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Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional
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 ...
club based in
Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area ...
. It competes in the country's premier competition, the
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
, under
licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
from The
Australian Professional Leagues The Australian Professional Leagues, commonly abbreviated to the APL, and sometimes referred to as the A-Leagues, are the governing body for the A-League Men, A-League Women, A-League Youth and E-League. Since their formation, they have been mo ...
(APL). formerly under licence by Football Australia. The club was formed in 2000 when it joined 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 ...
(NSL) and was one of only three former NSL clubs to join in the formation of the A-League. Newcastle Jets have won one A-League championship, after defeating
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
1–0 in the
2008 A-League Grand Final The 2008 A-League Grand Final took place at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 24 February 2008. It was the first A-League Grand Final played at a neutral home ground, due to Bluetongue Stadium being deemed by FFA to not have a s ...
. In 2009, Newcastle competed in the
AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
for the first time, reaching the Round of 16. In May 2015, FFA revoked Newcastle's licence after owner
Nathan Tinkler Nathan Tinkler (born 1 February 1976) is an Australian mining industry executive and was previously the principal shareholder of Aston Resources and Whitehaven Coal. He started out as a mining apprentice in the Hunter Valley, in New South Wale ...
placed the club into voluntary administration. A new A-League club was formed for the 2015–16 season, under the same name and colours. The club plays home games at
McDonald Jones Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights ( National Rugby League) and New ...
. An affiliated youth team competes in the National Youth League and in the National Premier Leagues NSW competition. A women's team competes in the W-League. The Youth team's matches are played at No.2 Sportsground and Wanderers Oval. The Womans team play at Newcastle International Sports Centre and No. 2 Sportsground.


History


Early years

Newcastle United was formed in 2000 by Cypriot-Australian businessman Con Constantine from the remnants of the
Newcastle Breakers Newcastle Breakers FC are a defunct Australian football (soccer) club. Formed out of elements of the Newcastle Austral club, they participated in the National Soccer League from season 1991/1992, until their dissolution in 1999/2000. The club fare ...
. The Breakers were dissolved when
Soccer Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establi ...
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 Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights ( National Rugby League) and New ...
. 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 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 ...
in the 2001–02 season. 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 A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
. 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 Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...
. The name "Jets" is a reference to
RAAF Base Williamtown RAAF Base Williamtown is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located north of the coastal city of Newcastle ( by road) in the local government area of Port Stephens, in New South Wales, Australia. The base serves as the ...
, located just 20 kilometres north of Newcastle. The club's logo depicts three F/A-18 Hornets, which the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
has based at Williamtown. Former
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
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'. Instead, the club signed
Richard Money Richard Money (born 13 October 1955) is an English former footballer and manager who was most recently manager of National League club Hartlepool United. Before this, he managed Cambridge United, overseeing the side's return to the Football Leag ...
for the 2005–2006 season. In 2006 Money was replaced with
Nick Theodorakopoulos Nick Theodorakopoulos (born 29 June 1964) is an Australian football (soccer) coach. Managerial career Theodorakopoulos previously coached in the predecessor to the A-League, the NSL with the now-defunct Parramatta Power. His last coaching ...
after Money returned to England to take the manager's job at
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
. 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 Nedjeljko Zelic (born 4 July 1971), commonly known as Ned Zelic, is an Australian former footballer who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. Club career Zelic started his career in the old Australian National Soccer League, where he ...
, a player who was seen to have severed connections with
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
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. 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. 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 Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
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 Stuart Musialik (born 29 March 1985 in Newcastle, Australia) is an Australian professional footballer. Club career Born and raised in Newcastle, he played junior football for Adamstown Rosebuds and was selected to play in representative sides ...
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.


