Newcastle Jets FC

Newcastle United was formed in 2000 by Cypriot-Australian businessman Con Constantine from the remnants of the Newcastle Breakers.[6] The Breakers were dissolved when Soccer Australia revoked its NSL licence at the conclusion of the 1999–2000 season. At the formation of Newcastle United the home ground was moved back to where Newcastle KB United played, now known as McDonald Jones Stadium.[7][8]

The Newcastle United club were reasonably successful, competing in two of the last three Final Series and finishing second in the League behind Perth Glory in the 2001–02 season.[9]

The club renamed itself to the Newcastle United Jets Football Club and launched a new badge at the start of the new national league, the A-League. This was done to try and create and project a new image of the club and to avoid confusion with the English club Newcastle United. The name "Jets" is a reference to RAAF Base Williamtown, located just 20 kilometres north of Newcastle. The club's logo depicts three F/A-18 Hornets, which the Royal Australian Air Force has based at Williamtown.

Former England and Australia manager Terry Venables was reported as favourite to become the team's technical director, including reports from the Jets, but this was confirmed by Venables' agent as a 'no-go'.[10] Instead, the club signed Richard Money for the 2005–2006 season. In 2006 Money was replaced with Nick Theodorakopoulos after Money returned to England to take the manager's job at Walsall. In October 2006 after recording no wins during the Pre-Season Cup and during the first seven rounds of A-League matches, Theodorakopoulos became the first coach to be sacked in the club's A-League's history. His assistant Gary van Egmond was the caretaker coach for the remainder of the 2005–06 season, and later signed a contract to remain as the coach of the Jets for the next three years.

The club surprised many observers in the Australian game by signing Ned Zelic, a player who was seen to have severed connections with Australia after being dropped from the national team.

Reports suggested the Jets were attempting to bring former Liverpool and England striker Stan Collymore out of retirement.[11] Director of Football Remo Nogarotto confirmed the club had made a bid to lure Collymore to the A-League for a four-match guest stint; however, the move had broken down within 24 hours of it being made public.[12]

With the leadership of Gary van Egmond Newcastle has achieved the highest number of points out of all clubs in their last fourteen games and have also scored the most goals. As a result of their good form under van Egmond, crowds in Newcastle have reached all time highs for soccer – culminating in a crowd of over 24,000 for their home final against Sydney FC on 2 February 2007.

Newcastle were eventually eliminated in the preliminary final by Adelaide, the game going to penalties after finishing at 1 all. Vaughan Coveny and Stuart Musialik missed their attempts in a shoot-out that ended up at 4–3 in favour of Adelaide, costing Newcastle their place in the grand final and a berth in the Asian Champions League.

Season 3 of the A-League saw a number of Newcastle's biggest stars of the previous season leave the club. Captain Paul Okon retired, fan favourite Milton Rodriguez returned to Colombia and Johnny Warren Medal winner Nick Carle moved to Turkey to link up with Gençlerbirliği S.K.. New recruits included Joel Griffiths' twin brother Adam and previous European Golden Boot winner Mario Jardel. Although significant excitement surrounded the capture of Jardel, as time went by it was obvious he was well past his prime and received little game time. Throughout the season star striker Joel Griffiths broke the record for most goals in a regular season by scoring 12 in 21 rounds.[13]

The Jets started the season well without losing in their first 5 matches. Following this good start the Jets struggled for consistency until the end of the season, often winning against quality opposition but losing some vital home games. Wins in the last three competition rounds saw the Jets move up the ladder to equal points with the Central Coast Mariners, finishing the season in second place due to inferior goal difference. The Jets went on to play the Mariners in the two legged Major Semi Final. The Jets won the first leg at home 2–0 thanks to a first-half header from Adam Griffiths and a late penalty from his brother Joel. The game had its fair share of controversy as Mariners striker John Aloisi had a seemingly legitimate goal disallowed and also missed a penalty.[14]

Steeled by the defeat in the first leg, the Mariners overturned the 2–0 deficit and led 2–0 at the end of 90 minutes of the second leg thanks to goals from Sasho Petrovski and Adam Kwasnik. Seven minutes into extra time Petrovski scored again to send the Mariners into their second Grand Final in three years.[15]

Newcastle Jets Squadron Banner before the 2007–08 Grand Final

The Jets qualified for their first A-League Grand Final by beating Queensland Roar 3–2 after extra time in the 2008 Preliminary Final on 17 February 2008.[16] The Jets led 1–0 until deep into injury time when the Roar were awarded a penalty which Reinaldo successfully converted, sending the match into extra time. A few minutes into extra time the Jets were awarded a penalty as well, as Song Jin-Hyung was brought down in the box. Joel Griffiths was successful from the spot to restore the 1-goal advantage and a few moments later Tarek Elrich sealed passage into the Grand Final with a well timed shot to score his first A-League goal. Although the Roar received another late penalty it was too late to stop the Jets' march into the Grand Final.

