Sydney FC have announced the departure of goalkeeper Tom Heward-Belle, who leaves the club after six seasons in pursuit of more first team minutes.
The 26-year-old has made 13 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances for the club across six seasons, following his maiden professional campaign at Central Coast Mariners in 2015-16.
News of Heward-Belle’s departure comes as the club confirms it “remains in talks” with out-of-contract Patrick Wood, and veteran pair Alex Wilkinson and Adam Le Fondre. Socceroos full-back Joel King, meanwhile, will return to his parent club Odense BK in Denmark at the conclusion of his mid-season loan.
“Tommy has been a fantastic professional and an invaluable member of our squad over the past six seasons,” said Sydney FC boss Steve Corica.
“His performances when called upon have been fantastic and he has kept Andrew Redmayne on his toes throughout his time, pushing Redders to even better levels of performance.
“He will be missed and he leaves with our best wishes for the future.”
Heward-Belle did not feature for Sydney FC this season, serving as the club’s No.2 behind Socceroos gloveman Andrew Redmayne. In November, Heward-Belle shone for the Sky Blues in a friendly against Scottish giants Celtic; with Redmayne on international duty on the eve of the World Cup, he made a series of impressive stops in a 2-1 win at Allianz Stadium.
“I’ve had incredible support from both the club and the Sydney FC members over the past six years and I’d like to thank them for the opportunity to represent Sydney FC,” Heward-Belle said.
“To learn from two of the best goalkeeper coaches in the country in John Crawley and Matthew Nash has been a great experience and it has helped my development, as has working alongside Andrew Redmayne.
“I’m sad to leave but excited for a new challenge ahead.”
