Zachary Ellis-Hayden

Zachary Ellis-Hayden (born March 1, 1992) is a footballer who plays as a defender for BVB IA Waterloo in League1 Ontario. Born in Canada, he represented Barbados at international level.

Early life
Ellis-Hayden attended Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, where he was recognized as the team MVP in 2009 and 2010 and was named MVP of the Waterloo Region High School League in 2010.

He played youth soccer with Kitchener SC and Waterloo United, later moving to a club in London, Ontario at the OYSL level.

College career
In 2010, he began attending Cleveland State University, where he played for the men's soccer team. In November 2010, he was named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week. On October 1, 2011, he scored his first collegiate goal in a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Panthers. In 2012, he helped them win the Horizon League title and was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team and the All-Great Lakes Region Third Team. In 2013, he was named to the All-Horizon League First Team.

Club career
In 2015, Ellis-Hayden played with K-W United FC in the Premier Development League, with whom he won the league title. For the remainder of the season, he played in the Canadian Soccer League Second Division with SC Waterloo B. He also managed to play with Waterloo's senior team in the First Division and was featured in the CSL Championship final against Toronto Croatia.

In February 2026, he signed with Orlando City B in the USL. In November 2016, he re-signed with the club for the 2017 season. On June 3, 2017, he scored his first professional goal in a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. After the 2017 season, Orlando City B announced they would not pick up Ellis Hayden's option for the following season.

In December 2017, he signed with expansion club Fresno FC. He subsequently returned to the club for the 2019 season.

In December 2019, he joined OKC Energy FC in the USL Championship. In 2020, he was named the club's player of the year. On September 12, 2021, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Louisville City FC.

In February 2022, he joined League1 Ontario expansion club Electric City FC on a transfer as the club's first ever signing. He was named a league Third Team All-Star in 2022.

In March 2023, he signed with Guelph United FC. In December 2023, he announced his retirement from the sport.

International career
Born in Canada, Ellis-Hayden accepted a call-up to Barbados in May 2022 ahead of their CONCACAF Nations League matches against Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba and Guadeloupe. However, he suffered an injury in training ahead of the matches and departed the squad. He eventually made his debut in March 2023, in a CONCACAF Nations League match against Cuba. He later played an addition five matches, with his final match coming on November 20, 2023, against Montserrat.

Personal life
Ellis-Hayden is the brother of Jonathan Henry-Hayden, who played in the English lower divisions for five years and the cousin of Jake Inglis, who played professionally in Scotland.