Grant Terry Hall[2] was born in Brighton on 29 October 1991.[3] His father, Terry, and brother, Craig, both played football at county level, and Hall himself played for AFC Jelfish and Hove Rivervale before joining Brighton & Hove Albion's centre of excellence at the age of 11 or 12.[4] At 16, he was not offered a scholarship, which he attributed in part to his natural shyness.[4] He attended Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Hove, and City College Brighton and Hove, where he spent time at the college's Football Development Academy and considered training as a PE teacher.[5][4]
Club career
Lewes
After leaving Albion, Hall joined Conference South club Lewes.[4] He was training with the first team as a 16-year-old, helped the under-18s reach the third round of the FA Youth Cup, and made his senior debut on 25 November 2008 in the Sussex Senior Cup.[6] Hall signed for Sussex County League club Whitehawk on a dual registration basis, in order to get playing time in men's football,[7] but instead he started for Lewes in the FA Trophy in mid-January 2009, made his debut in the Conference Premier a few days later, against Mansfield Town,[8][9] and finished the season with five Conference appearances, of which four were in the starting eleven.[10] Hall played three times in the Conference South and twice in that season's FA Cup,[11] as well as trialling with Gillingham and appearing for Brighton & Hove Albion's youth team.[12]
Brighton & Hove Albion
On 6 October 2009, Brighton & Hove Albion signed Hall on professional terms to the end of the season.[13] He went out on loan twice, a month at Isthmian League Premier Division club Bognor Regis Town[14] and a month back at Lewes, disrupted by a thigh injury sustained while training with his parent club,[15] and was a member of the Brighton reserve team that won the Sussex Senior Cup.[16] His contract was extended for at least another year.[17] During the 2010–11 season, Hall had spells out on loan at Whitehawk, who were then playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division,[18][19] and another month as defensive cover at Lewes.[20][1]
The 2011 Sussex Senior Cup final between Brighton Reserves and Eastbourne Borough was played at Brighton's new stadium on 16 July 2011 as a warm-up event prior to the official opening a couple of weeks later. Brighton won 2–0, and it was from Hall's chipped cross that Gary Hart opened the scoring with the venue's first competitive goal.[21][22] On 26 December 2011, Hall was named as a substitute for Brighton's visits to Reading and Coventry City on 26 and 31 December 2011,[1] and made his first-team debut for Brighton on 2 January 2012, replacing Mauricio Taricco after 54 minutes of the 3–0 victory at home to Southampton in the Championship.[23] Hall made his first senior start five days later in the FA Cup third round against Wrexham,[24] and also started in the replay.[1]
Tottenham Hotspur
During May 2012, Hall was offered a new three-year contract amid interest from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.[25] He rejected the offer, and signed for Tottenham Hotspur.[26] The defender made his debut during a pre-season friendly against Kingstonian.[27]
Hall signed for Football League Championship club Birmingham City on loan for the 2014–15 season.[29] He made his debut in the starting eleven for the opening-day defeat at Middlesbrough,[30] and formed a partnership with David Edgar at the start of the season.[31] However, the return of captain Paul Robinson to the starting eleven and the arrival of Michael Morrison pushed Hall down the pecking order, he played his last game for the club on 25 October, and his loan was terminated at the beginning of the January 2015 transfer window.[30][32]
He spent the second half of the season at Blackpool, also of the Championship.[30]
Queens Park Rangers
On 7 August 2015, Hall signed for Championship club Queens Park Rangers on a two-year deal after a successful trial at the club.[33] He made his competitive QPR debut five days later in a 3–0 win against Yeovil Town in the first round of the 2015–16 Football League Cup.[34] Hall was a regular in QPR's defence throughout the season, and his performances were rewarded with the Supporters' Player of the Year award for 2015–16.[35]
Hall left QPR on 19 June 2020 after failing to agree a new contract.[36]
Middlesbrough
On 31 July 2020, Hall signed for Middlesbrough on a free transfer.[37] He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in a 2–1 win at Coventry City on 2 March 2021.[38] In July 2022 he was loaned to Rotherham United for the 2022–23 season,[39] however he suffered a serious injury in February 2023, which effectively ended his season.[40] Hall was released by Middlesbrough at the end of the 2022–23 season.[41]
Rotherham United
On 1 July 2023, Hall returned to Rotherham United on a permanent basis.[42]
On 7 May 2024, after the club were relegated, Rotherham announced the player would be released in the summer after his contract expired.[43]
