Ante Covic (born 13 June 1975) is an Australian football manager and former soccer

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

, and is the current manager of Bankstown City (Women) in

NSW League One The Football NSW League is an Australian association football, soccer league based in New South Wales that was founded in 2022 and administered by Football NSW. It consists of two divisions that were named after the Football NSW League's breakawa ...

. Covic was a member of the Australian national team at the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

in Germany and represented Australia on two occasions. In 2014 he was named Player of the Tournament for the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

, keeping 8 clean sheets in 12 matches with the

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...

as they defeated Al-Hilal in the final.

Personal life

Covic is of Croatian heritage. He is married to Vanessa Covic and has two children, Emelie and Christopher.

Club career

He formerly played for

Marconi Stallions Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Fairfield, Sydney, New South Wales. The club has been crowned Australian champion four times. The Stallions are the soccer team of Club Marc ...

and

Sydney Olympic Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club, based in Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states o ...

in Australia's

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

and

Kavala Kavala (, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the A2 motorway, a one-and ...

in Greece and

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...

in Croatia.

Hammarby IF

After Australia in 1999, Covic made numerous appearances for various European clubs before arriving in Hammarby IF, a Swedish club based in Stockholm. There he battled

Erland Hellström Erland Folke Henry Hellström (born 16 December 1980) is a Swedish former association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He played for Hammarby Fotboll, Hammarby before leaving via a mutual consen ...

for the spot as first keeper. About a month into the Swedish Allsvenskan series, Covic made his debut between the posts (however, not his debut game with Hammarby as he made an appearance roughly three weeks earlier in a cup game) and after that he was more or less given in the starting eleven. Covic left Hammarby in 2006 after having played 121 games – a feat that has only been surpassed by three other goalkeepers in the club's history.

Newcastle Jets

Covic made his

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

debut in a 3–2 loss to

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

in December 2006 at

Hindmarsh Stadium Hindmarsh Stadium (also known as Coopers Brewery, Coopers Stadium under naming rights) is a multi-purpose stadium in Hindmarsh, South Australia, Hindmarsh, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian ...

. Čović was the starting goalkeeper for Newcastle Jets in the 2007 season, in which he won the A-League championship. On 17 March 2009, it was announced that Covic was leaving the Jets for a three-year deal with Swedish club

IF Elfsborg Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional association football, football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Alls ...

Melbourne Victory

On 4 October 2011, Covic signed a one-year deal with

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

as an injury replacement for

Tando Velaphi Tando Yuji Velaphi (born 17 April 1987) is an Australian professional Association football, football player who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Subiaco AFC, Subiaco AFC. Club career Early playing career Velaphi tr ...

, who was ruled out for 12 weeks. Čović debuted in the opening game of the A-League season against

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

at the Etihad Stadium. Covic achieved instant hero status with the home fans when he saved Emerton from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute, he was named man of the match in the 0–0 draw. He was again named man of the match after the Melbourne Derby two weeks later. In the A-League fifth round match between

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...

and

in 2011, Covic, along with fellow Victory defender Matthew Foschini, were controversially sent off by referee Ben Williams for challenges against Roar defenders, reducing the Victory to playing with nine men throughout the match. On 1 May 2012, it was announced new Melbourne Victory coach

Ange Postecoglou Angelos "Ange" Postecoglou ( ; ; born 27 August 1965) is a soccer manager and former player who was most recently manager of club Tottenham Hotspur. Born in Greece, Postecoglou grew up in Melbourne from the age of five. As a player, he spen ...

would not resign the veteran goalkeeper, opting to stay with younger goalkeepers Lawrence Thomas and

. This decision followed Covic winning the Player's Player of the Year award at the Melbourne Victory Awards Dinner.

Western Sydney Wanderers

On 2 July 2012, Covic joined A-League expansion club

on a free transfer. The Wanderers performed above expectations and won the Premier's Plate in their maiden season, with Čović being named in the inaugural A-League All-Star team. He helped his side to win

, keeping 8 clean sheets in 12 matches. The Wanderers defeated Al-Hilal in the final, after which he was named as MVP of the tournament.

Perth Glory

On 8 July 2015, Covic joined

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...

Rockdale City and retirement

In June 2016, at the end of his contract, Covic decided to leave Perth Glory to return east to be closer to his family, and joined

Rockdale City Suns Rockdale Ilinden Football Club (commonly known as Rockdale City Suns Football Club from 1992 to 2020) is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the suburb of Rockdale, Sydney. Founded in 1969, by Macedonian Australians, the club ...

in January 2017. He retired from football at the end of the 2018 NPL season in November 2018, after two seasons at the club, to take a position as goalkeeper coach for

. In December, he joined

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...

as short-term injury cover following an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Filip Kurto. He remained on the bench for the duration of the side's 3–1 win over

International career

He was part of the

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

squad for the 2006 World Cup

play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

against

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

and was Australia's third choice

behind

Mark Schwarzer Mark Schwarzer ( , ; born 6 October 1972) is an Australian former professional football player who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He represented Australia men's national soccer team, Australia at international level ...

and

Zeljko Kalac Zeljko Kalac (born 16 December 1972) is an Australian association football, soccer coach and former player who is currently the goalkeeping coach for the Iraq national football team. Standing at 2.02 m, Kalac is the tallest player to have ...

for the

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

in Germany. He made his debut for Australia against

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

on 22 February 2006 in an

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...

qualifier. On 22 March 2008 he earned his second and last cap against

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in an international friendly and was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

for part of the second half after

Harry Kewell Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian soccer coach, manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League. As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Liverpool ...

and

Jade North Jade Bronson North (born 7 January 1982) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a centre back or right back. He was a member of the Australia men's national soccer team, Australian national team, and is co-chair of Fo ...

left the field.

Career statistics

''CS = Clean Sheets'' ¹ – includes

final series statistics
² – includes continental tournaments and

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

;

statistics are included in season ending during group stages (i.e. ACL 2014 and A-League season 2013–14 etc.)

National team statistics

Honours

Club

;PAOK *

Greek Football Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

: 2000–01 ;Newcastle Jets *

Championship: 2007–08 ;Western Sydney Wanderers *

Premiership:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Individual

Victory Medal: 2011–12 * A-League Goalkeeper of the Year:

* PFA A-League Team of the Season:

* A-League All Star:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Most Valuable Player:

Records

* Oldest

player: 39 years, 326 days * Oldest

player: 40 years, 309 days

References

External links

Western Sydney Wanderers profile

*
Ante Covic Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covic, Ante 1975 births Australian people of Croatian descent Australia men's international soccer players A-League Men players A-League Men All-Stars Men's association football goalkeepers Wellington Phoenix FC players Perth Glory FC players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Melbourne Victory FC players IF Elfsborg players Newcastle Jets FC players Hammarby Fotboll players PAOK FC players Kavala F.C. players Hurstville ZFC players APIA Leichhardt FC players Marconi Stallions FC players Rockdale Ilinden FC players Super League Greece players Football League (Greece) players 2006 FIFA World Cup players Allsvenskan players National Soccer League (Australia) players Australian expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Australian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Australian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Australian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Soccer players from Sydney Living people Croatian Football League players National Premier Leagues players Australian men's soccer players AFC Champions League Elite–winning players