Champions of Australia

Season 3 of the
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
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 Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
and Johnny Warren Medal winner Nick Carle moved to
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
to link up with
Gençlerbirliği S.K. Gençlerbirliği Spor Kulübü (pronounced ), commonly known as Gençlerbirliği, is a Turkish sports club based in Ankara. Formed in 1923, Gençlerbirliği are nicknamed ''Ankara Rüzgârı'' (The Wind of Ankara) or simply ''Gençler'' (The You ...
New recruits included Joel Griffiths' twin brother
Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
and previous European Golden Boot winner
Mario Jardel is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
. 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. 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 Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
, 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 Adam Griffiths (born 21 August 1979 in Sydney) is an Australian professional football manager who currently serves as the Assistant Coach of Western Sydney Wanderers. He is a former professional football (soccer) player and Socceroo. Since 2 ...
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. 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 Sasho Petrovski ( mk, Сашо Петровски, ''Sašo Petrovski'') (born 5 March 1975) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for South Coast Wolves. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team. Petrovski was know ...
and
Adam Kwasnik Adam Kwasnik (born 31 May 1983) is an Australian former professional association football player who played as a striker. Club career Kwasnik was part of the inaugural Central Coast Mariners squad in 2005–06, and was a substitute in the ...
. Seven minutes into extra time Petrovski scored again to send the Mariners into their second Grand Final in three years. 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. 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 Song Jin-hyung (; born 13 August 1987) is a South Korean football player who plays as a midfielder. Club career Song started his professional career at Brazilian club Internacional, before moving back to his homeland South Korea to play f ...
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 Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
in the 2007–08 A-League Grand Final, becoming A-League Champions for the first time. The game was sealed with a solitary Joel Griffiths 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 Daniel Vukovic ( ; born 27 March 1985) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Central Coast Mariners in the A-League and the Australia national team. Vukovic is the holder of several A-League records: he has t ...
had come up for the corner and was so infuriated by
Mark Shield Mark Shield (born 2 September 1973 in Fortitude Valley, Queensland) is a former Australian Football referee and national Director of Referees. He most recently refereed in Australia's A-League. He first played soccer for the Innisfail Tigers at ...
's decision that he slapped his hand away, earning himself a lengthy ban and ruling himself out of the early rounds of next season. Both the Jets and Mariners qualified to take part in the
2009 AFC Champions League The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National ...
.


2008 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 Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
defender
Nikolai Topor-Stanley Nikolai David Topor-Stanley (born 11 March 1985) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a centre back. He has played for A-League clubs Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers. He has also played in i ...
in early January 2008. 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, along with Jesper Hakansson, who left the club after agreeing to a mutual termination. Talisman and captain Joel Griffiths also agreed to move to
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, although only on a one-year loan to Beijing Guoan. 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 VBV De Graafschap () is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the De Vijverberg stadium ...
along with former
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
and
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
striker
Sasho Petrovski Sasho Petrovski ( mk, Сашо Петровски, ''Sašo Petrovski'') (born 5 March 1975) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for South Coast Wolves. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team. Petrovski was know ...
. Next, the Jets reinforced their shaky defence by obtaining the signatures of talented former
FC Thun Fussballclub Thun 1898 is a Swiss football team from the Bernese Oberland town of Thun. The club plays in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of the Swiss football league system, following relegation from the Swiss Super League in ...
and
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 ...
defender Ljubo Miličević, who had been battling depression since being released by the Victory, veteran centre-back
Angelo Costanzo Angelo Francesco Antonio Costanzo (born 9 May 1976 in Adelaide) is a retired Australian soccer player. He was voted into the Adelaide United Team of the Decade. He is currently married to his wife, Helen and is the father of his two children; ...
from Adelaide United, and young
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
left-back
Nikolas Tsattalios Nikolas Constantinos Tsattalios (born 1 March 1990) is an Australian footballer who plays for Sydney Olympic FC. Club career Tsattalios grew up in Sydney playing for his local ''Carss Park Soccer Club,'' alongside former Sydney FC teammate Dea ...
. 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. 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. After the departure of high performance manager
Ian Crook Ian Stuart Crook (born 18 January 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player. As a player, he was a midfielder who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur. before making 418 appearances for Norwich City where he notably ...
, the Jets signed former
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
boss
Branko Culina Branko Culina (; born 1 October 1957 in Zadar, Socialist Republic of Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia) is a football (soccer) coach and former player. He previously managed Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets in the A-League. Club career Culina was born in ...
as their new Technical Director. The Jets got off to a bad start, losing 2–0 to Beijing Guoan in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
. 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 Ulsan Hyundai FC ( ko, 울산 현대 축구단) is a South Korean professional football club based in Ulsan that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Founded in 1983 as Hyundai Horang-i, they joined the K League in ...
1–0 away from home with
Jason Hoffman Jason Hoffman (born 28 January 1989) is an Australian association football player who plays as a right back for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League.Jason is the most capped player in Newcastle Jets History. Jason’s nicknames include “the H ...
scoring his debut goal to seal the win. The Jets faced
Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 ...
in their round of 16 fixture on 24 June, crashing out of the competition 6–0 to the hands of the South Koreans.


