Sam Saunders

Early years and non-League football

Saunders began his career at Charlton Athletic and spent five years in the club's youth setup up to the age of 15. He spent a year in the academy at Fulham, but was unable to win a contract and dropped into non-League football when he signed for Southern League Premier Division club Welling United's youth team in 2000. While with Welling, Saunders returned to Fulham briefly to appear in a youth tournament in Marseille, but was unable to win a scholarship deal. Saunders played sparingly for Welling before moving to Southern League First Division East club Ashford Town (Kent) on 7 March 2002. He moved to the Isthmian League Premier Division to join Carshalton Athletic in February 2004 and after being allocated to the newly created Conference South for the 2004–05 season, the Robins narrowly avoided relegation during Saunders' solitary full season on the club's the books.

Dagenham & Redbridge

Saunders joined Conference Premier club Dagenham & Redbridge during the 2005 off-season. Injuries disrupted the start of Saunders' first season at Dagenham, but following a starting appearance in a 2–1 league win over Tamworth on 21 January 2006, he became a regular in the first team until the end of the season. He made 29 appearances during the 2005–06 season and scored three goals as Dagenham finished in mid-table. Saunders was a virtual ever-present during the 2006–07 season, making 43 appearances and scoring three goals as Dagenham…

During the second half of the 2018–19 season, Saunders spent a period coaching Brentford B. In June 2019, he took over the role as assistant coach of the team and made occasional appearances as a player. In January 2020, it was reported that Saunders was studying for his UEFA A Licence, which he completed by the following year. As of 2021, he is affiliated with Surrey-based sports coaching company BeSports. When fixtures clashed after Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane's dual appointment as Scotland U19 head coach in August 2024, Saunders covered the role of B team head coach. After MacFarlane was promoted into the first team coaching setup in July 2025, Saunders was appointed head coach of the B team. He guided the team to the 2025–26 Professional U21 Development League regular season championship.

Before becoming a professional footballer, Saunders worked as an electrician for the London Underground. Looking back in 2011, he remarked "it was a horrible job, but it was money and gave me the opportunity to go out and play. I used to start work at half 10 at night and get in at five or six in the morning. I would go training in the evening, then go straight into work again. When John Still came calling I couldn't say no, even though I had to take a pay cut to get back into football. My parents told me they would have my back, which was great, but luckily the gamble paid off. I enjoy every second of it and don't want it to stop. I appreciate the position I'm in, being able to earn a living from doing something I love". Saunders was invited by the Hounslow Chronicle to write a column during Brentford's 2013–14 season, which ran from August 2013 until June 2014. Saunders has undertaken occasional television work, appearing on BBC Late Kick Off in April 2014 and as a pundit for Sky Sports' Football League coverage. Saunders co-owns custom swimwear company Thomas Royall with fellow footballers Liam Ridgewell and John Terry, though the company went into voluntary liquidation in October 2019. As of January 2013, Saunders had bought a stake in his sister's hairdressers and solicited funding from the PFA in order to undertake a "Introduction to Barbering" course. While Harry Forrester was a Brentford player, he roomed with Saunders.

Dagenham & Redbridge

Conference Premier: 2006–07 Brentford

Football League One second-place promotion: 2013–14 Football League Trophy runner-up: 2010–11 Wycombe Wanderers

EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2017–18 Individual

EFL League One Player of the Month: December 2013 EFL League Two Player of the Month: April 2009 Brentford Hall of Fame