READ ABOUT OUR HISTORY PRIOR TO THE JET
OUR AWARDS: CRAIG JOHNSTON AND CHERYL SALISBURY
Before the A-League:
On November 1 2004, Football Federation Australia announced that the Newcastle United Jets was one of eight franchises to have successfully bid for a place in the newly formed Hyundai A-League. The club itself was formed four years prior in 2000 by Con Constantine after the break-up of the Newcastle Breakers club, which itself was preceded by KB United.
2005/06 Season
After coach Richard Money had assembled his squad which included Newcastle Jets legends-to-be like Matt Thompson and Craig Deans, the Jets played their first ever Hyundai A-League fixture in front of more than 13,000 people at then-Energy Australia Stadium against Adelaide United. It was a 1-0 loss, which meant the Jets first goal in the Hyundai A-League came the following weekend and belonged to Ante Milicic in a 1-1 draw with the Central Coast Mariners. Newcastle’s first Hyundai A-League win came one week later: 2-1 over Sydney FC.
2006/07 Season
Richard Money remained in charge throughout the entirety of the inaugural of the Hyundai A-League season, leading Newcastle to a fourth-place finish but went out in the semi-finals to the Central Coast Mariners. He was let go at the conclusion of the 2005/06 season (April 2006), and Nick Theodorakopoulos was signed as his replacement for the 2006/07 season and beyond. He recruited players, Joel Griffiths in particular, who would be key to Newcastle’s success in the coming years.
Theodorakopoulos’ reign didn’t last long though after he failed to lead the side to a win in its opening seven matches and assistant coach Gary van Egmond was promoted to Head Coach. Although it meant the club was onto it’s third manager in just under six months, van Egmond was able to bring stability and success to the Jets and steer them to a third-place finish in the Hyundai A-League. Newcastle just missed out on a spot in the grand final against Melbourne Victory after going down on penalties to Adelaide United at the last hurdle.
2007/08 Season
Things had been building slowly for the Jets, and it’d all come together in the best way possible in 2007/08. With players such as Adam Griffiths and Jason Hoffman entering the frame, as well as Brazillian striker Mario Jardel, things were coming together nicely. The Jets finished in second place that season after missing out on top spot by a single goal, but the best was yet to come. After being beat 3-2 on aggregate by the Central Coast Mariners in the semi-finals, for the second year running the Jets were in the preliminary final. Tarek Elrich scored his most famous goal in Jets gold against then-Queensland Roar to book Newcastle’s spot in the Hyundai A-League Grand Final.
Relocated to Sydney Football Stadium, more than 55 busloads of Jets fans and thousands more by train and car went down the F3 Freeway to play in the F3 Derby Grand Final – versus the Central Coast Mariners. It was cagey, and it took until the 63rd minute for a goal to come. It came via Mark Bridge who pinched the ball off Tony Vidmar and went on to score. Despite late scares, the Jets triumphed 1-0 and Newcastle had its first ever Hyundai A-League championship.
2008/09 Season
From the highs of 2007/08 to the lows of 2008/09. Just four wins saw Newcastle finish on the bottom of the league for the first time in Hyundai A-League history. The one shining light of the season was the club’s first ever Asian Champions League campaign, where a final-day win over Ulsan Hyundai booked the Jets passage to the Round of 16. Newcastle went down 6-0 to Pohang Steelers in that clash to go out of Asia’s premier tournament.
2009/10 Season
There was off-season change at the club as Gary van Egmond left for a job with the AIS, and former club technical director Branko Culina was named as his replacement in June 2009. His first season, 2009/10, saw the Jets sneak into the finals, where they managed to beat the first hurdle in Gold Coast United on penalties but went down 3-1 to Wellington in extra-time in the minor semi-final to go out of the Finals Series.
2010/11 Season
The 2010/11 season would bring about the biggest shift in the Newcastle Jets sands to that point. Things weren’t good financially at the club, and the FFA made the decision to sell the club to mining magnate billionaire Nathan Tinkler. He had an immediate impact, investing money into the club and bringing the world’s biggest name in football, David Beckham, to Newcastle for a trial match against his LA Galaxy. It didn’t translate to results on the pitch however and the Jets missed out on the finals for just the second time in history.
2011/12 Season
The following season began with a bang, with coach Branko Culina and son and marquee man Jason Culina stood down from their roles with the club on the eve of the season’s kick-off. Former Championship winning manager, Gary van Egmond returned to the helm and the squad just missed out on finals after defeat at Sydney on the final day of the 2011/12 season.