Čulina tenure

After the success of the 2007–08 season, a number of Jets players left the club, including
Mark Bridge Mark Robert Bridge (born 7 November 1985) is an Australian professional football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for NPL club Mounties Wanderers. Bridge is the Western Sydney Wanderers' first ever goalscorer, earning himself the nick ...
and
Stuart Musialik Stuart Musialik (born 29 March 1985 in Newcastle, Australia) is an Australian professional footballer. Club career Born and raised in Newcastle, he played junior football for Adamstown Rosebuds and was selected to play in representative sides ...
to
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
and
Joe Marston Medal The Joe Marston Medal is an A-League award given to the player of the match in the A-League Grand Final each year. Introduced in 1990, previously the award was also given to the best player in the National Soccer League grand final. The medal is ...
winner
Andrew Durante Andrew James Durante (born 3 May 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales) is a retired New Zealand international footballer. He is currently the Player Welfare and Development Manager at Western United while also working as a Senior Academy Assistant ...
and
Troy Hearfield Troy Hearfield (born 31 October 1987 in Tamworth, NSW) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for Sawtell FC. Club career Hearfield signed for Newcastle Jets in 2006. On 2 February 2007, Hearfield made his professional debut in a ...
to
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
. Although rumours persisted about captain Jade North and
Adam Griffiths Adam Griffiths (born 21 August 1979 in Sydney) is an Australian professional football manager who currently serves as the Assistant Coach of Western Sydney Wanderers. He is a former professional football (soccer) player and Socceroo. Since 2 ...
wishing to leave the club after being a part of the Socceroos squad that faced
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, both chose to remain with the Jets for the 2008–09 season. The regular
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
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 The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of th ...
. 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. 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 Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
. 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. It was announced by the club and
Football Federation Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establ ...
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. 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 Gold Coast United Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The earliest incarnation of the club formed in 1966 and its home ground was at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. The first era of Gold Coast Unit ...
, that businessman
Nathan Tinkler Nathan Tinkler (born 1 February 1976) is an Australian mining industry executive and was previously the principal shareholder of Aston Resources and Whitehaven Coal. He started out as a mining apprentice in the Hunter Valley, in New South Wale ...
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 A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets. Introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842, the process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...
for the football department. It was confirmed that the Jets would host
Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...
, which included big-name players such as
David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...
and
Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor f ...
, for a friendly in November 2010. The Jets won the match 2–1. 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 Northern Fury Football Club was an Australian professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from th ...
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 Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) is the governing body of soccer in the north of New South Wales, Australia. It is a member of the national governing body, Football Australia. The Federation was established the 9 September 1884 as the Northern Dist ...
. 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.


