Jamie Cureton, set to turn 50 on August 28th, is registered to play for Cambridge City in the 2025-26 season.
Approaching his milestone 50th birthday, Jamie Cureton exhibits no signs of slowing down, continuing a playing career that has encompassed 22 clubs, three promotions, and three relegations.
“I’ve registered myself as a player for the 2025-26 season and hope to make at least one appearance after my birthday,” states Cambridge City’s player-manager, as he prepares his team for Saturday’s FA Cup extra preliminary round match against Kirkley & Pakefield.
Cureton’s Premier League debut occurred at 19, playing for Norwich City against Everton, external in November 1994.
At that time, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town had just been relegated from the top tier, Neville Southall was Everton’s goalkeeper, and Blackburn Rovers were on the path to becoming English champions.
Should he feature for Cambridge City this campaign, Cureton will mark an impressive 32 consecutive seasons as a player across nine tiers of English football, from the Premier League to the Essex Senior League.
His list of represented clubs is extensive.
Norwich, Bournemouth (loan), Bristol Rovers, Reading, Busan I’Cons (South Korea), QPR, Swindon Town, Colchester, Barnsley (loan), Shrewsbury (loan), Exeter, Leyton Orient.
And there’s more.
Cheltenham, Dagenham & Redbridge, Farnborough, Eastleigh, St Albans City, Bishop’s Stortford, Enfield, Hornchurch, Maldon & Tiptree, and currently Cambridge City, where he is entering his second season as manager.
“Football is all I have ever known,” Cureton, a Bristol native, told BBC Sport.
“I grew up in an area where trouble was prevalent. I might have been drawn into the wrong crowd. Fortunately, I had football.
“Anything outside of football feels foreign to me. I would be lost without it. Being involved in the game keeps me happy and sane.”
Cureton tallied 24 goals in 108 appearances across two stints with Norwich City.
Cureton admits he has lost track of the exact number of appearances made over the past 31 years. “I stopped counting when I reached 1,000,” he added.
He surpassed that remarkable milestone six years ago, placing him among an elite group of players, including Barcelona’s Xavi and Real Madrid’s Raul, who have also achieved this feat.
According to Wikipedia,, external Cureton has recorded 1,075 games, ranking him 25th on the list of male footballers with 1,000 or more official appearances.
One memorable game involved a can of hairspray from a joke shop, when the then-20-year-old dyed his hair green for Norwich’s match against rivals Ipswich in 1996.
His most recent competitive appearance was on April 26th, when the 49-year-old came on as a 68th-minute substitute in Cambridge City’s 1-0 victory over Basildon Town, witnessed by 123 fans in the eighth-tier Isthmian League North Division.
Cureton was 24 years older than teammate Junior Mubiayi, who scored the winning goal for City.
“In terms of goals, I believe I am either four or six away from 400, according to my own count and what others have told me,” he said. “I would like to finish with 400 or more.”
Since his last professional appearance at 41, Cureton has transitioned into management in non-league football, holding player-manager roles at Bishop’s Stortford, Enfield, and now Cambridge City.
“It wasn’t something I had planned,” added Cureton, who played under managers such as Martin O’Neill, Ian Holloway, Alan Pardew, and the late Glenn Roeder before moving into non-league football.
“I stumbled into management. I was offered a role at Bishop’s Stortford, and it just snowballed. I thoroughly enjoy it.”
Cureton also spent two years as an academy coach at Arsenal between 2017 and 2019, where he coached players including a 16-year-old Bukayo Saka.
“It’s not surprising to see him achieving what he’s achieving, to be honest,” he said of Saka, who has 44 England caps at the age of 23.
“He’s a very nice guy, humble, without airs and graces. He came in and worked hard. He was a clever boy, good at school as well.
“Working for a club like Arsenal was incredible. I learned so much, and it was a wonderful opportunity for me.”
Cureton, aged 26, celebrating Reading’s promotion to the First Division under Alan Pardew in 2001-02.
Cureton turns 50 on August 28th, two days before his team’s home game against Wroxham.
Will he grant himself an appearance in that game and achieve his goal of playing at 50?
“I will never prioritize myself over players who I believe need the opportunity and should be playing,” said Cureton, who scored four times in 17 Premier League appearances during his first season at Norwich in 1994-95.
“I won’t select myself over them. I’ve registered for this season in case I’m needed, in case I need to rest players.
“Towards the end of last season, we had lost a few players and had some injuries, and there was an opportunity where I felt I could play.”
Cambridge City, founded in 1908, finished 11th in 2024-25, and Cureton aims for a top-five finish and a play-off spot in his second season as manager.
These are exciting times for the Lilywhites, who moved to a new 3,000-capacity stadium approximately seven miles south of Cambridge last November.
A crowd of 1,459 watched them play Tilbury in their first competitive game at the FWD-IP Community Stadium, following 10 years of ground-sharing.
Earlier this month, 2,640 spectators attended the venue to watch a friendly against local rivals Cambridge United., external
“We have a young squad, and I’m older than most of their dads!” Cureton added.
“If I can assist any of them with their game, or even with their life, then I believe I am doing my job.”
Cambridge City’s game against Kirkley & Pakefield in Lowestoft is one of 222 FA Cup extra preliminary round ties scheduled for this weekend, 11 weeks after Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City in the final at Wembley.
The Lilywhites reached the second round in 2004, their best run in the competition, while Cureton was playing in the Championship for QPR.
Cureton helped Bristol Rovers reach the last 16 in 1998-99 and would, if circumstances permit, like to make one final FA Cup appearance before retiring for good.
“I never imagined I would still be playing as I approach 50,” he said. “I’m very grateful. The drive to continue playing is what has pushed me to this point.
“Football has been good to me, and I hope to stay in the game for another 10 or 15 years as a manager or coach, and then perhaps play some golf or go fishing.”
A crowd of 2,640 attended the pre-season friendly against Cambridge United at Cambridge City’s new 3,000-capacity ground.
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