Stephen Elliott

Elliott began his career as a youth player with Belvedere. and Stella Maris.

Manchester City

Elliott began his professional career as a youth player at Manchester City after impressing in a trial match with Stella Maris in which he scored five goals in the space of half an hour. His league debut came on 21 February 2004 when Kevin Keegan used him as a late substitute in a 3–1 win at Bolton Wanderers. He failed to establish himself in the first team, making only one further appearances as a substitute, with his development at City hampered by a serious back injury that ruled him out for a season.

Sunderland

Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy signed him from Manchester City on 1 June 2004 for an initial fee of £125,000, set by a tribunal, with well over £250,000 of additional payments linked to his subsequent performance at the Black Cats of around £100,000 if Sunderland were promoted to the Premier League; £50,000 if he played in a competitive game for the Republic of Ireland; five instalments of £20,000 for each set of ten appearances he made for Sunderland up to a maximum of 50 games; and 25% of any sell-on transfer fees. McCarthy later admitted that he had bought him outrageously cheaply, although that was before all of the above add-ons were ultimately realised. He made his debut on 7 August against Coventry in their 2–0 defeat, with his first goal for the club coming on 10 August against Crewe Alexandra, scoring the winner in their 3–1 win. He quickly…

Elliott has represented Ireland at U-17 level, U-19, the U-20 team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he was their top goalscorer, and the U-21 team where he made 10 appearances scoring six times. Elliott's good start for Sunderland in 2004 led to a call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad, and he made his international debut against Croatia at Lansdowne Road on 16 November 2004. He scored his first senior International goal to beat Cyprus 1–0 in a World Cup qualifier on 8 October 2005. In all he made nine appearances for Ireland at full international level.

After retiring as a player, Elliott spent time working in the media as a football analyst for various outlets. He spent time as Head of academy at Darlington, before he moved on to become Lead Coach of the Under-15 and Under-16 sides at Fleetwood Town. On 31 January 2024, Elliott was announced as Head of Academy Football at St Patrick's Athletic and also head coach of the club's Under-20 side. On 26 November 2024, Elliott was named as manager of League of Ireland First Division club Wexford. During his first season as Wexford manager, he placed a strong emphasis on youth development and the integration of academy talent into the senior setup. He handed out sixteen senior debuts, including fifteen in the League of Ireland, eight of whom came through the Wexford academy. His approach was noted for providing opportunities to young players and strengthening the pathway between the club's academy and first team.

Elliott was born in the North Inner City Dublin area in the Republic of Ireland. He is often known by the nickname of Sleeves, which he picked up whilst playing for Sunderland from a phrase "Sleeves Up" which he often used. He married his long-term partner, Alexa, in 2009, and they now reside on the Fylde Coast with their family.