Jay Simpson

Jay‑Alistaire Frederick Simpson, born 1 December 1988 in Enfield, England, is a former English professional footballer who operated predominantly as a forward. A product of the Arsenal Academy after early spells at Norwich City, Simpson made history at just thirteen by featuring in an under‑18 match and later became the first player to score a hat‑trick at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal’s under‑18 side in the FA Youth Cup. Although he never broke into Arsenal’s regular first‑team lineup, he debuted in a League Cup victory over Sheffield United in September 2008 and scored a brace against Wigan Athletic shortly thereafter. He spent formative loan periods at Millwall, West Bromwich Albion, and Queens Park Rangers, where he earned the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award (November 2007) and finished as QPR’s top scorer in the 2009‑10 season. In August 2010, Simpson secured a permanent move to Hull City for a £1 million fee, registering crucial goals that helped the club achieve promotion to the Premier League. After his release in 2013, he ventured abroad to Thailand with Buriram United, winning the 2014 Kor Royal Cup before returning to England to join Leyton Orient, where he enjoyed a prolific spell, amassing 25 goals in the 2015‑16 season and earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two. His subsequent move to Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer added an international dimension, where he scored three goals across two seasons. After brief stints with Nea Salamina in Cyprus and Welling United, he announced his retirement, leaving behind a career spanning over a decade and a half. Off the pitch, Simpson is of Jamaican descent, married to Isabelle, and the father of three children, balancing family life with the demands of professional sport.