Mark Burke facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Stephen Burke | ||
| Date of birth | 12 February 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Solihull, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Solihull and District Schools | |||
| 1985–1987 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987 | Aston Villa | 7 | (0) |
| 1987–1991 | Middlesbrough | 57 | (6) |
| 1990 | → Darlington (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 1991–1994 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 68 | (11) |
| 1994 | → Luton Town (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Port Vale | 15 | (2) |
| 1995–1999 | Fortuna Sittard | 108 | (10) |
| 1999–2000 | Omiya Ardija | 51 | (9) |
| 2001 | Rapid Bucharest | 8 | (1) |
| 2001 | IF Brommapojkarna | ||
| 2001–2002 | TOP Oss | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 326 | (40) | |
| International career | |||
| 1983–1984 | England Schoolboys | nationalgoals1 = | |
| 1986 | England Youth | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mark Stephen Burke was born on February 12, 1969. He is a former professional footballer from England. He played as a midfielder, which is a player who helps both defend and attack. Mark was very good at keeping control of the ball. He had a long career, playing for 15 years in different countries like England, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Sweden.
Mark started his football journey at Aston Villa in February 1987. He then moved to Middlesbrough in December 1987. In October 1990, he played for Darlington on a loan (which means he played for them temporarily). He later joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 1991. He also had a loan spell at Luton Town in March 1994.
After that, he signed with Port Vale in August 1994. The next year, he moved to Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands. In 1999, he joined Omiya Ardija in Japan. Later, in 2001, he played for Rapid Bucharest and IF Brommapojkarna. He helped IF Brommapojkarna win the Division 2 Östra Svealand title in Sweden. Finally, he played for TOP Oss in 2001–2002.
Contents
Mark Burke's Football Journey
Mark Burke joined Aston Villa as a young player in June 1985. He played for England Schoolboys and the England Youth team. He became a professional player in February 1987.
Starting at Aston Villa
Mark made his first senior game for Aston Villa on April 18, 1987. They lost 1–0 to Everton. In that season, Aston Villa was relegated (moved down) from the top division. However, they were quickly promoted (moved up) again the next season. Mark played eight games for the club before moving to Middlesbrough in December 1987.
Time at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough also won promotion to the top division in 1988. They beat Chelsea in the play-offs. Mark didn't play in those final games. In the 1988–89 season, Middlesbrough finished just one spot behind Aston Villa. Unfortunately, this meant they were relegated.
The next season, Middlesbrough struggled and finished near the bottom of the second division. Mark didn't play much during this time because he had disagreements with the manager, Bruce Rioch.
Loan to Darlington
In October 1990, Mark went on loan to Darlington. Darlington ended up winning the Fourth Division title that season.
Moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Mark then moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 1991. This move reunited him with Graham Turner, who had been his manager at Aston Villa. Mark made his debut for Wolves in a 3–3 draw against Oxford United.
His best season at Wolves was in 1992–93. He played 34 games and scored 8 goals, which was his highest number of goals in one season. Wolves finished 11th that year.
Loan to Luton Town and Port Vale
In March 1994, Mark had a short loan spell at Luton Town. When he returned to Wolves, Graham Taylor, another former manager from his Aston Villa days, was now in charge. Mark couldn't get a regular spot on the team.
He then joined Port Vale in August 1994. He scored two goals in 15 games for them. After this, he decided to try playing football in other countries.
Playing Abroad: Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Sweden
Mark's first club outside England was Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie (the top league in the Netherlands). He scored the winning goal in his very first game for them. Fortuna Sittard finished in different positions in the league during his time there.
He later moved to Japan in June 1999 to play for Omiya Ardija. He scored five goals in 20 games in 1999 and four goals in 31 games in 2000.
After his contract in Japan ended, Mark returned to Europe. He signed a short contract with Rapid Bucharest in Romania in March 2001. This made him the first English footballer to play in Romania!
Mark then moved to Sweden to play for IF Brommapojkarna. He helped them win the Division 2 Östra Svealand title in 2001. Finally, he played four games for TOP Oss in the Netherlands in 2001–02.
"In England if the manager said it, you just did it. When I went to Fortuna .. I really started to understand the shape of the field, horizontally and vertically. In England, the only time I had training sessions like that was when I went on coaching courses."
How Mark Burke Played
Mark Burke was known for being very calm and good with the ball. He would move around the field easily and then make a clever pass or a soft touch. He was excellent at keeping possession of the ball for his team.
Mark Burke's Life Outside Football
In 2013, Mark Burke wrote his first eBook called A different kind of soccer book. This book was written for children, coaches, and parents.
Mark is also good at speaking several languages, including English, Spanish, and Dutch.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1986–87 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987–88 | Second Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1987–88 | Second Division | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 1988–89 | First Division | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 5 | |
| 1989–90 | Second Division | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Total | 57 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 66 | 6 | ||
| Darlington (loan) | 1990–91 | Fourth Division | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1990–91 | Second Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1991–92 | Second Division | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 3 | |
| 1992–93 | First Division | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 8 | |
| 1993–94 | First Division | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 2 | |
| Total | 68 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 77 | 14 | ||
| Luton Town (loan) | 1993–94 | First Division | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Port Vale | 1994–95 | First Division | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| Fortuna Sittard | 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 3 | ||
| 1996–97 | Eredivisie | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |||
| 1997–98 | Eredivisie | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 | |||
| 1998–99 | Eredivisie | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 108 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 112 | 11 | ||||
| Omiya Ardija | 1999 | J2 League | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| 2000 | J2 League | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 | |
| Total | 51 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 9 | ||
| Rapid Bucharest | 2000–01 | Divizia A | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| TOP Oss | 2001–02 | Eerste Divisie | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 326 | 40 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 357 | 43 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Darlington
- Football League Fourth Division: 1990–91 (Champions)
IF Brommapojkarna
- Division 2 Östra Svealand: 2001 (Champions)
See also
In Spanish: Mark Burke para niños