The Jets defeated the Central Coast Mariners in the 2007–08 A-League Grand Final, becoming A-League Champions for the first time.

The game was sealed with a solitary Mark Bridge strike early in the second half. In his last game of professional soccer Tony Vidmar made a mistake near the halfway line to gift Griffiths with an opportunity which he grasped with both hands. The game was marred by a late penalty appeal for handball. Mariners goal keeper Danny Vukovic had come up for the corner and was so infuriated by Mark Shield's decision that he slapped his hand away, earning himself a lengthy ban and ruling himself out of the early rounds of next season.[17] Both the Jets and Mariners qualified to take part in the 2009 AFC Champions League.

In order to rebuild the team for the Champions League the Jets, very much in need of several new players, signed Perth defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley in early January 2008.[18] But the signing of Topor-Stanley would prove to be the Jets' sole gain on the transfer market for several weeks, and fans grew even more disgruntled as the Jets were confirmed as the 2009 A-League "Wooden Spooners" with a 2–0 loss to Adelaide United in mid-January. An encouraging 2–1 win over Perth Glory in the Jets' final home game of the A-League 2008-09 season lightened the mood somewhat, but when the Jets crashed in a 4–0 capitulation at the Sydney Football Stadium the following week, things were looking grim. And the picture only grew bleaker as the notorious player exodus continued and the club lost Socceroos defender Mark Milligan to Shanghai Shenhua,[19] along with Jesper Hakansson, who left the club after agreeing to a mutual termination.[20] Talisman and captain Joel Griffiths also agreed to move to Asia, although only on a one-year loan to Beijing Guoan.[21]

The first ten days of February saw the Jets engage in a surprisingly successful flurry of transfer activity to bolster their squad for the impending Champions League before 11 February date by which clubs are required to submit their squad lists. Acting on an urgent need to improve their attacking stocks, the Jets announced simultaneously the signing of Dutchman Donny de Groot from De Graafschap along with former Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners striker Sasho Petrovski.[22] Next, the Jets reinforced their shaky defence by obtaining the signatures of talented former FC Thun and Melbourne Victory defender Ljubo Miličević,[23] who had been battling depression since being released by the Victory, veteran centre-back Angelo Costanzo from Adelaide United, and young Sydney FC left-back Nikolas Tsattalios.[24][25] These signings were followed by the surprise announcement that the Jets had secured the services of former S.S. Lazio forward Fabio Vignaroli on a six-month contract.[26] In a further boost for the depth of its squad, the club signed three local players on six-month deals with the option for an extension into the 2009–10 A-League season: former Newcastle United midfielder Mitchell Johnson and strikers Peter Haynes and Joel Wood.[27]

After the departure of high performance manager Ian Crook, the Jets signed former Sydney FC boss Branko Culina as their new Technical Director.[28]

The Jets got off to a bad start, losing 2–0 to Beijing Guoan in Beijing. However, they rebounded with a 2–0 defeat of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i back in Newcastle. After a heroic 1–1 draw in Japan against Nagoya Grampus, they lost 1–0 in the return fixture. Then, on 6 May, the Jets grabbed two goals in the last two minutes to defeat Beijing in Newcastle 2–1. The Jets qualified for the last 16 by defeating Ulsan Hyundai 1–0 away from home with Jason Hoffman scoring his debut goal to seal the win. The Jets faced Pohang Steelers in their round of 16 fixture on 24 June, crashing out of the competition 6–0 to the hands of the South Koreans.

The Newcastle Jets will return to the Asian Champions League in 2019, 10 years after their last appearance.

After the success of the 2007–08 season, a number of Jets players left the club, including Mark Bridge and Stuart Musialik to Sydney FC and Joe Marston Medal winner Andrew Durante and Troy Hearfield to Wellington Phoenix. Although rumours persisted about captain Jade North and Adam Griffiths wishing to leave the club after being a part of the Socceroos squad that faced Singapore and China, both chose to remain with the Jets for the 2008–09 season.[29][30][31] The regular season proved to be a disaster for the Jets. The team won only four out of twenty-one matches and were rooted to the bottom of the ladder, missing the finals for the first time, and collecting their first wooden spoon.

