Ben Anthony Swakali (born 23 July 2002), known as Ben Starkie, is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Basford United. Born in England, he plays for the Tanzania national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ben Anthony Swakali | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 20) | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Spalding United | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2019–2020 | Rugby Town | ||
| 2020–2021 | Wilhelmshaven | ||
| 2021 | Shepshed Dynamo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Spalding United | 1 | (0) |
| 2022– | Basford United | ||
| National team‡ | |||
| 2021 | Tanzania U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022– | Tanzania | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 05:28, 24 March 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:15, 10 September 2022 (UTC) | |||
A youth product of Rugby Town and Wilhelmshaven, Starkie moved to Shepshed Dynamo on 16 July 2021.[1] On 13 November 2021, he transferred to Spalding United.[2]
Starkie was called up to represent the Tanzania U17s on 30 January 2019, becoming the first ever international call-up from Rugby Town F.C.[3] He represented the Tanzania U20s at the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.[4] He was called up to the senior Tanzania national team for a set of friendlies in March 2022.[5] He debuted with Tanzania in a 3–1 friendly win over Central African Republic on 24 March 2022.[6]