Jack Butland
Encyclopedia
Jack Butland is an English footballer who plays for Cheltenham Town
on loan from Birmingham City
. A goalkeeper, Butland has represented England at all levels up to the under-21 team
.
. After playing for Clevedon United
and the Bristol-based Jamie Shore Academy, he joined Birmingham City
as a schoolboy in 2007, and then, after leaving Clevedon Community School in 2009, began a two-year scholarship in the club's youth academy
. While still aged 16, Butland made his reserve team
debut, and signed his first professional contract, of two-and-a-half years, as soon as he turned 17 in March 2010. Named Birmingham City's Young Player of the Year at the end of the 2009–10 season, his progress was interrupted in October 2010 by a broken hand requiring surgery. By the following April he had recovered well enough to be given a first-team squad number
before the Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers as cover, in case Ben Foster's
injury or Colin Doyle's illness prevented either from taking part in the match.
Soon after Butland made his England under-21
debut, he joined League Two
club Cheltenham Town on loan for a month to gain experience of first-team football. He went straight into the starting eleven to make his Football League debut at home to Macclesfield Town on 10 September 2011, displacing Scott Brown
who had until then made 107 consecutive starts for the club. Butland had little to do as Cheltenham won the game 2–0. While still out on loan, Butland signed a new contract with Birmingham to expire in June 2015. The initial month was later extended to a three-month period, which began after his return from under-21 duty in mid-October.
beat their Northern Ireland counterparts 6–0 in a Victory Shield
match. He moved up to the under-17s
in 2009, and the following year took over as first-choice goalkeeper during the final stages of the European under-17 championships
, playing in the final as England defeated Spain under-17s
to win the title for the first time. His performances earned him selection as one of two goalkeepers in the 22-man team of the tournament. Butland was part of the under-19
squad that reached the elite qualification round
of the 2011 UEFA under-19 championships
, but needing to beat Spain under-19s
in their last group game, were eliminated at that stage on goal difference
after the match ended 1–1.
Included in the squad for the finals of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
, Butland kept clean sheets in all three group games as England under-20s
qualified for the last 16. He conceded only once against the Nigerians
in the last 16, but that was enough to defeat an England side that failed to score in any of their four matches. He made his debut for the England under-21
team on 1 September 2011 in the starting eleven for the 2013 European qualifier against Azerbaijan under-21
. Although England won by an apparently comfortable six-goal margin, Butland had to be alert to ensure his clean sheet. He kept his place for the next two qualification games, wins against Iceland and Norway under-21
.
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
on loan from Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. A goalkeeper, Butland has represented England at all levels up to the under-21 team
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
.
Club career
Butland was born in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. After playing for Clevedon United
Clevedon United F.C.
Clevedon United F.C. are a football club based in Clevedon, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.After years in the Somerset County League, they achieved promotion to the Western Football League Division One after a 3rd place finish in the 2002-03 season...
and the Bristol-based Jamie Shore Academy, he joined Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
as a schoolboy in 2007, and then, after leaving Clevedon Community School in 2009, began a two-year scholarship in the club's youth academy
Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy
Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy are the reserve team and the youth development system respectively of Birmingham City Football Club. The reserve team, established in 1879, played in the Premier Reserve League South in the 2009–10 season but have not entered a league since...
. While still aged 16, Butland made his reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
debut, and signed his first professional contract, of two-and-a-half years, as soon as he turned 17 in March 2010. Named Birmingham City's Young Player of the Year at the end of the 2009–10 season, his progress was interrupted in October 2010 by a broken hand requiring surgery. By the following April he had recovered well enough to be given a first-team squad number
Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...
before the Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers as cover, in case Ben Foster's
Ben Foster (footballer)
Benjamin Anthony "Ben" Foster is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Birmingham City, and internationally for the England national team.-Stoke City:...
injury or Colin Doyle's illness prevented either from taking part in the match.