The Return of van Egmond

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 Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
set aside. 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." The Jets appointed Gary van Egmond as Čulina's replacement. 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. 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. 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. 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 Nikolai David Topor-Stanley (born 11 March 1985) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a centre back. He has played for A-League clubs Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers. He has also played in i ...
. Van Egmond implemented his possession-based style by signing many young talents such as
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
,
Scott Neville Scott Neville (born 11 January 1989) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Brisbane Roar in the A-League. Personal life Scott Neville is the son of former English Football League pro, Steve Neville. Steve Nevi ...
and
Craig Goodwin Craig Alexander Goodwin (born 16 December 1991) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays for Adelaide United and the Australian national team. He is Adelaide United's all-time leading goalscorer. Club career Early career He start ...
. The Jets went unbeaten throughout the entire 2012–13 pre-season, with wins over defending champions Brisbane Roar and rivals
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
. On 21 September 2012, the Jets signed former England international and
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
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 Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
, rivals
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
and
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 ...
, to sit second behind Adelaide on goal difference after round 4. During the January transfer window, the Jets released Brazilian international
Tiago Calvano Tiago Coelho Branco Calvano (born 19 May 1981), sometimes known as just Tiago, is a former Brazilian footballer. Career Calvano is a defender with Italian citizenship who made 13 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A appearances for Botafogo before ...
, 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 Andrew James Hoole (born 22 October 1993) is an Australian semi-professional Association football, football (soccer) player who last played as a Midfielder (association football), winger for Broadmeadow Magic FC, Broadmeadow Magic in the Nation ...
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 Ruben Anton Zadkovich ( hr, Zadković, ; born 23 May 1986) is a former Australian professional football (soccer) player, and manager of Perth Glory. He played for 6 clubs in a career that spanned between England and Australia, notably becoming a ...
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. During the following season, van Egmond was sacked after 15 matches, due to poor results and a lack of harmony within the squad.


2014–2017

On 5 May 2014,
Phil Stubbins Phil Stubbins is a former football player and now manager who is the head coach oAdelaide University Soccer Clubin the National Premier Leagues competition in South Australia. Early years Stubbins is from Hull, England, migrating to Australia in ...
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 Marcos Abel Flores Benard (; born 23 October 1985) is a retired Argentine professional footballer who last played for, and captained, Adelaide City. Biography Unión de Santa Fe On 17 April 2004, Flores made his senior debut for Argentine club ...
, Australian international
David Carney David Raymond Carney (born 30 November 1983) is an Australian former association football midfielder and who is incoming coach for 2023 season NPL NSW side Wollongong Wolves FC. Born in Sydney, he began his playing career with the New South W ...
, and the club's highest-ever goal scorer, Joel Griffiths. A poor start to the season saw CEO Robbie Middleby and chairman Ray Baartz resign from their positions during a mid-season break. On 10 January 2015, three days after Middleby and Baartz resigned, Newcastle owner
Nathan Tinkler Nathan Tinkler (born 1 February 1976) is an Australian mining industry executive and was previously the principal shareholder of Aston Resources and Whitehaven Coal. He started out as a mining apprentice in the Hunter Valley, in New South Wale ...
took the club off the market and was appointed chairman. On 29 January 2015, Newcastle players
Kew Jaliens Kew Raffique Jaliens (born 15 September 1978) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a defender. Club career Sparta Kew Jaliens started his career at Sparta and made his league debut aged 18 in a 2–1 away win over FC Groningen on 25 May ...
,
Billy Celeski Blagoja "Billy" Celeski (born 14 July 1985) is a retired Macedonian-born Australian footballer. He last played as a midfielder for Ventforet Kofu in the J1 League in 2016. Club career Celeski signed for Perth Glory for the 2005–06 A-League s ...
, Adrian Madaschi, David Carney and Joel Griffiths were released. Stubbins started rebuilding the club, bringing in imports Lee Ki-je and Enver Alivodic, along with signing defender
Nigel Boogaard Nigel Boogaard ( ; born 14 August 1986) is a former Australian professional footballer who played as a central defender in the A-League. Boogaard currently plays for Charlestown Azzurri in the Northern NSW Football National Premier Leagues co ...
. The Jests ended the season at the bottom of the table with only three wins, making it their worst-ever season. On 21 May, Football Federation Australia terminated the club's licence after the Jets failed to settle debts and pay problems. 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 Phil Stubbins is a former football player and now manager who is the head coach oAdelaide University Soccer Clubin the National Premier Leagues competition in South Australia. Early years Stubbins is from Hull, England, migrating to Australia in ...
, 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 Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...
assistant coach, Scott Miller as the club's head coach. Former
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 ...
assistant coach,
Jean-Paul de Marigny Jean-Paul de Marigny (born 21 January 1964, in Mauritius) is an Assistant Coach with Melbourne Victory. Jean-Paul is a former Socceroo. Managerial career Melbourne Victory de Marigny served as an assistant coach of A-League side Melbourne Victo ...
was appointed as Miller's senior assistant. On Thursday 10 September 2015, the Club announced its new major sponsor, Inspirations Paint. Acting CEO, David Eland said, "To get a brand like Inspirations Paint behind the club is absolutely fantastic. They are Australia's largest and leading network of paint stores, founded here in 1979. I think it's a sign that the community are starting to re-align with their club." 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 Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provi ...
, China. The Ledman Group was valued at over one billion Australian dollars on the
Shenzhen Stock Exchange The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE; ) is a stock exchange based in the city of Shenzhen, in the People's Republic of China. It is one of three stock exchanges operating independently in Mainland China, the others being the Beijing Stock Exch ...
. The Ledman Group was an official partner of the
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...
and China League (Division Two), and had a strategic partnership with the
Chinese Football Association The Chinese Football Association (CFA) is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The CFA organizes the men's and women's national teams and administers the country' ...
. 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 Friday 30 September 2016, the club announced Inspirations Paint had re-signed as a Major Sponsor for a further year. Newcastle Jets Chief Executive Officer, Lawrie McKinna, announced the news recently at the launch of #TheJetsHouse opposite Hunter Stadium in Broadmeadow – a painted home which has been decked out in Jets colours and branding by the Inspirations Paint for the entirety of the Club's Hyundai A-League 2016/17 campaign.


