| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 March 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sligo Rovers | ||
| 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– | Sligo Rovers | 55 | (10) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:41, 13 September 2025 (UTC) | |||
Owen Elding (born 7 March 2006) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers.
Elding was born in England and moved to County Sligo when his father Anthony signed for Sligo Rovers in 2013. He began playing football with Ballinamallard United, then played for Arrow Harps, then Manulla, where he performed well enough to be called up to the Mayo League representative side, then returned to Arrow Harps and featured for the Sligo/Leitrim League representative side, impressing enough to earn a trial with Sligo Rovers Academy which was successful and resulted in him playing with the side's under-13 team, moving to Longford Town's academy in 2021 for 2 seasons while his father was coaching there, before returning to Sligo Rovers in 2023. [1] 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. [2] He won a Tier 3 league title at under-17 level in October 2022 with Longford Town. [3] 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. [4]
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. [5] He made a total of 5 appearances by the end of the 2023 season. [6] On 30 December 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club. [7] [8] He made a total of 24 appearances in all competitions in the 2024 season, with all but 2 of them coming off the bench. [9] On 13 February 2025, Elding signed a new contract with the club until the end of the 2027 season. [10] He scored the first goal of his senior career on 15 February 2025, in a 3–2 loss to Waterford at The Showgrounds. [11] On 7 March 2025, Elding opened the scoring in a 1–1 draw away to Cork City at Turners Cross on his 19th birthday. [12] He scored an equaliser on 4 April 2025, in an eventual 4–2 defeat away to Bohemians at Dalymount Park. [13] 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. [14] On 12 September 2025, he scored the first Hat-trick of his career, giving his side a 3 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. [15]
He is the son of former professional footballer Anthony Elding who played for Leeds United and Preston North End among a host of clubs in the English Football League, Hungarian side Ferencváros, the NIFL Premiership and the League of Ireland Premier Division, most notably with Sligo Rovers for his heroic 93rd minute winner in 2013 FAI Cup Final against Drogheda United. [16]
Elding is eligible for England through birth and Republic of Ireland through residency, having lived in the country since the age of 6. [1] He received a call up to the Republic of Ireland U16 side in June 2021 for an assessment training camp. [17] 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. [18] [19] [20]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | 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 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 4 | — | 31 | 14 | |||
| Total | 55 | 10 | 5 | 4 | — | 60 | 14 | |||
| Career Total | 55 | 10 | 5 | 4 | — | 60 | 14 | |||