Owen Elding
English footballer (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Owen Elding (born 7 March 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. He previously played for Sligo Rovers, where he started his career.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 March 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hibernian | ||
| Number | 47 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014 | Ballinamallard United | ||
| 2015 | Arrow Harps | ||
| 2015 | Manulla | ||
| 2016–2018 | Arrow Harps | ||
| 2019–2020 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| 2021–2023 | Longford Town | ||
| 2023 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2026 | Sligo Rovers | 62 | (12) |
| 2026– | Hibernian | 9 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:11, 26 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Elding was born in England and moved to Riverstown, County Sligo when his father Anthony signed for Sligo Rovers in 2013.[1] Elding attended Ardkeeran Primary School with fellow Sligo teammate, Johnny Kenny, where he also played Gaelic football.[2] He began playing association football with Ballinamallard United.[1] He later played for Arrow Harps in Riverstown, before switching to Manulla F.C., where he performed well enough to be called up to the Mayo League representative side. After returning to Arrow Harps, Elding featured for the Sligo/Leitrim League representative side.[2]
Career
Youth career
Elding's performances earned him a successful trial with the Sligo Rovers Academy and he joined the club's under-13 team in 2019. He moved to Longford Town's academy in 2021 for two seasons while his father was coaching there, before returning to Sligo Rovers in 2023.[2] In March 2022, Elding scored the winning goal in the National School's Cup Final for his school Coola Post Primary School, in a 3–2 win over Scoil Ruáin in Tipperary at the Athlone Town Stadium.[3] He won a third tier league title at under-17 level in October 2022 with Longford Town.[4] In November 2024, he featured in the National Under-20 Shield Final for the Sligo Rovers Under-20s as they were defeated 2–1 by Shelbourne.[5]
Sligo Rovers
Elding made his senior debut for Sligo Rovers on 13 May 2023, replacing Frank Liivak from the bench in the 88th minute of a 3–0 loss at home to Shelbourne.[2][6] He made a total of five appearances by the end of the 2023 season.[7] On 30 December 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club.[8][9] He made a total of 24 appearances in all competitions in the 2024 season, with all but two of them coming off the bench.[10] On 13 February 2025, Elding signed a new contract with the club until the end of the 2027 season.[11] He scored the first goal of his senior career on 15 February 2025, in a 3–2 loss to Waterford at The Showgrounds.[12] On 7 March 2025, Elding opened the scoring in a 1–1 draw away to Cork City at Turners Cross on his 19th birthday.[13] He scored an equaliser on 4 April 2025, in an eventual 4–2 defeat away to Bohemians at Dalymount Park.[14] Elding scored a goal of the season contender against Bohemians on 27 June 2025, and was subsequently linked with a move to Serie A side Juventus.[15] On 12 September 2025, he scored the first hat-trick of his career, giving his side a three goal lead in their FAI Cup Quarter Final away to Kerry, before they collapsed and lost 4–3 after extra time to crash out of the cup.[16] He scored a total of 16 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions, helping his side to secure their place in the division in the final game of the season and earning himself a place in the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year as voted by his fellow players.[17] He was also voted PFAI Young Player of the Year for 2025 by his fellow players,[18] as well as being voted Sligo Rovers Player of the Year.[19] During the off season, he was subject to interest from Austrian Bundesliga champions Sturm Graz, being shown around their facilities and attending a match as a guest of the club.[20]
Hibernian
On 29 January 2026, Elding signed for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian on a four-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be €400,000 up front plus add-ons.[21][22] He made his debut for the club on 1 February 2026, coming off the bench in a 0–0 draw with Rangers at Easter Road.[23] On 14 February 2026, he made his first start for the club and opened the scoring in a 2–0 win over St Mirren with a 42nd minute header.[24][25] On 4 April 2026 he opened the scoring in a 3–0 win at home to Kilmarnock after just 13 seconds, getting on the end of Felix Passlack's pass.[26]
Personal life
He is the son of former professional footballer Anthony Elding.[27][1] He played Gaelic football during his primary school years.[2] After moving to Ireland, Elding grew up in Sligo alongside future Republic of Ireland international Johnny Kenny.[28]
International career
Elding is eligible for England through birth and Republic of Ireland through residency, having lived in the country since the age of six.[2] He received a call up to the Republic of Ireland U16 side in June 2021 for an assessment training camp.[29] In June 2025, his club manager John Russell confirmed that Elding was in the process of finalising switching his international eligibility to the Republic of Ireland.[30][31][32] In April 2026, he was due to receive his Irish passport but a mandatory ceremony to do so was cancelled due to the 2026 Irish fuel protests, meaning his wait to declare for Ireland was delayed by even further months, with Elding stating "Hopefully one day I can be in the national team scoring goals."[33]
Career statistics
- As of match played on 26 April 2026[34]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sligo Rovers | 2023 | LOI Premier Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||||
| 2025 | 35 | 12 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 38 | 16 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 12 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 67 | 16 | ||||
| Hibernian | 2025–26 | Scottish Premiership | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | |||
| Career Total | 71 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 19 | ||
- Includes FAI Cup & Scottish Cup
- Includes Scottish League Cup
Honours
Individual
- PFAI Young Player of the Year: 2025[18]
- Sligo Rovers Player of the Year: 2025[19]
- PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year: 2025[17]