Emmerson Boyce

Emmerson Orlando Boyce (born 24 September 1979) is a professional football official, coach and a former player.

He is the sporting director of the Barbados national football team and is also the caretaker manager for the team.

He usually played as a right back, but could also be deployed in the centre of defence or at right wingback.

Born in Aylesbury, England, Boyce started his career at the age of 16 as an apprentice at Luton Town F.C. He eventually established himself in the first team, and went on to make 185 league appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.

Boyce was born on 24 September 1979 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

He grew up in Elmhurst with his parents, Lucille and Melvin, and attended Quarrendon CE Secondary School, where he set athletics records.

He began playing football for his local team Aylesbury United F.C. at the age of ten.

He played as a striker for two years before being moved to his more familiar position in defence.

Boyce was initially unhappy about being moved into his new position, but coach Steve Greenhalf believed Boyce could successfully become a professional footballer as a defender.

From the age of twelve, Boyce attended the Luton School of Excellence, and in the summer of 1995 he became an apprentice at Luton Town.

Boyce spent three years playing for Luton's youth team, where he played alongside Gary Doherty and Matthew Upson.

The team reached the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup in 1997.

He signed professional terms with the club in 1998, and made his debut on 5 January 1999 in a 3–0 home defeat against Walsall in the Football League Trophy.

He appeared once more later in the season, making his league debut in April 1999, in a 1–0 defeat against Lincoln City.

At the start of the following season, he was regularly on the substitutes bench, but due to the poor form of first choice right-back Stuart Fraser he was given the opportunity to start the match at home against Chesterfield on Boxing Day.

He kept his place in the starting lineup and played 30 times in the league during the season, and scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat against Bournemouth in February 2000.

Boyce started the 2000–01 season in the centre of defence.

New Luton manager Ricky Hill praised Boyce for his "tremendous" displays, and felt he deserved a call-up to the England under-21 squad.

He played 42 times in the league, scoring three goals as Luton were relegated to the Third Division.

Boyce was a key figure in the following season for Luton as they gained promotion back into the Second Division, and he was rewarded with a new two-year contract.

Despite strong competition for places, he continued playing regularly for Luton in the 2002–03 season, making 34 appearances in the league.

During his final season with the club, he made 42 league appearances, scoring four goals, and his performances were recognised when he received the Players' Player, Supporters' Player and Internet Player of the Season awards.

He joined Crystal Palace F.C. on a free transfer in 2004, where he played in the Premier League for the first time, but the club was relegated to the Championship.

He spent two years at the club, making 69 league appearances and scoring one goal.

In the summer of 2004, he rejected a new contract with Luton and decided to leave the club after his existing contract expired.

Following a short trial, Boyce moved to Crystal Palace in July 2004 on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal with the club.

He made his debut on 14 August 2004 in Palace's opening Premier League game against Norwich City, and quickly established himself as the club's first-choice right back, and played in almost every league game for the club until a foot injury in March 2005 ruled him out for the rest of the season.

He was a near ever-present throughout the campaign, making 42 league appearances for the club, and scored what would be his only league goal during his time at Palace in a 2–0 win over Coventry City in November 2005.

Palace missed out on promotion however, losing in the play-off semi-finals to Watford.

After Crystal Palace failed to gain promotion, Boyce returned to Premier League football in 2006, this time with Wigan Athletic F.C. after completing a move for a fee of £1 million, and was a key player during his first season when the club narrowly avoided relegation.

He remained an active member of the first-team throughout his spell at Wigan, and is the club's Premier League appearance record holder.

Boyce had become a favourite with Palace fans and was voted Player of the Year in 2006.

With 12 months remaining on his current contract, Boyce rejected a new deal with Palace, stating his desire to return to the Premier League.

Rather than letting him leave for free at the end of his contract per the Bosman ruling, Palace accepted an offer for Boyce from Wigan Athletic.

The incident occurred during a training session, shortly after Boyce had signed a new deal extending his contract until 2007.

Palace were then relegated on the final day of the season after drawing in their match against Charlton Athletic.

He returned to the starting line-up in the first game of the new season in the Championship against former club Luton Town.

Boyce has also represented the Barbados national team, making his debut for the side in 2008.

In May 2013, he captained Wigan Athletic to victory in the 2013 FA Cup Final in a 1–0 win over Manchester City.

He last played for Blackpool in the 2015–16 League One season.