Merrick Era


2017–18 season

On 9 May 2017, Ernie Merrick was named as Newcastle's new coach for the next two
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
seasons after previously managing A-League teams
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 ...
and
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
, managing a total of 241 A-League games, and winning the 2006–07, 2008–09 titles. After the announcement Merrick stated: Merrick's first A-League match as coach was on 7 October 2017, against F3 Derby rivals
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
, 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. 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 Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
in round 7. 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. 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 The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
for a second time. 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. Newcastle played Melbourne City at home in the semi-final of the A-League finals, winning 2–1, with goals to
Riley McGree Riley Patrick McGree (born 2 November 1998) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough and the Australian national team. Born in Gawler, South Australia, McGree playe ...
and
Jason Hoffman Jason Hoffman (born 28 January 1989) is an Australian association football player who plays as a right back for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League.Jason is the most capped player in Newcastle Jets History. Jason’s nicknames include “the H ...
. Newcastle reached their second A-League Grand Final in history. Newcastle were defeated in the 2017–18 A-League Grand Final by Melbourne Victory, losing 1–0.
Dimitri Petratos Dimitrios Petratos (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan. Petratos has played for four different A-League clubs, winning one championship with Bri ...
was named Newcastle Jets player of the season. After a very successful season in the A-League,
Andrew Nabbout Andrew Nabbout (born 17 December 1992) is an Australian footballer who plays as a winger for A-League club Melbourne City. Early life Nabbout was born in Melbourne to a family of Lebanese descent. He played youth football for Brunswick Cit ...
, a former Newcastle player, and
Dimitri Petratos Dimitrios Petratos (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club ATK Mohun Bagan. Petratos has played for four different A-League clubs, winning one championship with Bri ...
, Newcastle player of the season and joint golden boot winner for Newcastle, were named in the Australian squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
. Nabbout playing two of the three group stage matches (
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
).


2018–19 season

Before the start of the 2018–19 A-League season, Newcastle signed
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
international
Matthew Ridenton Matthew George Robert Ridenton (born 11 March 1996) is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a midfielder for Lions FC. Club career Ridenton played youth football for Three Kings United and Saint Kentigern College, and made his career debut ...
from fellow A-League club
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
on a free transfer which reunited him with former Phoenix boss Ernie Merrick. The Jets also announced the signings of Brazilian striker Jair Eduardo, former Melbourne Victory winger Mitch Austin, attacker Kaine Sheppard and goalkeeper
Lewis Italiano Lewis Italiano (born 10 December 1990) is an Australian professional goalkeeper. Club career Italiano played his junior football at Stirling Lions and later Balcatta. He moved to Inglewood United and, aged 18, gained his league debut in May ...
prior to the start of the season. Newcastle enjoyed their best ever run in the FFA Cup, beating
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
side Gold Coast Knights 0–1 in the
Round of 32 A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. In the Round of 16, the Jets went down to fellow A-League side Melbourne City 0–1.


