Craig Deans

Australian former soccer player

Craig DeansPersonal information

Full name|  Craig Deans
Date of birth|  (1974-05-07) 7 May 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth|  Perth, Western Australia
Height|  1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)|  Centre back
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
1998|  Western Knights|  |
1998–1999|  Perth Glory|  19|  (1)
1999–2000|  Carlton SC|  36|  (0)
2000–2004|  Perth Glory|  59|  (3)
2003–2004|  Newcastle United|  18|  (1)
2005–2007|  Newcastle Jets|  2|  (0)
Managerial career
2008–2010|  Newcastle Jets Youth
2010–2011|  Newcastle Jets (assistant)
2011|  Newcastle Jets (interim)
2011–2014|  Newcastle Jets (assistant)
2014–2015|  Newcastle Jets Youth
2015–2020|  Newcastle Jets FC W-League
2020|  Newcastle Jets (interim)
2020–2021|  Newcastle Jets (interim)
2021|  Newcastle Jets
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Craig Deans (born 7 May 1974) is an Australian former soccer player and former head coach of the Newcastle Jets.

## Playing career

[edit]

Deans was a central defender for multiple Australian clubs, with most of his appearances coming in the National Soccer League. He made only two appearances in the A-League before a long period of injury Deans forced him into retirement as a professional player in 2007. He had success with the Perth Glory, winning two titles at the club.

## Coaching career

[edit]

In 2008, Deans became the inaugural youth team coach for the Newcastle Jets for their team in the new A-League National Youth League.[1]

On 5 October 2011, he was appointed interim manager of the Newcastle Jets after the sacking of Branko Culina.[2] He returned to his previous job when a full time manager was appointed.

In 2014 he took over the club's youth team, and then in 2015 he became the head coach of the Women's team.

In the 2015/16 W-League season he won the Coach of the Year award for rebuilding a Newcastle Jets team that had senior players Emily van Egmond, Hayley Crawford, Tori Huster, Angela Salem, Katherine Reynolds and Amber Neilson all exit the club in the off-season.

After the sacking of Ernie Merrick in Round 13 of the 2019/20 A-League season he once again took the role of interim manager. He had the role for 5 games, with 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats and did not apply for the role on a full-time basis. After Carl Robinson was appointed Deans went back to his usual role as an assistant coach.

### Newcastle Jets Head Coaching Appointment

[edit]

When Robinson joined the Western Sydney Wanderers after they had sacked Jean-Paul de Marigny prior to the start of the Covid delayed 2020/21 season, Deans once again took the interim head coaching role with his first game a 1–0 loss to the Central Coast Mariners on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2020. Unlike earlier occasions Deans applied to take over the head coaching role permanently.[3] After 7 games his side had 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses then on Wednesday the 10th of February 2021 he was appointed on a two-year contract as the full time head coach.[4]

On 3 June 2021, Deans announced that he would be resigning as the manager of the Newcastle Jets at the conclusion of the season.[5][6]

## Honours

[edit]

With Perth Glory:

* NSL Championship: 2002–2003, 2003–2004

With Newcastle Jets:

* W-League Coach of the Year : 2015–16

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ormond, Aidan (3 July 2008). "Newy Teens For A-League Fame". AU FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 6 December 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
2. ^ Deans confident ahead of Jets season opener
3. ^ "CRAIG DEANS NOT DISTRACTED BY JETS COACHING DECISION | NBN News". 6 February 2021.
4. ^ "Craig Deans appointed Newcastle Jets Head Coach". 10 February 2021.
5. ^ "Craig Deans to step down as Jets Head Coach". Newcastle Jets. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
6. ^ "Craig Deans to step down as Jets Head Coach". A-League. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

## External links

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* Newcastle Jets profile
* Oz Football profile

* v
* t
* e

Newcastle Jets FC – Head coaches

* Crook (2001–04)
* Money (2005–06)
* Theodorakopoulos (2006)
* van Egmond (2007–09)
* Culina (2009–11)
* Deans (a.i.) (2011)
* van Egmond (2011–14)
* Zane (a.i.) (2014)
* Stubbins (2014–15)
* Pascoe (a.i.) (2015)
* Miller (2015–16)
* Jones (2016–17)
* Merrick (2017–2020)
* Deans & Li (a.i.) (2020)
* Robinson (2020)
* Deans (2020–21)
* Papas (2021–23)
* Stanton (2023–)

* v
* t
* e

A-League Women Coach of the Year

* 2009 (Jan): Hopkins
* 2009 (Dec): Junna & Roche
* 2011: Stajcic
* 2012: Klimková
* 2013: Mulvey
* 2014 (Feb): Stajcic
* 2014 (Dec): McGuinness
* 2016: Deans
* 2017: Despotovski
* 2018: Andreatta
* 2019: Hopkins
* 2020: Vidošić
* 2021: Hopkins
* 2022: Stenta
* 2023: Torcaso
* 2024: Husband

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals
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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template