Stuart Parnaby

Middlesbrough

Early life and career

Stuart Parnaby was born on 19 July 1982 in Durham, County Durham, and grew up supporting Middlesbrough F.C. He joined Middlesbrough's academy when he was 10, where his father, Dave Parnaby, was academy director. Parnaby made his first-team debut for Middlesbrough in September 2000 in a League Cup match against Macclesfield Town. The next month, he was loaned to Halifax Town, during which time he played six games and won the Third Division Player of the Month award before returning to his parent club in December. He did not make any more appearances for Middlesbrough in the 2000–01 season. Parnaby did not feature in the 2001–02 season due to two serious injuries to his hip, both of which required surgery. Nevertheless, he signed a new contract with the club in March 2002, lasing until June 2004. Having recovered from his injuries by July 2002, he felt he could make his return in the first team. The 2002–03 season saw Parnaby sidelined until he made his Premier League debut on 26 October 2002, in a 2–2 draw against Leeds United. Following his debut, he had a run in the first team before a tear on his hamstring kept him sidelined for weeks. Parnaby went on to make 23 appearances for the club in 2002–03. As a result, he was awarded the Supporters' Club Young Player of the Year award. He was also rewarded with a new contract with the club in March, lasting until June 2007.

2003–2007

Parnaby featured in the first…

Parnaby made his debut for the England national under-16 team on 23 June 1998 when starting their 4–1 defeat to the United States (US), as part of a tour of the country. He started all of the under-16's matches from June 1998 to May 1999, and scored his only goal at this level on 30 March 1999 in a 1–0 win over Turkey in a friendly. Parnaby was part of the team at the 1999 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, and played in all of their four matches before they were eliminated by the Czech Republic in the quarter-final. He finished his under-16 career with 11 caps and one goal from 1998 to 1999. Parnaby debuted for the under-18s on 8 March 2000 as a starter in a 3–0 defeat to France in a friendly. His only goal at this level came on 11 October with a 90th-minute winner against Italy in 2001 UEFA European Under-18 Championship qualification. He was a regular starter for the under-18s, making eight appearances and scoring one goal from 2000 to 2001. Parnaby made his debut for the under-20s on 10 April 2002 when starting a 2–0 defeat to Portugal in a friendly. He played in three of the team's five matches at the 2002 Toulon Tournament, and scored a 46th-minute goal in the second match, a 1–0 victory over Poland on 10 May. He made four appearances and scored one goal for the under-20s in 2002. Parnaby debuted for the under-21s on 6 September 2002 as a 78th-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw with FR Yugoslavia in a friendly. He made his first start on 2 June 2003 in a 3–2 win over…

Seven months after announcing his retirement, Parnaby re-joined Hartlepool as the club's pre-rehabilitation and conditioning coach in April 2016. He was removed from his position in July 2017. Parnaby joined Martin Gray's backroom staff at National League North club York City in July 2018 as strength and conditioning coach. When Gray left the club, youth-team manager Sam Collins took over as caretaker manager on 20 August, with Parnaby his assistant. Collins and Parnaby were appointed permanently on 10 October after recording four wins from eight matches. Parnaby left the club on 7 January 2019 shortly after Collins was dismissed as manager with the team 15th in the table. Parnaby joined the coaching staff of National League North club Spennymoor Town on 9 January 2020. He was named as manager Tommy Miller's assistant on 20 May 2021. He left the club on 5 December following the dismissal of Miller.

Parnaby married his partner of seven years, Paula, in his home city of Durham in 2010. Parnaby and his wife were expecting their first child in January 2014, but the pregnancy resulted in a stillbirth. Ahead of the match against Brighton & Hove Albion, Middlesbrough's players wore black armbands as a mark of respect. Her death prompted Parnaby to set up an online charity appeal, which raised over £5,000 in two days. Parnaby has an older brother, who is a golfer and resides in the US.