Tyrone Mears

Manchester City

Mears came through the ranks at Manchester City and signed trainee forms in August 2001. Mears only made one appearance for City, replacing Stuart Pearce as a substitute in the 84th minute against Nottingham Forest in March 2002. On Manchester City's promotion to the FA Premier League in 2002, Mears' first-team opportunities became limited and he was sold to Preston North End.

Preston North End

Mears joined Preston in July 2002, for a fee of £200,000. He signed a three-year contract and was expected to provide cover for Graham Alexander. After missing out the start of the season, due to a thigh injury he suffered in the pre-season training, Mears made his debut for Preston as a substitute in a 3–3 draw with Walsall on 19 October 2002, After playing in the reserves for a while, Mears played his first match in months against Grimsby Town on 14 December 2002. It wasn't until on 15 April 2003 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 5–1 loss against Reading. Though Manager Craig Brown expressed disappointment over the results, he singled out praises to Mears, including his "spectacular". In his first season at Preston North End, Mears went on to make a total of 24 league and cup appearances in the 2002–03 season, as Preston finished in mid-table of the Football League Championship. In the 2003–04 season, Mears struggled to regain his first team, as he suffered a hamstring that kept him sidelined at the start of the season. It wasn't…

Born and raised in England, Mears believed he had Jamaican ancestry and it was reported on 4 February 2009, that he had accepted an offer to play for the Jamaica national football team. Mears made his debut on 11 February 2009 in a friendly match against Nigeria, playing 71 minutes of the 0–0 draw at the New Den. Mears said, "It was a fantastic feeling to be selected. When John Barnes first phoned me I was really excited. It's a fantastic opportunity to play for Jamaica." Despite making an appearance for Jamaica, it was later reported that Mears' father, whom he thought he qualified through, may actually be from Sierra Leone. An official from the Jamaica Football Federation stated that Jamaica fielded Mears without undergoing thorough checks because verification of a player's passport is not required for friendly internationals and such matches do not affect a player's international eligibility. After discovering his ineligibility to play for Jamaica, Mears petitioned FIFA to have the cap rescinded and have his ongoing eligibility to play for England reaffirmed.

In March 2023, Mears joined the staff of the Inter Miami CF Academy, primarily as an assistant coach for the club's U-17 side. On 25 January 2024, Mears was announced as the first-ever head coach for the USL Super League club to be based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mears led Fort Lauderdale United to the first-ever league championship match, falling to in-state rivals Tampa Bay Sun. In September 2025, Mears was promoted to president of soccer for the club, where he oversaw all sporting operations for Fort Lauderdale men's and women's sides. After spending one season as president, Mears was announced to be returning to a head coaching role in June 2026.

Mears is studying a course in criminal justice and counter-terrorism at Southern New Hampshire University via online. Mears is a father of four children, and his spouse is Nadine Mears. Mears revealed he left school when he was 15 to pursue his football career. Mears holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. His son, Jaden, plays for Stoke City.