Preparations for the following season were thrown into turmoil when championship-winning manager Gary van Egmond left the club for a lucrative job with the Australian Institute of Sport. That created a public rift between the club and FFA over FFA's possible involvement in inducing van Egmond to break his contract by taking up the new position. The relationship between owner and FFA fell to the point where the club has threatened legal action against both the FFA and van Egmond for breach of contract.[32] Former club technical director, Branko Čulina, was named as his replacement on 30 June 2009.

In the 2009-10 Season, the Jets qualified for the finals series after coming sixth in the regular season. In the first week of the finals the Jets unexpectedly defeated Gold Coast in a penalty shoot-out 6 goals to 5, after the full time score had been 0–0. In the second week, they played Wellington Phoenix. The full time score was 1–1, but in extra time, Paul Ifill scored the match winner for Wellington followed by a goal from Eugène Dadi, putting the Jets out of the competition.

Prior to Newcastle's round 4 game against Brisbane Roar, it was revealed that the club was under significant financial stress and was unable to pay staff and player wages on time. That resulted in the club seeking either a loan or an advance on their quarterly share of the A-League television deal.[33] It was announced by the club and Football Federation Australia that the governing body would provide a short-term assistance package, making sure the club made it through their next few games and back into financial viability.[34]

After weeks of speculation about the future of the Jets, it was announced by the FFA on 22 September, before the team's midweek game against Gold Coast United, that businessman Nathan Tinkler would buy a majority share in the Jets, saving the club from ruin. Tinkler had a positive influence at the Jets. A new price for tickets included a free season pass for children younger than 15, a family pass for 11 home games with reserved grandstand for $100, and general admission for $10.

The club gained the Hunter Medical Research Institute as a new sponsor, and its logo appeared on the front of the players shirts. The Institute said it would donate $5000 for every goal scored at home and $2500 for an away goal. The club set up a new administration office, extended the contract of coach Branko Čulina until March 2015, and unveiled a $2.5 million blueprint for the football department.[35] It was confirmed that the Jets would host Los Angeles Galaxy, which included big-name players such as David Beckham and Landon Donovan, for a friendly in November 2010.[36] The Jets won the match 2–1.[37]

During the January transfer window, the Jets announced the signing of Ryan Griffiths, the brother of Newcastle Jets legend Joel Griffiths, for the remainder of the season and the 2011–2012 season. With the future of North Queensland Fury in doubt, the Newcastle Jets signed Chris Payne for the 2011–2012 season. 16 December 2010 saw the inaugural meeting of the new Football Advisory Board put in place by new owner Nathan Tinkler. The board included prominent names from Newcastle's soccer history, community members, and the president of Northern NSW Football.[38] The Jets finished the 2010–11 season in seventh position, narrowly missing out on the finals series on the last day of the regular season.

On 4 October 2011, the club terminated the contract of coach Branko Čulina, as well commencing the process of applying to the FFA to have the three-year "marquee" contract of (Čulina's son) Jason set aside.[39][40] Although no one reason was cited for the decision it was believed that an argument was reached between Branko, CEO Robbie Middleby, and owner Nathan Tinkler, regarding the nepotist nature of Jason's signing, as well as "medical advice". Middleby stated: "The decision to terminate the contracts was made after a long deliberation by the Newcastle Jets’ Advisory Board". While Tinkler stated that "Jason’s injury could mean the Jets are without their marquee player for up to three seasons – not a good result for the club, supporters, sponsors and players."[41] The Jets appointed Gary van Egmond as Čulina's replacement.[42]

In April 2012, Nathan Tinkler announced that he would hand back the Newcastle Jets A-League licence to the FFA, because of his mounting financial difficulties.[43] The Federation said that Tinkler's Hunter Sports Group could not just hand back its licence, and was breaching a binding contract by walking away from the Jets.[44] On 1 May, after face-to-face talks between Tinkler and FFA chairman Frank Lowy, it was announced that Tinkler would remain the owner of the club.[45]

Newcastle Jets playing against Sydney FC in October 2012.

At the end of the 2011–12 A-League season, Gary van Egmond started a clean-out by getting rid of the majority of Branko Čulina's squad. That including fan-favourites Jeremy Brockie, Tarek Elrich, Labinot Haliti and Nikolai Topor-Stanley. Van Egmond implemented his possession-based style by signing many young talents such as James Brown, Scott Neville and Craig Goodwin. The Jets went unbeaten throughout the entire 2012–13 pre-season, with wins over defending champions Brisbane Roar and rivals Central Coast Mariners.

On 21 September 2012, the Jets signed former England international and Premier League giant Emile Heskey as their marquee player for the 2012–13 season. Heskey signed for a one-year deal but hoped to extend his stay. He wore the number 9 jersey throughout his time in Newcastle. The Jets lost their first game of the season against Adelaide United, but then went on to beat Sydney FC, rivals Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory, to sit second behind Adelaide on goal difference after round 4.

