Deal Town FC

Zak Hammond was born in Ramsgate and plays for Deal Town predominantly as a right-back, though he has also played in centre defence.

His youth career started at Ramsgate Youth at the age of five and stayed there until he was fourteen before he stepped into the Junior Premier League set-up at Ebbsfleet for a couple of seasons. That led him to a spell in Southend United’s scholarship programme. While studying and training in Southend, Zak kept his ties with Deal by turning out for Deal Town’s under-18s on Sundays and their reserves on Saturdays when he was home on weekends. This experience paved the way to the first team, where he enjoyed his breakthrough season in 2024/25, making consistent appearances and jointly winning Deal’s Young Player of the Year with Morgan Page.

Although Zak spent much of his youth career as a centre-back and even had an early spell as a midfielder, and a striker. His role at Deal changed when he was first asked to fill in at right-back during a cup tie. Since then, he has grown into the position and now prefers it, appreciating the balance of defending and attacking. He is a defender who values assists and, above all, clean sheets, preferring the satisfaction of stopping goals to scoring or setting them up.

Away from football, Zak is still studying at Dover’s scholarship programme, based in Faversham, which allows him to combine education with regular training and matches. Looking ahead, he has thought about a future trade once college is finished, with carpentry or electrical work both possible routes.

Family has always been close to Zak’s football journey. His father once broke into Ramsgate’s first team before stepping away from the travelling demands of non-league football, later returning to play veterans’ matches. Today, Zak still lives in Ramsgate while pursuing his football with Deal and education in Faversham.