Stephen Laybutt
Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography
Stephen John Laybutt (3 September 1977 – 13 January 2024) was an Australian professional soccer player who played as a defender.[1] Laybutt came out as gay in 2021[2] and died by suicide in January 2024.[3]
Early life and career
Laybutt was born in Lithgow and played youth football at the Australian Institute of Sport before starting his senior career with Wollongong City in 1995.[4] As well as playing for a number of clubs in the National Soccer League and Newcastle Jets in the A-League, Laybutt played professionally in Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium. He retired from professional football in 2008.[4]
He won fifteen caps with the Australian national team. He was also a member of the Australian under-23 team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.[4]
Laybutt was released by Dutch side Feyenoord in January 2002 to return to Australia, following a loan spell at Lyn Oslo, due to a lack of first team opportunities.[5]
In January 2008, Laybutt suffered an achilles tendon rupture, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2008–09 A-League.[6]
Personal life and death
Following his playing career, Laybutt came out as gay. As of 2021, Laybutt worked in the rehab unit at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. There, he met patient Ian Pavey, to whom he donated a kidney.[2]
Laybutt was reported missing on 13 January 2024 when he could not be contacted after having last been seen the previous night.[7] Laybutt was recorded on security camera footage at 11:30 AM on the 13th.[8] Police discovered Laybutt's body on 14 January 2024 in bushland near Cabarita Beach, New South Wales at age 46,[7] determined to be self-inflicted.[3]
Honours
Sydney Olympic
- NSL Championship: 2001-02
Newcastle Jets
Australia
- OFC Nations Cup: 2000,[9] 2004[10]
- AFC–OFC Challenge Cup: runner-up 2001[11]
References
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External links
- Oz Football profile
- Template:PAGENAMEBASE at National-Football-Teams.comScript error: No such module "EditAtWikidata".Script error: No such module "WikidataCheck".
- Template:J.League player
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- Pages with script errors
- 1977 births
- 2024 deaths
- 2024 suicides
- Sportspeople from Lithgow, New South Wales
- Sportsmen from New South Wales
- Australian gay sportsmen
- Australian LGBTQ soccer players
- Australian men's soccer players
- Soccer players from New South Wales
- Men's association football defenders
- Australia men's international soccer players
- Olympic soccer players for Australia
- 2000 OFC Nations Cup players
- Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- 2004 OFC Nations Cup players
- OFC Nations Cup–winning players
- A-League Men players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- J1 League players
- Eredivisie players
- Belgian Pro League players
- Eliteserien players
- Australian Institute of Sport soccer players
- Wollongong Wolves FC players
- Brisbane Strikers FC players
- Shonan Bellmare players
- Parramatta Power SC players
- Feyenoord players
- RBC Roosendaal players
- Lyn Fotball players
- Sydney Olympic FC players
- Royal Excel Mouscron players
- K.A.A. Gent players
- Newcastle Jets FC players
- Australian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Japan
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
- Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
- Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Japan
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Norway
- Suicides in New South Wales
- Australian sportspeople who committed suicide