Soon after Butland made his England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
debut, he joined League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Cheltenham Town on loan for a month to gain experience of first-team football. He went straight into the starting eleven to make his Football League debut at home to Macclesfield Town on 10 September 2011, displacing Scott Brown
Scott P. Brown (English footballer)
Scott Peter Andrew Brown is an English professional football player. A goalkeeper, he is a product of the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth academy and played in the League of Wales for Welshpool Town before signing for Bristol City and then at the start of the 2005–06 season joining Cheltenham...
who had until then made 107 consecutive starts for the club. Butland had little to do as Cheltenham won the game 2–0. While still out on loan, Butland signed a new contract with Birmingham to expire in June 2015. The initial month was later extended to a three-month period, which began after his return from under-21 duty in mid-October.
Club career statistics
.| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
2010–11 2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011... |
Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Birmingham City | 2011–12 2011–12 Football League The Football League 2011–12, called the Npower Football League, is the 112th season of the Football League. It began in August 2011 and will conclude in May 2012, with the promotion play-off finals.... |
Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town F.C. Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more... (loan) |
2011–12 | League Two Football League Two Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
International career
Butland made his international debut on 3 October 2008, keeping a clean sheet as the England under-16 teamEngland national under-16 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the Victory Shield match against Scotland.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England U-16 squad and remain eligible.-External links:*...
beat their Northern Ireland counterparts 6–0 in a Victory Shield
Victory Shield
The Victory Shield is an annual football tournament competed for by the under-16 teams of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The competition is broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports who also sponsor the competition...
match. He moved up to the under-17s
England national under-17 football team
-Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round....
in 2009, and the following year took over as first-choice goalkeeper during the final stages of the European under-17 championships
2010 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
-Group B:---------------------Knockout Map:-Semifinals:-----Final:-Goalscorers:6 goals Francisco Alcácer3 goals Connor Wickham Gerard Deulofeu Artun Akçakin2 goals Ross Barkley Anthony Koura Paul Pogba Yaya Sanogo Ricardo Esgaio...
, playing in the final as England defeated Spain under-17s
Spain national under-17 football team
The Spain national under-17 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain....
to win the title for the first time. His performances earned him selection as one of two goalkeepers in the 22-man team of the tournament. Butland was part of the under-19
England national under-19 football team
-Other matches:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Denmark.- Recent call-ups :The following players have also been called up to the England under-19 squad and remain eligible.-Past squads:...
squad that reached the elite qualification round
2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification
2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship was the second round of qualifications for the final tournament of UEFA U-19 Championship 2011....
of the 2011 UEFA under-19 championships
2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
-Group B:----The match was scheduled to be played on July 20, but was abandoned after 15 minutes, due to adverse weather conditions while Spain was leading 1–0 after a goal from Álvaro Morata...
, but needing to beat Spain under-19s
Spain national under-19 football team
The Spain national under-19 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.-UEFA European Under-19 Championship Record:...
in their last group game, were eliminated at that stage on goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
after the match ended 1–1.
Included in the squad for the finals of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the eighteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011, with matches being played in eight cities...
, Butland kept clean sheets in all three group games as England under-20s
England national under-20 football team
- Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:...
qualified for the last 16. He conceded only once against the Nigerians
Nigeria national under-20 football team
Nigeria U-20 men's national soccer team, also known as Nigeria Under-20s or nicknamed Flying Eagles, is the youth team for national soccer in Nigeria...
in the last 16, but that was enough to defeat an England side that failed to score in any of their four matches. He made his debut for the England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
team on 1 September 2011 in the starting eleven for the 2013 European qualifier against Azerbaijan under-21
Azerbaijan national under-21 football team
The Azerbaijan national under-21 football team are a feeder team to the Azerbaijan Senior team.- UEFA U-21 Championship Record:* 2002: Did not qualify. Finished 5th of 6 in qualification group....
. Although England won by an apparently comfortable six-goal margin, Butland had to be alert to ensure his clean sheet. He kept his place for the next two qualification games, wins against Iceland and Norway under-21
Norway national under-21 football team
The Norwegian national under-21 football team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, is the national football team of Norway for players of 21 years of age or under at the start of a UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign...
.