2020-present: Ownership uncertainty and managerial changes

After a poor start to the season where the Jets only won 2 of their first 13
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
matches and sat at the bottom of the table,
Ernie Merrick Ernest Merrick OAM (born 15 January 1953) is a Scottish-Australian coach, who last managed A-League soccer club Newcastle Jets. He was released on 6 January 2020. He was the former head coach of the Hong Kong national football team and A-League ...
was sacked as manager. Newcastle Jets Women coach
Craig Deans Craig Deans (born 7 May 1974) is an Australian former football (soccer) player and former head coach of the Newcastle Jets. Playing career Deans was a central defender for multiple Australian clubs, with most of his appearances coming in the ...
and Qiang Li were named joint-caretaker managers the same day. On 6 February, former
Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
manager
Carl Robinson Carl Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a retired Welsh international footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach for Major League Soccer club D.C. United. Club career Wolverhampton Wanderers Robinson s ...
was named as the club's new head coach signing a deal until the end of the 2022–23 season. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
on 24 March 2020. Although the Jets results had improved under Robinson, he departed the club in October 2021 to assume the vacant managerial position at Western Sydney Wanderers. The timing of Robinson's departure was not ideal for Newcastle who were close to commencing the 2020-21 season. Craig Deans subsequently returned for his third stint as interim manager. 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. After a positive start to the season, Deans was appointed as the full-time head coach on 9 February. However the Jets experienced a downturn in results, only winning a further two matches and narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon. Deans resigned on 2 June.


Colours and badge

The club's traditional colours are blue and red; colours also worn by the Newcastle Knights
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
team in the region. When Newcastle joined the A-League the club changed its colours to a gold jersey with a navy and red trim and navy blue shorts and socks. The kit was markedly different to the jersey worn by the original NSL club which was almost exclusively red and blue. The away jersey was white with gold sleeves, gold shorts and white socks. The club's jersey for the 2009–10 season retained the home kit design, however, the away strip revert to something more historic, in light of the club's tenth anniversary. The jersey featured blue and red, with white and blue shorts and socks, in line with the old Newcastle United strips. In early 2011, the new Tinkler Sports Group revealed that Newcastle's colours would revert to the blue and red worn by Newcastle United. The decision was also made to combined colours with the Newcastle Knights who became a cousin club due to the shared ownership. The 2011–12 season away kit was revealed to be a black and white, with the same stripped design of the home kit. The Jets wore the black and white kit until the conclusion of the 2012–13 season. It was after the conclusion of that season when it was announced that Newcastle Jets members would vote for the sides new away kit. The first of three options was an emerald jersey with a brown and white stripe going diagonally across the shirt, based on KB United, a team that represented Newcastle in the NSL. The second was a white jersey that featured red down the sides, and blue on the back at the base of the shirt. The final option was a dark grey jersey, with a red and blue diagonal stripe, the same design as the first option. After members chose the emerald green jersey, the club revealed a new home kit. Similar to the home shirt from the previous two seasons, the red and blue stripes became slightly thinner, featuring five stripes on the front of the jersey, opposed to three stripes on the former kit. The stripes were largely replaced on the back of the shirt with a solid blue, yet stripes still featured at the bottom. The three jets from the club's crest were also added to the back of both the home and away kits, located just underneath the neck. A simple blue and red logo with the name "Newcastle United" was used during the club's time in the NSL. After joining the A-League, a new logo was designed to incorporate the new name "Newcastle United Jets". The name change was done so to project a new image for the club and to prevent confusion with the English side
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...
The name "Jets" is a reference to
RAAF Base Williamtown RAAF Base Williamtown is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located north of the coastal city of Newcastle ( by road) in the local government area of Port Stephens, in New South Wales, Australia. The base serves as the ...
, located just 20 kilometres north of Newcastle. The club's logo also depicts three
F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now pa ...
s, which the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
had based at Williamtown.


