Darren Eales, Soccer
BrownBears.com will feature one former male and female student-athlete who has gone on to achieve success in the workplace, as well as exhibit the spirit of Brown University within the community. The installments will provide highlights of the selectees’ athletic careers at Brown and offer a glimpse into their current career paths.Alumni Spotlight – Darren Eales ’95
A member of the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame, Darren Eales ’95 was one of the most dominant strikers to have played for men’s soccer. In his three-year career he recorded 83 points (31g, 21a), good for the school record for consecutive games with a point (12). He also is tied for the record for consecutive games with a goal (9). Eales was a three-time First Team All-Ivy selection and was First Team Academic All-American and Academic All-American of the Year in 1995.Â
In 1994, Eales was named Ivy League Player of the Year and led the conference in scoring with 16 goals and seven assists, including seven game-winning goals and four two-goal games. Brown’s season finished with an NCAA tournament berth and a run to the quarterfinals, beating UNH (first round), and then upsetting number one ranked Boston University in the second round, with Eales scoring twice in the contest.
Following graduation at Brown with a 4.0 GPA and an economics degree, the Cambridge, England native signed with the Hampton Road Mariners of the USISL. In his first of two seasons with the team, he scored 24 goals in the 19 games that he played. He played five games with the Hershey Wildcats in 1997 before returning to England, earning his Cambridge Blue in 1998. While back home, Eales began to study law at Cambridge University and became a member of the bar in 2000. After working for 2 Temple Gardens for a few years, Eales began employment as the in-house legal counsel for West Bromwich Albion Football Club, later becoming the Legal Director and Club Secretary. He served as a Trustee of the West Bromwich Albion Community Programme, and as Chairman of the ground-breaking Sporting Club Albion, a multi-sport community club concept, incorporating both women’s and disability teams.
In July of 2010, Eales joined Tottenham Hotspur as the team’s Executive Director. Eales was involved heavily in the club's soccer operations that included helping to negotiate and execute player transfers in deals such as Gareth Bale's record move to Real Madrid and the moves of former Spurs players Robbie Keane, Clint Dempsey and Jermain Defoe to MLS clubs. He assisted in the negotiations for Spurs to acquire Seattle Sounders star DeAndre Yedlin.
In September of 2014 Major League Soccer announced it was expanding to Atlanta, and declared the hiring of Eales as the franchise’s club president. Atlanta United FC will join as the league's 22nd team and begin play in the 2017-18 season. Eales will lead the franchise in all areas of operations and development.Â
Photo courtesy of Atlanta United FC
Alumni and fans are encouraged to participate in the Alumni Spotlight nomination process by submitting nominees to athleticcommunication@brown.edu. Nominations should include: notable career achievements, current occupation, location, recent photos, and notable contributions to the community.