During the January transfer window, the Jets released Brazilian international Tiago Calvano, due to his lack of game time and falling out of favour with head coach Gary van Egmond. The Jets replaced Tiago with attacking midfielder Zenon Caravella, and signed local talent Andrew Hoole to his first professional contract after he impressed in the round 15 match against the Brisbane Roar. On 31 January 2013, club captain and foundation player Jobe Wheelhouse, terminated his contract because he wanted a break from football. Ruben Zadkovich wore the captain's arm band for the rest of the season. The Jets finished 8th, missing out on the finals for the third year in a row.[46] During the following season, van Egmond was sacked after 15 matches, due to poor results and a lack of harmony within the squad.

On 5 May 2014, Phil Stubbins signed a two-year coaching contract at the Jets. The club hoped that Stubbins' attacking mentality would bring success, along with a number of new signings, such as Argentinians Jeronimo Neumann and Marcos Flores, Australian international David Carney, and the club's highest-ever goal scorer, Joel Griffiths.[47] A poor start to the season saw CEO Robbie Middleby and chairman Ray Baartz resign from their positions during a mid-season break.[48] On 10 January 2015, three days after Middleby and Baartz resigned, Newcastle owner Nathan Tinkler took the club off the market and was appointed chairman.[49] On 29 January 2015, Newcastle players Kew Jaliens, Billy Celeski, Adrian Madaschi, David Carney and Joel Griffiths were released.[50] Stubbins started rebuilding the club, bringing in imports Lee Ki-je and Enver Alivodic, along with signing defender Nigel Boogaard. The Jests ended the season at the bottom of the table with only three wins, making it their worst-ever season.[51] On 21 May, Football Federation Australia terminated the club's licence after the Jets failed to settle debts and pay problems.[52]

On 21 May 2015, the FFA issued a licence for a new team in Newcastle, indicating that the new entity would continue to hold the Newcastle Jets' name and colours, and would continue to play its games at Hunter Stadium. All players, along with the administration staff, were issued new contracts. The coaching staff, however, underwent a performance review by FFA. Consequently, on 26 May, Phil Stubbins, along with fellow coaching staff Mark Jones, James Pascoe and Jess Vanstrattan, all had their contracts terminated by the FFA, which wanted a fresh start for the club. The FFA began the rebuilding process by setting up three forums: a business forum, a members' forum and a supporters' forum, so that fans could voice their opinions about the club's restructuring. On 18 June 2015, the FFA appointed former Fulham assistant coach, Scott Miller as the club's head coach. Former Melbourne Victory assistant coach, Jean-Paul de Marigny was appointed as Miller's senior assistant.

On Tuesday 14 June 2016, it was announced that the FFA had completed the sale of the club to the Ledman Group, a leading high-tech LED signage manufacturer, operator and sports business, headquartered in Shenzhen, China. The Ledman Group was valued at over one billion Australian dollars on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The Ledman Group was an official partner of the Chinese Super League and China League (Division Two), and had a strategic partnership with the Chinese Football Association.[53][54]

In September 2016, Scott Miller was dismissed by the club. Later that month, the club announced that previous club assistant and fitness coach, Mark Jones, would take the reins for the 2016-17 season. However, his coaching tenure at Newcastle was brought to an end after a 2–0 away loss to Sydney FC, which saw the club receive their second wooden spoon in three seasons.

On 9 May 2017, Ernie Merrick was named as Newcastle's new coach for the next two A-League seasons after previously managing A-League teams Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix, managing a total of 241 A-League games, and winning the 2006–07, 2008–09 titles.[55][56]

After the announcement Merrick stated:

I believe that the club has all the necessary ingredients for on-field success, with a strong core of good quality players, a very competent staff, excellent facilities, and most importantly a wealth of extremely passionate fans.[57]

Merrick's first A-League match as coach was on 7 October 2017, against F3 Derby rivals Central Coast Mariners, with the Mariners having won the previous meeting 2–0 at home. Newcastle won the game 1–5, beating the Mariners by four goals and making it the largest F3 Derby victory.[58][59][60] After Newcastle's first game, they followed up by going five games undefeated, losing their first game of the season on 18 November 2017, to 2016–17 champions, Sydney FC in round 7.[61][62] Between rounds 7 and 24 Newcastle achieved 10 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses, before losing three games on the trot, scoring only two and conceding ten.[63] In the last game of the regular season Newcastle again played F3 Derby rivals, Central Coast, playing them for a third time during the season. After three consecutive losses Newcastle made both A-League and F3 derby history, beating the Mariners 2–8, winning by the highest margin in the F3 derby, a feat they achieved in round 1 of the season. Playing in the highest scoring A-League match, winning all three F3 Derby matches during the 2017–18 season and finishing in second position and qualifying for the AFC Champions League for a second time.[64][65][66] After one of the most successful regular seasons in Newcastle Jets history, manager Ernie Merrick signed on for a further season extending his contract to the end of the 2019–20 A-League season.[67]