2012/13 Season
2012/13 begun with one of the biggest squad overhauls in Jets history: the likes of promising youngsters Scott Neville, Josh Brillante, Craig Goodwin and Adam Taggart all heading to the Jets. The biggest signing was that of a former England international and cult hero, Emile Heskey. He and Ryan Griffiths scored nine goals each, but Newcastle again missed out on the finals with defeat on the final day to the Wanderers meant the margin was just one point.
2013/14 Season
There wasn’t nearly as much transfer activity to kick off the following Jets season, and it took five rounds for Newcastle to win their first match of the season: a 2-1 win in Adelaide. Results weren’t up to par though, and Gary van Egmond was relieved of his duties in mid-January of the 2013/14 season. There were positives though, with the return of club hero Joel Griffiths and Adam Taggart winning the Hyundai A-League Golden Boot at age 20 with sixteen goals.
2014/15 Season
Taggart’s magnificent season saw him earn a move to English Championship club Fulham in the offseason prior to the 2014/15 season. There was plenty of experience brought into the club in the form of Adrian Madaschi and Marcos Flores, playing under new boss Phil Stubbins who was in a Hyundai A-League job for the first time. It ended up being a season to forget: just three wins in 27 league matches, best remembered for the mid-season dismissal of a clutch of senior players. Newcastle finished the season on the bottom of the Hyundai A-League ladder.
2015/16 Season
After what had been a long season for Jets fans, it looked like Hyundai A-League football in Newcastle could be all over after Nathan Tinkler attempted to hand in the club’s licence. FFA instead terminated the licence and issued a new one immediately: the new entity still operating as the same Newcastle Jets. A performance review saw Stubbins stood down from the top job, and appointed former Fulham assistant manager Scott Miller as the club’s sixth manager. The 2015/16 season under his reign was always going to be a tough one, and Newcastle missed out on the finals for the fifth season running.
2016/17 Season
There were again big moves in the leadership department prior to the 2016/17 season: FFA announced the club had been sold in its entirety to Martin Lee’s Ledman Group and former Gosford Mayor and Central Coast Mariners boss, Lawrie McKinna was appointed as the club’s CEO and club legend Joel Griffiths took up an ambassadorial role which would eventually develop into one as football operations manager.
Midway through the pre-season however, Scott Miller was dismissed and Championship winning assistant manager Mark Jones was signed as the club’s newest manager. The pre-season had seen the signing of players such as Andrew Nabbout and Wayne Brown. After a positive start which saw Newcastle take five points from their opening three matches, the Jets went on to win just four of their next 23 matches to finish bottom of the ladder for the first time and Jones was relieved of his position.
2017/18 Season
This saw the appointment of former Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix boss Ernie Merrick as manager for the 2017/18 season. There was a swag of players brought in, including Daniel Georgievski, Roy O’Donovan, Dimi Petratos and Ronald Vargas who helped get things off to the best possible start with a resounding 5-1 win over the Central Coast Mariners in the opening round of the Hyundai A-League season. They finished well in the regular season too: an 8-2 rout of their F3 rivals in Gosford.
Newcastle enjoyed their best season in recent memory, claiming a record-high 50 points in the league and qualifying for the finals for the first time since the 2009/10 season. The first semi-final was played against Melbourne City in front of nearly 20,000 people at McDonald Jones Stadium. Fans were treated to a special moment, as Riley McGree’s magnificent scorpion kick helped earn the Jets their first Grand Final appearance in nearly ten years. Played in front of a full house at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle weren’t able to complete the fairy tale, going down 1-0 to Melbourne Victory.
2018/19 Season
The Jets 2018/19 season failed to live up to the heights of that was expected from the previous year. A 7th place finish in the Hyundai A-League, as well as a disappointing Round 16 exit in the FFA Cup, was only amplified as the Jets crashed out of the AFC Champions League in its qualifying stage. They were knocked out by Japan’s Kashima Antlers.
While results didn’t go the Jets’ way in season 2018/19, there were still many positives to take from the season. The season was put into perspective with defender Johnny Koutroumbis diagnosed with stage one Thyroid cancer in October. Koutroumbis made an inspirational comeback just three months later in January in a 2-2 draw with Brisbane Roar and shortly after penned a new long-term deal to keep him at the club for the coming seasons.
Another highlight of the 2018/19 season was that of Dimi Pertratos’s ,’Goal of the Season’ contender when the Jets faced the Victory in Geelong in March. Petratos danced his way across from wide right to a more central position, when his left-foot unleashed a venomous effort from well outside the box.
