Matt Bloomfield

Matthew James "Matt" Bloomfield (born 8 February 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a midfielder.

Born in Felixstowe, Suffolk, Bloomfield started his career as a trainee with Ipswich Town in August 2001 and was at one point a player scouted by Newcastle United and an England under-19 international player. But with a plethora of midfielders at Portman Road, he was released by manager Joe Royle to join Wycombe Wanderers on 22 December 2003, having appeared just once for Ipswich's first team.

Bloomfield's debut came in the 2–0 home defeat against Rushden & Diamonds on 28 December, and he scored his first goal for the club against Queens Park Rangers in March 2004.

In July 2008, Bloomfield finally signed a two-year contract extension. Recovering from a long-term injury at the time, Wycombe had decided not to offer him a pay rise. Bloomfield finally signed after Wycombe's new manager, Peter Taylor, said he would look to get Bloomfield a better deal when he had returned to fitness and was back in the first team.

Bloomfield made his return to league football on 2 December, as part of a 4–0 win at home to Macclesfield Town.

At the end of the 2009–10 season, Bloomfield featured heavily in the side that failed to keep Wycombe in League One. Despite this, his performances persuaded manager Gary Waddock to further extend his contract until summer 2011. He has since kept his place in the team at the start of the 2010–11 season, scoring his first goal of the season against Accrington Stanley.

Bloomfield then once again extended his contract for a further year taking him into his eighth season at the club amassing over 250 appearances. To date, he has suffered two relegations and equally two promotions. He was also part of the proud Wycombe side that reached the League Cup semi finals in 2006 losing 5–1 on aggregate to Chelsea.

On 16 July 2013, Wycombe held Bloomfield's testimonial against Chelsea, which finished 0–5 to Chelsea. The likes of John Terry, Branislav Ivanović and José Mourinho were at Adams Park to celebrate the event.

As of November 2010, Bloomfield is studying to complete a degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting at Staffordshire University, alongside former teammate Kevin Betsy. Bloomfield regularly writes blogs for the BBC website and has appeared on regional football show Late Kick Off. He was the first footballer to sign the "Football Vs. Homophobia charter for action" in October 2011. He often takes on an ambassadorial role at the club and regularly participates in community scheme activities.

As of 4 May 2019