1. He wasn’t originally a goalkeeper
Born in Hammersmith and raised in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, Foderingham was an outfield player when he first started kicking a ball around for his local grassroots side.
When the team were short between the sticks one week however, he quickly showcased his talent with a pair of gloves, and having subsequently played three years up at an indoor tournament at Westway Sports Centre, he attracted the attention of Fulham, who snapped him up as a nine-year-old in 2000.
A Newcastle United fan in his youth despite his ties to the capital, Foderingham’s first goalkeeping hero is said to have been former Magpie Shay Given.
2. He was one of the first people to play at the new Wembley
A little over a month after England’s U21s drew 3-3 with Italy in the first match to be played at the newly-constructed Wembley Stadium, the national side’s U16s were given the opportunity to take on Spain in front of nearly 30,000 fans at the Home of Football in late April 2007.
Foderingham duly started the 1-0 win, which also saw the likes of Kyle Bartley, Jack Rodwell and Andros Townsend line up for the Young Lions. Our new signing represented his country at U16, U17 and U19 level, latterly alongside one-time Hammer Frank Nouble.
3. Spells in non-league helped him make his name
With the likes of Mark Schwarzer and David Stockdale ahead of him in the goalkeeping ranks at Fulham, a teenage Foderingham took the plunge and signed a short-term loan deal at then-National League South side Bromley in the latter stages of the 2009/10 campaign, in the hope of gaining some gametime.
Upon his release from Fulham at the end of that season, he impressed in a pre-season fixture for Bromley against Crystal Palace, so much so that the Eagles offered him a two-year deal before sending him back to Bromley temporarily. After a further non-league spell at Boreham Wood, Foderingham stepped up to the National League with Histon in March 2011, where he made nine appearances.
4. He was managed by a West Ham legend
Foderingham’s first step into the Football League saw him join League Two title-chasers Swindon Town in October 2011, while Paolo Di Canio was in charge at the County Ground. Having initially signed until January, he penned permanent terms during the winter window and helped the Robins clinch top spot, keeping a total of 24 clean sheets across all competitions and winning the division’s Golden Glove award.
Foderingham was named in the following season’s League One PFA Team of the Year, after featuring in 54 games in all competitions, and by the time of his departure from Swindon at the end of 2014/15 he had tallied 71 shutouts in 191 appearances for the club.
5. He won two trophies with Rangers
Mark Warburton, who served as first-team assistant coach at West Ham under David Moyes during the 2022/23 season, signed Foderingham on a three-year contract while Rangers manager in July 2015.
Foderingham made 50 appearances in his first season in Glasgow as the Gers clinched the Scottish Championship and Challenge Cup double, and overall featured 143 times for the club before leaving in summer 2020.
His time north of the border saw him make his debut in European competition, with a 1-0 win over Luxembourg outfit FC Progrès Niederkorn in June 2017 marking the first of four outings in UEFA Europa League qualifying.
6. He won two promotions with Sheffield United
Having featured in the EFL Championship, League One and League Two, in Scotland’s top two tiers and in UEFA Europa League qualifying, Foderingham made his landmark first English Premier League appearance for Sheffield United at home to Crystal Palace in August 2023.
He had signed for the Blades in July 2020 and served as understudy to Aaron Ramsdale for large parts of the 2020/21 season, before establishing himself as number one in the second tier in 2021/22 and then making 40 league appearances en route to second place and promotion the following year.
Foderingham featured 30 times, including playing against West Ham for the first two times in his career, as Sheffield United were ultimately relegated from the Premier League last term. However, he ranked sixth for the most saves made (133) and won the division’s Save of the Month award for December last year.
7. He has worked as an anti-racism Ambassador
Foderingham has a long history of working with anti-discrimination charities such as ‘Kick It Out’ and ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, having joined the former’s ‘Next 20’ initiative - designed to champion 20 young footballers - when he was in his early 20s at Swindon Town.
Since then, he has taken part in and led educational workshops related to the fight against racism while at Swindon and Rangers, and spoken about his experiences of discrimination while at Sheffield United.
8. He is known to commentate on games in his head while he is playing
In an interview with the Sheffield Star in September 2022, Foderingham revealed he had picked up the unusual habit of talking himself through games while playing for Rangers, in a bid to stay focused and alert to what was happening on the pitch.
His own Instagram post from back in June 2014 would suggest he has an impressive mental capacity, too, having achieved eight A*s at GCSE level when he was at school.
