Factfile: JJ Hooper

Daniel Prince News
Factfile: JJ Hooper

After South Shields completed the signing of striker JJ Hooper – subject to FA clearance – we take a closer look at the new arrival.

  • Jonathan James (JJ) Hooper was born on October 9th, 1993 in the borough of Greenwich in London
  • An Arsenal fan growing up, Hooper began his junior career with spells at Cray Wanderers and Sevenoaks FC
  • Hooper signed a two-year scholarship with Newcastle United in August 2011, and scored a hat-trick the next day in an Under-18s fixture against Chelsea
  • In his second season at Newcastle, Hooper spent time with Darlington on a work experience loan
  • A loan spell with Workington in National League North followed as Hooper continued to collect senior experience
  • After being released by Newcastle in 2013, Hooper was signed by Northampton Town, where he made his Football League debut
  • The striker had loan stints with Alfreton Town and Farnborough, scoring six goals in 11 appearances to help the latter avoid relegation from National League South
  • Hooper received his real break in senior football with Havant and Waterlooville, who he joined on a permanent basis in 2014 and scored 13 league goals for
  • He received a call-up by England C in May 2015, but did not win a cap
  • After a number of trial periods with English and Scottish clubs in the summer of 2015, Hooper signed a two-year deal with Port Vale to return to the Football League
  • Hooper scored five goals in each of his two seasons with Port Vale, with one eye-catching spell seeing him win the League One PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award
  • He returned to Northampton Town on loan before a permanent switch to League Two side Grimsby Town in 2017, where he scored seven goals in his first season
  • A loan move to National League outfit Bromley in the 2018-19 season proved fruitful, with Hooper scoring 19 goals in 25 games in all competitions
  • Hooper joined Wrexham for the 2019-20 campaign and scored seven times in an injury and Covid-affected season, and followed that up with eight goals for another National League club, Barnet, in 2020-21
  • Also adept at playing out wide, Hooper has put pen to paper with South Shields after his departure from Barnet in the summer