Stadium

McDonald Jones Stadium, at the Newcastle International Sports Centre, is the home ground of the Newcastle Jets and is the home of the Newcastle Knights. It has a capacity of 33,000. The stadium is located in the suburb of
Broadmeadow Broadmeadow is the geographic center of Newcastle city. Its main commercial hub is located at the "Nineways".Newcastle was set at
Ausgrid Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights ( National Rugby League) and New ...
on 2 February 2007 in the second leg of the 2006-07 A-League minor semi final against
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...
, in front of 24,338 people. This broke the record set earlier that season on New Years Day, where a crowd of 20,980 turned up to see a 2–0 loss against the same opposition. Prior to that game the soccer attendance record for a match in Newcastle stood for 52 years, set when
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
played
Rapid Vienna Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade'' ...
. This upgrade is a result of Australia gaining rights to hold the finals of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia between 4 and 26 January 2015. Newcastle may be one of the venues for this event, and minimum standards set by FIFA mean EAS is inadequate for this role. The newest upgrade involved demolishing the western grandstand and replacing it with one similar to the east, as well as placing seated areas on the hill at either end of the ground. This upgrade cost around $60 million, of which $50 million was provided by the State Government. This upgrade means the Jets attendance figures can grow immensely, and will also qualify the Jets to host any Grand Finals they reach in the future.


Supporters

The main active supporter group of the Newcastle Jets were the Squadron Novocastria, which was formed in anticipation of the first ever A-League game between Newcastle and Adelaide United. The Squadron began standing behind the goals on the Southern Hill, however because of the layout of the stadium and FFA regulations requiring them to be located in a fully seated area, they moved to Bay 2 of the Eastern Grandstand at McDonald Jones Stadium. Standard songs/chants include, "We go by land and sea", "The Newy Boys go one by one" and "When The Jets Go Flying In". The Squadron have also started a new tradition of singing the chorus to the
INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss ...
song " Never Tear Us Apart" before the start of the game and second half. As the club's performances improved throughout the 2006–07 season the Squadron grew rapidly and continued to grow throughout the 2007–08 season. In the interest of increasing active support participation during the 2013–14 Season, and after months of negotiation with club, stadium and security, the Squadron initiated a move from their Bay 2 location, to the other side of the stadium in Bay 60. This took effect for the first time for the visit of the Western Sydney Wanderers on 31 January 2014. '' The Newcastle Herald'' reported that this was to avoid clashes with opposition fans. Before the start of the 2014–15 Season the Squadron threatened to boycott the designated active supporter bay due to measures introduced by the FFA, which meant that the area would be a "members only" area. The Squadron believed this would adversely affect the large demographic of young people regularly joining the Squadron, along with other issues. However through negotiation with the club the Squadron ensured that all fans, members or not were able to join the Squadron on matchday and so the boycott was avoided. For the 2016–17 A-League season, the Squadron, with financial support from the Jets, moved to the southern end of McDonald Jones Stadium in a bid to improve active support at home games. In late 2016, a new supporter group, the Newcastle City Legionaries (NCL) was formed by previous founders of the Squadron. The group sits in Bay 1, a general admission bay of McDonald Jones Stadium, and aims to be a "traditional" supporter group, by engaging in "English style" active support (i.e. no capo, and anybody can start chants). The group has received praise from Lawrie McKinna, who credited the group with engaging with the crowd, and creating a great atmosphere. On 22 April 2017, the Squadron announced that they would be ceasing active support, due to harsh FFA restrictions regarding active support. Although the Squadron resumed active support during the 2017-18 season, declining attendances and poor on-field performances the following season resulted in the group dissolving once more.


