Dean John Hammond (born 7 March 1983) is an English former professional footballer and is a coach at National League South club Worthing.

[2] He previously played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Leicester City and Southampton.

[6] Hammond made his Brighton & Hove Albion debut on 6 December 2000, in the first round of the Southern Section of Football League Trophy, in a 2–0 win over Cardiff City.

[9] Hammond made his league debut for the club on 14 September 2002, coming on as a late substitute, in a 4–2 loss against Gillingham.

[10] Ten days later, on 24 September 2002, he scored his first Brighton & Hove Albion goal, in a 3–1 loss against Ipswich Town in the second round of League Cup.

In the 2006–07 season, Hammond was handed the captain's armband at the club after injuries to both Richard Carpenter and Charlie Oatway.

[48] After being sidelined with injury and suspension,[49][50] Hammond became the new official club captain after Carpenter was released by Brighton at the end of January 2007.

[66] In the final months to his departure, Hammond was sent–off on his last appearance for a straight red card, just ten minutes into the game, in a 1–1 draw against Oldham Athletic.

[72] It wasn't until on 23 February 2008 when he finally made his Colchester United debut, coming on as second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Bristol City.

[74] Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Hammond dismissed suggestions that he would leave Colchester United following their relegation and stated that he was given an opportunity to play.

[85] Amid to the transfer move to Southampton, Hammond made three appearances in all competitions, including a 7–1 win over Norwich City in the opening game of the season.

[90][91] It wasn't until on 17 October 2009 when Hammond scored his first goal against Oldham Athletic,[92] and made the scoresheet again a week later, against Milton Keynes Dons.

[96] However, during a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 16 January 2010, Hammond suffered an Achilles injury in the first half, resulted him being substituted[97] and after the match, it was announced that he would be out for several weeks.

[115] However, as the 2011–12 season progressed, he continued to be a first team regular despite being on the substitute bench on several time, which "he has adapted well to the style Saints have adopted.

However, in the 2012–13 season, Hammond struggled to regain his first team place in the Premier League and even lost his captaincy to Adam Lallana.

[123] From that moment since re–debuting for the side, Hammond began to established himself in the first team at midfield position under Gus Poyet management, alongside Liam Bridcutt.

[129] Upon joining the club, Hammond said Leicester City move would benefited him to play in the Premier League one day.

[130] Hammond made his Leicester City debut, coming on as a late second-half substitute, in a 2–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 14 September 2013.

[132] Hammond scored his first goal for Leicester with a late, headed equaliser against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014, helping the Foxes extend their lead at the top of the Sky Bet Championship to seven points.

[133] However, since his move to Leicester City, Hammond appeared on the substitute bench, due to strong competitions from central–midfielders duo Danny Drinkwater and Matty James.

[134] Hammond played 29 times as Leicester won the Championship en route to promotion to the Premier League.

In the 2014–15 season, Hammond made his Premier League debut as a substitute for the injured Danny Drinkwater in the opening day 2–2 draw with Everton.

[135] Since making his Premier League, Hammond cemented his place with impressive performances against Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke City.

[141] However, Hammond's first team opportunities became further limited under Claudio Ranieri following the arrival of new midfielders Gökhan Inler and N'Golo Kanté.

[143] On 20 October 2015, Hammond joined Sheffield United on loan until the end of January,[144] rejoining his former manager from Southampton, Nigel Adkins.

[155] Hammond returned to former club Leicester City in the spring of 2017, featuring as an over age player in under-21 matches, whilst assisting with coaching.

[156] In August 2017, it was revealed that Hammond had moved back to Sussex, and has retired as a player but is keen to remain involved in football in some capacity.

[159] Hammond began dating his then-19-year-old girlfriend, Rachel, who studied property surveying at Oxford Brookes University.