |work=South Shields FC |publisher=South Shields F.C. |date=4 June 2018 |accessdate=1 February 2019}}</ref> He scored eight league goals in total for Spennymoor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://us.soccerway.com/players/david-foley/50935/|title = England - D. Foley - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway}}</ref> However, on 6 September 2018, Foley re-joined South Shields.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.southshieldsfc.co.uk/david-foley-rejoins-shields/ |title=David Foley rejoins South Shields from Spennymoor Town |first=Daniel |last=Prince |work=South Shields FC |publisher=South Shields F.C. |date=6 September 2018 |accessdate=1 February 2019 |archive-date=18 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018083020/https://southshieldsfc.co.uk/david-foley-rejoins-shields/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 31 October 2019 it was confirmed, that Foley had left the club for final time due to work commitments.<ref>[https://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport/other-sport/south-shields-fc-announce-david-foley-has-left-club-824153 South Shields FC announce David Foley has left the club], shieldsgazette.com, 31 October 2019</ref>
==Honours== ===Club=== '''Hartlepool United''' *League Two runners-up: 2006–07
'''Puerto Rico Islanders''' * USSF Division 2 Pro League: 2010 * CFU Club Championship: 2010, 2011
'''South Shields''' * Northern League Division Two champions: 2015–16
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071111003448/http://www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk/cgi-bin/itmc_view_person.asp?oid=958 In The Mad Crowd profile] * [http://www.hartlepool.vitalfootball.co.uk/player.asp?p=462 Vital Hartlepool Profile: David Foley] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212814/http://www.hartlepool.vitalfootball.co.uk/player.asp?p=462 |date=27 September 2007 }} * {{Soccerbase}} * [http://strikers.com/index.php/team/roster-2013/789-david-foley.html Foley's Strikers profile]{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, David}} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from South Shields Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Hartlepool United F.C. players Category:Barrow A.F.C. players Category:Puerto Rico Islanders players Category:Fort Lauderdale Strikers players Category:South Shields F.C. players Category:Spennymoor Town F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:National League (English football) players Category:USSF Division 2 Professional League players Category:North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players Category:Northern Football League players Category:English expatriate men's footballers Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Puerto Rico Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Puerto Rico Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Category:21st-century English sportsmen