Tim Payne (footballer)
New Zealand footballer (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Timothy John Payne (born 10 January 1994) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defender for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and for the New Zealand national team.[2]
.jpg) Payne playing for the Wellington Phoenix in 2025. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Timothy John Payne[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 January 1994[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Positions | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Wellington Phoenix | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Auckland City | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Auckland City | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Waitakere United | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Auckland City | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Portland Timbers 2 | 22 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Eastern Suburbs | 51 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | Wellington Phoenix | 143 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | New Zealand U17 | 9 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | New Zealand U20 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | New Zealand U23 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | New Zealand | 50 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A noted utility player, Payne has played almost every outfield position during his career.[3]
Club career
Auckland City and Waitakere United
Born in Auckland, Payne attended Sacred Heart College and started his youth career with ASB Premiership club Auckland City FC before switching to play for rivals Waitakere United. Payne played a major role in Waitakere United's success in the ASB National Youth League in 2010.[4]
Blackburn Rovers
After impressing at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup Payne trialed with Premier League side Blackburn Rovers and then spent several months training at the club.[5] Days after celebrating his 18th birthday Payne signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Rovers in January 2012.[6] Due to work permit issues that prevented him from playing for Rovers, he was released at the end of his contract.
Wellington Phoenix
In July 2019, Payne signed a one-year contract with A-League side Wellington Phoenix.[7] On 3 January 2020, it was announced that Payne had signed a two-year contract extension with the Phoenix.[8] On 10 June, Payne pleaded guilty to a drink-driving charge after a shirtless late-night joy ride in a golf cart in Sydney while the team was supposed to be in self-isolation. He was subsequently ordered by the court to pay a AUS$700 fine.[9]
On 17 December 2024, Payne signed a new three-year contract with the Phoenix, until the end of the 2027–28 season.[10]
International career
Payne represented New Zealand at Under-17 level. He played 90 minutes in each of his sides four matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.
In May 2012, Payne received a call-up from Ricki Herbert to the senior national team alongside fellow youngster and U-17 teammate Cameron Howieson.[11] He made his first appearance in a 1–0 win against Honduras on 26 May 2012, coming on as a substitute for Leo Bertos and playing the final 15 minutes of the match.[12] He subsequently made an appearance off the bench in the OFC Nations Cup 2012. Payne was named in New Zealand's team for the 2012 Olympics.
On 30 March 2026, Payne received his 50th cap for the All Whites in a 4–1 win over Chile as part of the 2026 FIFA Series.[13] With this win, New Zealand achieved their first ever win against a South American national team.[14][15]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Auckland City | 2009–10 | NZ Premiership | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| Waitakere United | 2010–11 | NZ Premiership | 6 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Blackburn Rovers | 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Auckland City | 2014–15 | NZ Premiership | 10 | 1 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Portland Timbers 2 | 2015 | USL Pro | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| Eastern Suburbs | 2016–17 | NZ Premiership | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | |||||
| 2018–19 | 17 | 0 | — | — | 2[b] | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 2 | ||
| Wellington Phoenix | 2019–20 | A-League | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||||
| 2021–22 | A-League Men | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 27 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||||
| 2025–26 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 124 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 133 | 4 | ||
| Career total | ||||||||||||
- Appearance in OFC Champions League
- Appearances in New Zealand Football Championship play-offs
- Appearances in OFC President's Cup
- One appearance in Charity Cup; four appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearances in A-League Men finals series
International
- As of 21 March 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 2012 | 7 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 43 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list New Zealand's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Payne goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2013 | Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands |  Solomon Islands |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [17] |
| 2 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 21 March 2025 | Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand |  Fiji |
4–0 | 7–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
New Zealand
Individual
