{{Short description|Scottish footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox football biography |name = Gary Maley |image = |image_size = |caption = |fullname = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|8|3|df=y}} |birth_place = Scotland |position = [[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]] |years1 = ?–2016 |clubs1 = [[Broxburn Athletic F.C.|Broxburn Athletic]] |years2 = 2016–2022 |clubs2 = [[Livingston F.C.|Livingston]] |caps2 = 5 |goals2 = 0 |years3 = 2018 |clubs3 = → [[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]] (loan) |caps3 = 1 |goals3 = 0 |years4 = 2021 |clubs4 = → [[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]] (loan) |caps4 = 0 |goals4 = 0 |years5 = 2021 |clubs5 = → [[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]] (loan) |caps5 = 0 |goals5 = 0 |years6 = 2022 |clubs6 = → [[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]] (loan)<ref name="clydeloan">{{cite web|url=https://livingstonfc.co.uk/gary-maley-joins-clyde-on-emergency-loan/|title=Gary Maley joins Clyde on emergency loan|date=5 March 2022|publisher=Livingston Football Club}}</ref> |caps6 = 2 |goals6 = 0 |club-update = 22:04, 8 December 2021 (UTC) }} '''Gary Maley''' (born 3 August 1982) is a Scottish professional [[association football|football]] coach and former player, who is the goalkeeping coach at [[Sporting Club Jacksonville|Sporting JAX]] of [[USL Championship]]. He played as a [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]] for [[Scottish Premiership]] side [[Livingston F.C.|Livingston]].<ref name="viralvote">{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gary-maley-reveals-story-behind-22093103|title=Gary Maley reveals story behind viral Livingston contract vote as keeper awaits final verdict|date=27 May 2020|publisher=Daily Record}}</ref>
==Club career== Maley's early playing career saw him play at [[Broxburn Athletic F.C.|Broxburn Athletic]] alongside [[David Martindale]] and [[Scott Pittman]].
An engineer by trade, Maley only signed his first contract in 2016, as backup to Livingston goalkeeper Liam Kelly.<ref name="maleystays">{{cite web |title=The people have spoken - Gary Maley stays! |url=https://livingstonfc.co.uk/the-people-have-spoken-gary-maley-stays |website=Livingston FC |date=27 May 2020 |access-date=16 May 2022}}</ref> He spent a loan spell with [[Cowdenbeath F.C.|Cowdenbeath]] in 2018, making 1 league appearance for them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gary Maley |url=https://gh.soccerway.com/player/maley-gary/MJ1MS1dD/transfers/ |website=Soccerway.com |publisher=Soccerway |access-date=10 February 2026}}</ref>
In 2020, Maley went [[Viral phenomenon|viral]] after Livingston set up a [[Twitter]] poll asking the public whether his contract should be extended. Club manager [[David Martindale]] had initially pledged to donate £1 to the John O'Byrne Foundation for every vote cast, with Maley also donating two months' wages, but with the poll eventually reaching 180,000 votes,<ref name="viralvote"/> Martindale instead limited his donation to £1,000.<ref name="maleystays"/>
Maley had two short emergency loan spells at [[Queen of the South F.C.|Queen of the South]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gary Maley Checks Back In|url=http://www.qosfc.com/news-5529|website=qosfc.com|access-date=10 September 2021}}</ref>
After another loan spell with [[Clyde F.C.|Clyde]] in early 2022,<ref name="clydeloan"/> Maley made his debut for Livingston in May, six years after signing for the club, as a substitute in a match against Dundee. At the age of 39 years, 285 days old, Maley became the oldest player to make his debut in the Scottish Premiership (or [[Scottish Premier League]]) since at least 1998.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=SPLstats |number=1525858329024684032 |title=At the age of 39 years and 285 days, Gary Maley is the oldest player to make his Scottish top flight debut since at least 1998 (my age data prior to then is incomplete). |date=15 May 2022 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Boyle |first1=Callum |title=Goalkeeper finally makes debut for Livingston, six years after joining |url=https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/goalkeeper-debut-livingston-335889 |website=JOE |date=15 May 2022 |access-date=16 May 2022}}</ref>
==Coaching career== ===Livingston=== Maley retired as a player at the end of the 2021–22 season and was appointed First Team Goalkeeping Coach at [[Livingston F.C.|Livingston]].<ref>{{ cite web|url=https://www.thenational.scot/sport/20215557.david-martindale-hails-great-signing-gary-maley-joins-livi-coaching-staff/ | title=David Martindale hails 'great signing' as Gary Maley joins Livi coaching staff | publisher=The National}}</ref> He left the club in May 2024.<ref>{{ cite web|url=https://livingstonfc.co.uk/gary-maley-moves-on/| title=Gary Maley moves on|website=www.livingstonfc.co.uk|date=29 May 2024}}</ref>
===Arbroath=== In June 2024, Maley was appointed as goalkeeping coach at [[Arbroath F.C.|Arbroath]].<ref>{{ cite web|url=https://x.com/ArbroathFC/status/1806033498026680675?t=Cu4VEmrjp4BhgAm7QnyhGA&s=19| title=𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇|website=www.x.com|date=26 June 2024}}</ref>
===Sporting JAX=== On 5 February 2026, [[USL Championship]] expansion club [[Sporting Club Jacksonville]], better known as Sporting JAX, announced their full inaugural roster and coaching staff through the club's [[Instagram]]. The announcement listed Maley as goalkeeper coach.<ref>{{cite web |title=You've seen them individually, now it's time to see them as a TEAM. Introducing the 2026 Sporting JAX Men's @uslchampionship roster and technical Staff! 🔥 #ProSoccerProJAX |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DUYnqC2Da6v/?img_index=3&igsh=MWV4MXk-wc2o1bWhraw%3D%3D |website=Instagram.com |publisher=sporting_jax |access-date=5 February 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Sporting Club Jacksonville squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maley, Gary}} [[Category:1982 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Scottish men's footballers]] [[Category:Men's association football goalkeepers]] [[Category:Livingston F.C. players]] [[Category:Clyde F.C. players]] [[Category:Broxburn Athletic F.C. players]] [[Category:Cowdenbeath F.C. players]] [[Category:Queen of the South F.C. players]] [[Category:Sporting Club Jacksonville non-playing staff]] [[Category:USL Championship coaches]] [[Category:Scottish Professional Football League players]] [[Category:21st-century Scottish sportsmen]]