James Hilton (soccer)

James Hiton
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-09-16) 16 September 2002
Place of birth Manchester, England
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Macarthur FC
Number 13
Youth career
2014–2017 Mounties Wanderers
2017–2020 Macarthur Rams
2020–2023 Marconi Stallions
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2026 Marconi Stallions 81 (0)
2026 Auckland FC 2 (0)
2026– Macarthur FC 0 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11 April 2026

James Hilton (born 16 September 2002) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Macarthur FC.

Early life

Hilton was born in Manchester, England,[2] and moved to Sydney in 2008 at the age of six. He spent time with Mounties Wanderers and Macarthur Rams before joining Marconi Stallions in 2020.[3]

Club career

Marconi Stallions

Hilton made his senior debut for Marconi Stallions during the 2023 National Premier Leagues NSW season.[4][5]

He established himself as a regular starter during the 2024 season.[6][7] Marconi finished second in the regular season,[8] before going on to win the 2024 National Premier Leagues NSW Championship.[9][10]

In 2025, Hilton was named the NPL NSW Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, having recorded 12 clean sheets in 32 appearances during the season.[11][12] Hilton featured for Marconi in the inaugural Australian Championship. In a quarter-final clash against APIA Leichhardt FC, Hilton delivered a standout performance in a penalty shootout, saving 3 spot kicks before converting the decisive penalty himself to secure progression to the semi-final.[13] Hilton continued in goal during the semi-final, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over Moreton City Excelsior FC,[14] before losing 2–0 to South Melbourne in the final.[15]

Auckland FC

On 6 February, Hilton joined Auckland FC on a contract until the end of the season as an injury replacement for backup goalkeeper Oliver Sail.[16][17][18] Hilton made his professional debut in a 1–1 draw with Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium, coming on as a late injury replacement for Michael Woud, who picked up a groin injury during the warm-up.[19][20][21]

On 4 June 2026, the club announced Hilton's departure following the conclusion of his contract.[22] Hilton made two appearances during his time at Auckland.

Macarthur FC

On 18 June, Hilton joined fellow A-League Men side Macarthur FC ahead of the 2026–27 A-League Men season.[23][24]

Personal life

Hilton holds a qualification in Molecular Genetics and Disease after graduating from the University of New South Wales with a double major degree.[25]

He is a Manchester City supporter and began supporting Marconi Stallions after moving from England, stating: "When I came over from the UK in 2008, I was looking for a team to support and Marconi had the same sky blue kit as Man City."[25]

Career statistics

Club

As of 6 April 2026[26]

Club Season League Cup[a] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Marconi Stallions 2023 NPL NSW 17 0 0 0 – 17 0
2024 NPL NSW 32 0 0 0 – 32 0
2025 NPL NSW 32 0 0 0 – 32 0
Total 81 0 0 0 – 81 0
Auckland FC 2025–26 A-League Men 2 0 0 0 0[b] 0 2 0
Macarthur FC 2026–27 A-League Men 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Career total 83 0 0 0 0 0 83 0
  1. ↑ Includes appearances in the Australia Cup
  2. ↑ Appearances in A-League Finals

Honours

Individual

  • NSW 2025 Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year[11]

Auckland FC

References

  1. ↑ "James Hilton". Auckland FC. Auckland FC. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Auckland FC Call on Jimmy Hilton to Solve Goalkeeping Gaps". Auckland. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Player statistics – James Hilton". MyGameDay. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "James Hilton player profile". SofaScore. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  5. ↑ NSW, Football (6 May 2023). "Stallions prove too clinical with victory over struggling Olympic". NPL Men's NSW. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  6. ↑ NSW, Football (17 February 2024). "Debutants do the business for Stallions against Wollongong". NPL Men's NSW. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  7. ↑ NSW, Football (6 March 2024). "Olympic outgunned by fired-up Stallions". NPL Men's NSW. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Kopp, Melinda (25 August 2024). "Stallions finish in second with eyes on the Championship". NPL Men's NSW. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Stallions keen on defending their Championship title". National Premier Leagues NSW. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  10. ↑ NSW, Football (7 September 2024). "Stallions storm past Rockdale to secure Champions status". NPL Men's NSW. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  11. 1 2 Stavroulakis, Mark (27 September 2025). "Football NSW Celebrates the Best of 2025 at Annual Gala Awards". Football NSW. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Hilton heroics send Stallions Preliminary Finals". National Premier Leagues NSW. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Australian Championship: APIA Leichhardt v Marconi Stallions – goals, highlights and penalty shootout". Football360. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Report: Marconi and South Melbourne claim Final places after tense Semi-Final clashes | Australian Championship". australianchampionship.com.au. 29 November 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Report: South Melbourne claim inaugural Australian Championship over Marconi | Australian Championship". australianchampionship.com.au. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Football: Auckland FC turn to Sydney youngster Jimmy Hilton to shore up goalkeeping reserves". RNZ. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "Auckland FC sign goalkeeper as back-up for men's A-League squad". Friends of Football NZ. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Monteverde, Marco. "Auckland FC signs Marconi goalkeeper Jimmy Hilton ahead of Sydney FC clash".
  19. ↑ "Auckland FC fight back to draw with Adelaide, Gallegos grabs special goal". NZ Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "RD 23 Match Report: Adelaide United Auckland FC". Auckland. 3 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Rollo, Phillip. "Stunning volley keeps Auckland FC's premiership hopes alive in fiery draw". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  22. ↑ ahayes (4 June 2026). "Auckland FC Bids Farewell to Three Young Players". Auckland. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  23. ↑ digital (18 June 2026). "James Hilton Becomes a Bull". Macarthur FC. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "New Bulls gloveman Hilton is returning home". South West Voice. 19 June 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  25. 1 2 Muscat, Melissa (13 November 2025). "NSW's GK of the Year already has an incredible career lined up after football". Football360. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  26. ↑ "James Hilton (Goalkeeper, Auckland FC) :". Ultimate A-League. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  27. ↑ jdodd (23 May 2026). "Auckland crowned Isuzu UTE A-League Champions after knocking off Sydney FC". A-Leagues. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.