Rivalries

Due to its geographical proximity, Newcastle shares a strong rivalry with
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The ...
. Known as
The F3 Derby The F3 Derby is an association football rivalry between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets. It is the longest standing derby in the A-League Men. The rivalry originated due to the team's relative geographical proximity, with the Mariner ...
, the first meeting between the teams resulted in a tough semi-final tie in the 2005 Oceania Club Championship qualification competition (held in May 2005, prior to the start of the inaugural A-League season), when star Mariners striker
Nik Mrdja Nikola "Nik" Mrdja (born 30 November 1978) is an Australian former soccer player, who played as a striker. Mrdja had a career spanning several National Soccer League (NSL) and A-League clubs from 1998 to 2011, as well as a brief spell in Swede ...
broke the leg of Newcastle defender
Andrew Durante Andrew James Durante (born 3 May 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales) is a retired New Zealand international footballer. He is currently the Player Welfare and Development Manager at Western United while also working as a Senior Academy Assistant ...
, earning him a tag as Newcastle's "hate-boy". In the 2007–08 season, Newcastle Jets beat the Mariners 2–0 in the first leg of the Major Semi-Final, before being beaten 3–0 in
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only ...
in the second leg at Bluetongue Stadium. After beating Queensland Roar 3–2 in the Preliminary Final, the Jets then went on to defeat the Mariners 1–0 in the 2007/08 A-League Grand Final. In round 17 of the 2008/09 season, the Jets and Mariners faced each other at Ausgrid Stadium. The Mariners won the game 2–1 courtesy of a
Matt Simon Matthew Blake Simon (born 22 January 1986) is a retired Australian international football (soccer) player who played as a striker. Simon attended St Edward's College, East Gosford, where he was influenced to play soccer. Simon started his se ...
goal in the 80th minute. After the full-time whistle, star Jets striker Joel Griffiths grabbed Mariners midfielder John Hutchinson around the neck causing players from both sides to intervene. Referee Peter O'Leary sent off Mariners' striker Dylan Macallister for abusive language.


Players


First-team squad


Youth

:Players to have been featured in a first-team matchday squad for Newcastle Jets.


On loan


Personnel


Current technical staff


Administration

*Executive Chairman: Shane Mattiske *Head of Football Operations: Huss Skenderovic *Head of the Men's Academy Riccardo Marchioli *Chief Operating Officer Nicola Browne *Community & Membership Manager Matt Star *Media Manager Tom Logan *Sponsorship Manager Alex El Shammy *Senior Designer & Photographer Grant Sproule *Sponsorship & Events Kylie Maree Smith


Managers

* (2001 – 2004) * (1 January 2005 – 31 December 2005) * (2006) * (2006 – 2009) * (1 January 2009 – 4 October 2011) * ' (3 October 2011 – 20 October 2011) * * ' (20 January 2014 – 5 May 2014) * (5 May 2014 – 26 May 2015) * (18 June 2015 – 7 September 2016) * (23 September 2016 – 16 April 2017) * (9 May 2017 – 6 January 2020 * ' and ''Qiang Li'' (6 January 2020 – 6 February 2020) * (6 February 2020 – 15 October 2020) * ' (15 October 2020 – 10 February 2021) * (10 February 2021 – 10 June 2021) * (28 June 2021 – present)


Records


Season by season record


Continental


Honours


Domestic

*
A-League Men A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competi ...
Premiership ** Runners-up (2): 2007–08, 2017–18 *
A-League Men A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competi ...
Championship ** Winners (1):
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
** Runners-up (1):
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...


Emerging Jets Academy

The Emerging Jets program is underpinned by a tri-party agreement between the National Body (
Football Federation Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establ ...
), the Member Federation (Northern New South Wales Football Federation) and the local
A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
club (Newcastle Jets). The integrated talented player pathway by definition provides a succinct and clearly discernible development program for players from as young as eight years to the National Youth League, A-League and W-League. In January 2015 the Emerging Jets Program moved to the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility. For the first time since its inauguration the Emerging Jets have a home base for their training and fixtures. The Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility has also been the home of Northern NSW Football since late 2014. The program is designed to provide players with the opportunity to develop their skills through access to quality coaching, competitive opportunities and support services. The program aims to provide identified players and coaches with the opportunity to reach their full potential. The parties also have the aspiration to develop players who have the ability to showcase the region in the world's biggest leagues and inspire future generations of grassroots players and Emerging Jets players.


See also

* Newcastle Jets FC W-League * Newcastle Jets FC Youth


References


External links


Official club website
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