Newcastle played Melbourne City at home in the semi-final of the A-League finals, winning 2–1, with goals to Riley McGree and Jason Hoffman. Newcastle reached their second A-League Grand Final in history.[68] Newcastle were defeated in the 2017–18 A-League Grand Final by Melbourne Victory, losing 1–0.[69] Dimitri Petratos was named Newcastle Jets player of the season.[70] After a very successful season in the A-League, Andrew Nabbout, a former Newcastle player, and Dimitri Petratos, Newcastle player of the season and joint golden boot winner for Newcastle, were named in the Australian squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Nabbout playing two of the three group stage matches (France, Denmark).[71][72]

Before the start of the 2018–19 A-League season, Newcastle signed New Zealand international Matthew Ridenton from fellow A-League club Wellington Phoenix on a free transfer which reunited him with former Phoenix boss Ernie Merrick.[73][74] The Jets also announced the signings of Brazilian striker Jair Eduardo, former Melbourne Victory winger Mitch Austin, attacker Kaine Sheppard and goalkeeper Lewis Italiano prior to the start of the season.[75][76][77][78]

Newcastle enjoyed their best ever run in the FFA Cup, beating Queensland side Gold Coast Knights 0–1 in the Round of 32.[79] In the Round of 16, the Jets went down to fellow A-League side Melbourne City 0–1.[80]

After a poor start to the season where the Jets only won 2 of their first 13 A-League matches and sat at the bottom of the table, Ernie Merrick was sacked as manager.[81] Newcastle Jets Women coach Craig Deans and Qiang Li were named joint-caretaker managers the same day. On 6 February, former Vancouver Whitecaps manager Carl Robinson was named as the club's new head coach signing a deal until the end of the 2022–23 season.[82] The club won 4 of their first 7 league matches under Robinson's stewardship, losing only once, before the FFA announced that the 2019–20 A-League season would be postponed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand on 24 March 2020.[83]

On 4 January 2021, it was reported that the Jets' licence had been terminated and absentee owner Martin Lee, who had not injected any funds into the club since October 2019 and had failed to pay club debts, had been removed. The Jets will be controlled for an interim period by investors from other A-League clubs, to whom a new licence has been granted. Australian Professional Leagues commissioner Greg O'Rourke confirmed that the club can continue to play in A-League and W-League competitions despite the uncertainty.[84][85]

As of 5 February 2021

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  AUS Lewis Italiano 2 DF  AUS John Koutroumbis 3 DF  AUS Jason Hoffman 4 DF  AUS Nigel Boogaard (Captain) 5 MF  AUS Ben Kantarovski 6 MF  AUS Steven Ugarkovic 7 MF  IDN Syahrian Abimanyu (on loan from Johor Darul Ta'zim) 8 MF  MAS Liridon Krasniqi (on loan from Johor Darul Ta'zim) 9 FW  IRL Roy O'Donovan 11 FW  AUS Ramy Najjarine (on loan from Melbourne City) 13 FW  AUS Maki Petratos 14 MF  IRQ Ali Abbas 15 MF  AUS Tete Yengi (Scholarship) 16 DF  AUS Matthew Millar

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 FW  AUS Valentino Yuel 18 MF  AUS Jack Armson (Scholarship) 19 FW  AUS Kosta Petratos 21 MF  AUS Luka Prso (on loan from Osijek) 22 DF  AUS Lachlan Jackson 23 GK  AUS Jack Duncan 24 DF  AUS Connor O'Toole 25 MF  AUS Jack Simmons (Scholarship) 27 DF  AUS Lucas Mauragis (Scholarship) 28 FW  AUS Blake Archbold (Scholarship) 32 MF  AUS Angus Thurgate 33 FW  AUS Apostolos Stamatelopoulos 44 DF  AUS Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Vice-captain)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  AUS James Donachie (at Goa until March 2021) — FW  AUS Joe Champness (at Brisbane Roar until June 2021) — GK  AUS Noah James (at Western Sydney Wanderers until June 2021)

• A-League

Runners-Up (2): 2007–08, 2017–18

• A-League Grand Finals

Championships (1): 2008

Runners-Up (1): 2018