The National Soccer League Coach of the Year was an annual
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
award presented to
coaches
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
in Australia. It recognised the most outstanding manager in the
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 d ...
each season. The award was established in the first NSL season,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
.
In 1977, it was given to
Rale Rasic
Zvonimir "Rale" Rasic OAM (/Zvonimir Rale Rašić; born 26 December 1935) is an Australian former association football player, coach and media personality.
Playing career Club
Born in Dole, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Bosnia ...
who came second in the NSL season that year with
Marconi. The last winner of the award was
Mich d'Avray
Jean-Michel (Mich) d'Avray (born 19 February 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a former professional association footballer who spent the majority of his playing career at Ipswich Town. He was most recently Technical Director at Ajax Cape To ...
, who won the
2003–04 season with
Perth Glory
Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues.
Founded in 19 ...
.
Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson (25 February 1947 – 21 February 2003) was a Scottish association football player and coach, who played as a defender. He played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in Scotland, San Antonio Thunder in the United States and ...
won the award three times, the most for an NSL manager.
Winners
Multiple winners
Awards won by nationality
aOnly managers with a verifiable nationality are included
bFrank Arok, Rale Rasic and Branko Culina are included in both totals
Awards won by club
References
{{National Soccer League
National Soccer League (Australia)
Awards established in 1977
1977 establishments in Australia
Association football manager of the year awards
Australian soccer trophies and awards