Eddie Beach

Eddie Beach
Personal information
Full name	Edward James Beach
Date of birth	9 October 2003 (age 20)
Place of birth	Lymington, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Crawley Town; (on loan from Chelsea)
Number	16
Youth career
	Milford on Sea Youth
2013–2019	New Forest Football Academy
2019–2022	Southampton
2022–2023	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team
2023–	Chelsea
2023	→ Chelmsford City (loan)
2024	→ Gateshead (loan)
2024–	→ Crawley Town (loan)
International career‡
2021	Wales U19
2023–	Wales U21
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:17, 11 April 2024 (UTC); ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

Edward James Beach (born 9 October 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Crawley Town on loan from Premier League club Chelsea. He is a Wales under-21 international.

Club career

Beach started his footballing career as a striker for his local Sunday league teams, Milford Youth and the New Forest Football Academy.^[3] At the age of fifteen, his father sent him a Twitter link regarding an open trial exclusively for goalkeepers, and he decided to attend.^[4] He was repeatedly invited back, having impressed, and was eventually offered a further trial at professional side Bournemouth.^[4] Having only attended the trial for three of the eight weeks, Beach returned to Sunday league level, scoring a hat-trick for his local side.^[4]

Fellow professional side Southampton also showed an interest in Beach, and sent scouts to watch him play for his local team in a Hampshire Cup game.^[4] He was playing in midfield in the game, with his dad telling scouts that Beach "wasn't a goalkeeper" when asked why.^[4] Despite this, he was still invited for an eight-week trial, and as with the Bournemouth trial, this was also cut short. However, unlike the Bournemouth trial, Southampton had offered Beach a place in the academy, and he joined at under-15 level.^[4]

He suffered an eleven-month long injury during his first couple of years with Southampton, returning in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom forced football to stop temporarily.^[4] He managed to impress during the time he spent in the academy, and signed a scholarship deal with Southampton in August 2020.^[5]

Beach's performances in Southampton's 2021–22 campaign, in which they won the Premier League South title and came second nationally to Manchester City, attracted the attention of Chelsea, and he made the move to West London in July 2022.^[6]^[7]

In January 2023, Beach was loaned to National League South side Chelmsford City.^[8]

In January 2024, Beach was loaned to National League side Gateshead.^[9]

In August 2024, Beach joined newly-promoted League One side Crawley Town on a season-long loan deal.^[10]

International career

Beach has represented Wales at under-19^[1] and under-21 level.^[11]

Career statistics

As of match played 11 April 2024^[12]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chelsea U21	2022–23	—			—		—		—		4^[a]	0	4	0
	2023–24	—			—		—		—		3^[a]	0	3	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	7	0
Chelsea	2022–23	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chelmsford City (loan)	2022–23	National League South	20	0	0	0	–		–		1^[b]	0	21	0
Gateshead (loan)	2023–24	National League	5	0	0	0	–		–		0	0	5	0
Career total			25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0	33	0