Jos Hooiveld, born on 22 April 1983 in the Netherlands, is a proficient defender currently plying his trade as a central defender for Orange County SC. Towering at 1.93m (6ft 3in) and weighing 89kg (14st), Hooiveld presents a formidable physical presence on the pitch.
Hooiveld kicked off his football journey with SC Heerenveen in the Eredivisie, Netherlands in July 2002. In his debut season 2002-2003, Hooiveld made a singular first-team appearance and slowly raised that tally to twelve in the next season, ensuring that he was not easily forgotten in the Dutch sporting panorama.
Transitioning to PEC Zwolle in the Eredivisie in January 2005 marked the next course in Hooiveld's career. Over two seasons, Hooiveld comfortably found his feet with consistent appearances and even notching three goals to his name.
A change in scenery for the versatile defender came upon a move to KSV 1919 in the 2. Liga in Austria in July 2006, however, his stay was short-lived, lasting just one season with 14 first team appearances.
In January 2007, Hooiveld ventured to Inter Turku in the Veikkausliiga in Finland, where he continued his steady ascent, making over fifty appearances and scoring four goals over two seasons.
An undisclosed transfer to AIK in the Allsvenskan, Sweden in January 2009, yet again saw Hooiveld make his mark with consistent performance, including a one-goal contribution in season 2015.
In January 2010, Hooiveld made a distinctive move to our beloved Celtic Football Club in the Premiership, Scotland, for a transfer fee of around £1.9m. Owing to the fervour and passion associated with the famed Glaswegian side, Hooiveld's time at Celtic was brief but memorable.
At Celtic, in an endearing twist to his football narrative, Hooiveld made seven first-team appearances over two seasons. Though his stint was relatively short, fans came to appreciate his technical prowess and towering physicality on the field. Leaving Scotland in a transfer to FC Copenhagen in the Superliga, Denmark on loan in January 2011 was, to many, a finale that left more stories to be told on the illustrious Celtic pitch.
Following his Celtic epoch, Hooiveld continued his journey across various clubs, with loan moves to Southampton in the Premier League in England and Norwich City in the Championship, before settling back at AIK in Sweden in July 2015.
Hooiveld moved from AIK to FC Twente in the Eredivisie in January 2017, where he maintained his routine of regular appearances. Then, in June 2018, he found his way to Orange County SC in the USL, USA. As of the current 2024 season, Hooiveld has made no first team appearances in league matches.
Throughout his illustrious, wide-ranging career, Hooiveld has truly embodied the spirit of a journeyman footballer, carving out his path in different leagues, different countries, with different challenges every step of the way, etching an enduring reminder of his place in the beautiful game.
