Rhys Day facts for kids

Rhys Day was a professional footballer from Wales. He was born on August 31, 1982. Rhys played as a central defender, which means he helped protect his team's goal. He played for several teams, including Blackpool, Mansfield Town, Aldershot Town, and Oxford United. He also played for the Wales under-21 team many times.

Rhys Day's Football Journey

Rhys Day started his football career in Bridgend, Wales. He joined the youth team at Manchester City in 1998. Even though he was a talented player, he didn't get to play for Manchester City's main senior team.

Playing for Mansfield Town

In November 2002, Rhys moved to Mansfield Town. At first, he joined them on a temporary loan. But he played well, and the team decided to sign him permanently in January 2003. He became an important player for Mansfield Town.

During his time at Mansfield, Rhys faced some challenges with injuries. He missed parts of the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons because of these injuries. After the 2005–06 season, Mansfield Town did not offer him a new contract. This meant he became a free agent, able to sign with any team.

Time at Aldershot Town

In July 2006, Rhys signed a two-year contract with Aldershot Town. His new manager, Gary Waddock, even made him the team captain for the 2007–08 season. That season was very successful for Aldershot. They won the Conference National league title in 2008. This win helped them get promoted to the Football League, which is a higher level of professional football.

After their promotion, Rhys signed a new one-year contract with Aldershot. However, in April 2009, it was announced that he would leave the club at the end of the season.

Moving to Oxford United

On July 23, 2009, Rhys Day signed a two-year contract with Oxford United. He helped Oxford United achieve promotion to the Football League in 2010. This was another great achievement in his career.

Back to Mansfield and Retirement

In January 2011, Rhys moved back to Mansfield Town from Oxford United. He continued to play for Mansfield. However, a series of knee injuries kept him out of the game for a long time. Because of these injuries, Rhys decided to retire from football at the end of the 2011–12 season. He was 29 years old when he retired. At that time, he said he wanted to stay involved in football, perhaps as a coach.

Coming Out of Retirement with Hyde

Even after retiring, Rhys Day missed playing. On September 10, 2013, he decided to come out of retirement. He signed with Hyde, a team in the Conference North league. He worked hard to get back into shape with a special training program. Rhys made his first league appearance for Hyde on December 28, 2013, when he started a game against Wrexham.

Playing for Wales

Rhys Day also had the chance to play for his country. He played 11 games for the Wales under-21 team between 2000 and 2003. In May 2003, he was even called up to the main Wales squad for a game against the United States. However, he didn't get to play in that match and never officially played for the senior Wales team.

Off the Pitch

Rhys Day comes from a family of athletes. His younger brother, Ryan Day, is a professional snooker player.

Achievements

Rhys Day achieved success with a couple of his clubs:

Club

Aldershot

• Conference National (V): 2008 (This means they won the league title)

Oxford United

• Conference National (promoted): 2010 (This means they finished high enough to move up to a better league)