Scunthorpe United Born in
Wembley, London, Sparrow spent 11 years of his professional career at Scunthorpe United, playing in the bottom three tiers of league football for them. He formally signed for the club as a 16-year-old and played in the FA Youth Alliance final for Scunthorpe at the old Wembley stadium against
West Bromwich Albion. After spending several months in prison in 2001, he became a regular in the Scunthorpe first team. He was part of the team that won promotion to the
Championship after finishing the
2006–07 season as champions. Sparrow scored twice in the
2008–09 League One Play-off Final at
Wembley Stadium against
Millwall, helping them to a 3–2 victory and promotion to the
Championship.
Testimonial year Sparrow made his 300th appearance for Scunthorpe in April 2009, and subsequently played in a testimonial match which took take place on 1 May. Former Scunthorpe striker
Billy Sharp and veteran midfielder
Peter Beagrie returned for the match. Also involved were
Jack Cork,
Alex Calvo Garcia,
Jamie McCombe,
Jamie Forrester,
John Eyre,
Lee Ridley,
Paul Wilson,
Steve Housham,
Andy Butler,
Mark Jackson,
Martin Carruthers,
Steve Torpey,
Lee Hodges,
Paul Harsley, Wayne Graves,
Lee Turnbull,
Tony Daws,
Andy Crosby,
Ian Baraclough,
Cleveland Taylor,
Chris Hope,
Kevin Sharp,
Kevin Pressman,
Paul Musselwhite,
Justin Walker, Ross Hyslop, Brian Quailey, Sam Beagrie, Des Comerford and
Simon Elliott – plus managers
Brian Laws and
Nigel Adkins. On 24 June 2010, it was reported that Sparrow had turned down a new contract offer and was looking elsewhere to continue his career.
Brighton & Hove Albion On 29 June 2010, Sparrow signed for
League One side
Brighton & Hove Albion, penning a three-year contract. Brighton won the League One championship that season (in which Sparrow scored four goals) and were promoted to the Championship. In the 2011–12 season, Sparrow scored two goals, both in the 3–0 home win over Southampton. However, he received a red card and a three-match suspension in February's win against Leicester City, for a reckless sliding tackle.
Crawley Town On 10 January 2013, Sparrow signed for
League One and fellow Sussex side
Crawley Town on a free transfer. Sparrow made his Crawley debut only two days later on 12 January, coming on in the 67th minute as a substitute replacing fellow midfielder
Dannie Bulman, in a 2–0 defeat against
Tranmere Rovers. He made his home debut on 2 February in a 1–1 draw against
Swindon Town. He scored his first goal for the club on 9 February in a 2–1 defeat against his former club Scunthorpe United. He scored his second goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against
Yeovil Town. He played 17 times for Crawley in the league that season, scoring three goals as they finished in 10th place, their highest-ever league placing.
Return to Scunthorpe United Sparrow returned to his old club
Scunthorpe United on 2 July 2013 after being released by Crawley Town. On 5 May 2015 it was announced that Sparrow wouldn't be offered a new deal and was free to leave the club.
Later career On 24 June 2015, he signed a one-year deal with
Conference Premier club
Lincoln City and make his debut in a home game against
Cheltenham Town. In 2016, he emigrated to Western Australia and joined semi-professional club
Sorrento. On 6 October 2016, it was announced that Sparrow had signed with
Gainsborough Trinity of the
National League North. He made a total of 4 appearances for Gainsborough before returning to Australia. Sparrow signed for
Joondalup United for the
2017 National Premier Leagues season, where it was announced that he would also work in a coaching role. ==Personal life==