2019/20 Season
The 2019/20 A-League season will be one remembered as the season that was. Disrupted by the Coronavirus crisis, COVID-19 would bring the league to a halt in March of 2020, with all play suspended in the wake of a national lockdown.
Before the 2019/20 season commenced a fair amount of player movement occurred with players such as Roy O’Donovan, Daniel Georgievski and Ronald Vargas leaving the club, while players such as Mariners defender Matthew Millar and Wanderers attacker Nick Fitzgerald joined the Jets along with former Premier League and Ireland international midfielder Wes Hoolahan.
In 2020, the Club and coach Ernie Merrick would part ways. A month later, the Club would appoint Welsh manager Carl Robinson as his successor.
It also saw the return of O’Donovan from Brisbane and new signings; Bernie Ibini, Connor O’Toole and Welsh international Joe Ledley. The Jets would finish the season strongly with 6 wins, 3 draws and just the one loss to finish the season in 8th.
Steve Ugarkovic claimed the A-League Player of the Year award, while Cass Davis claimed the W-League gong.
2020/21 Season
Carl Robinson departed the club during the 2020/21 preseason. Craig Deans was assigned as interim head coach for a third time before being appointed permanent head coach for the remainder of the 2020/21 and the following 2021/22 A-League seasons.
Dimitri Petratos and Bernie Ibini also left the club before the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign which paved the way for the arrivals of Western United attacker Valentino Yuel and Melbourne City’s Ramy Najjarine.
A-League veteran Ali Abbas returned to the club after a stint with Wellington Phoenix, with the Club securing young NPL talents Tete Yengi and Jack Armson on scholarship deals. Luka Pršo soon arrived on a season long loan transfer from Croatian side NK Osijek.
Football Manager Joel Griffiths provided further depth to the squad with the signing of Western United striker, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and loan deals for Syahrian Abimanyu and Liridon Krasniqi.
As a reflection of the Club moving forward, the Jets tied down midfield prospect Angus Thurgate and left-back Connor O’Toole for a further two seasons. Blake Archbold also extended his deal with the Club for a further season, while Lucas Mauragis re-signed for a further two seasons.
Keeper Jack Duncan, also inked a three year extension, while midfielder Jordan O’Doherty arrived mid-year as part of a trade with Western Sydney for Steven Ugarkovic.
Nearing the end of the 2020/21 season, Coach Craig Deans announced he will step down from his position.
Captain Nigel Boogaard announced his retirement at the end of the season, following 16 years in the A-League.
Meanwhile, the club farewelled Roy O’Donovan, Ali Abbas, Lachlan Jackson, Matt Millar and Jack Simmons, while Luka Prso, Ramy Najjarine, Liridon Krasniqi and Syahrian Abimanyu returned to their respective clubs.
Nikolai Topor-Stanley was awarded the A-League Player of the Year award, while Rhianna Pollicina claimed the W-League award.
Under first-year W-League coach, Ash Wilson, the women finished 8th with two wins and one draw.
The men finished the year in 11th spot, with 5 wins and 6 draws. The Club avoided the wooden spoon by knocking off Melbourne City in the final game of the round.
2021/22 Season
The 2021/22 season was a mixed back for the Club. Whilst the team struggled, missing the finals again as they finished 9th, the team played some entertaining football, boosted by the loan signing of Brazilian magician Daniel Penha, who scored four goals to go with his eleven assists. Georgian striker Beka Mikeltadze also had a big impact, scoring 13 goals. Both Beka and Daniel were named A-League All-Stars at the end of the season, alongside Oliver Boumal. They faced Barcelona FC, losing 3-2. Alongside the All-Stars, the Club signed Arthur Papas to be the new Head Coach, who had previously held various roles across Australia and Asia as both a Head Coach and Assistant Coach. Other notable signings include New Zealand international Dane Ingham, Australian Youth International Kosta Grozos, and A-League stalwart Matthew Jurman.
2022/23 Season
Daniel Penha and Samuel Silvera’s time at the Club ended, as their loan contracts expired. Club legend Ben Kantarovski also retired from professional football, leaving the game as the Clubs most capped player. Archie Goodwin was handed a three-year extension, whilst Jason Hoffman and Kosta Grozos both had their contracts extended by another season.
The Club made several signings throughout the season, inlcuding Brandon O’Niell, Reno Piscopo, Trent Buhagiar, Mark Natta and Jaushua Sotirio. Daniel Stynes and Callum Timmins also joined from Perth Glory. Midway through the season Manabu Saito, Thomas Aquilina and Phil Cancar also joined. It was another tough season for the Jets, as they finished in tenth place.
At the end of the season, the Jets lost several key players, including Beka Mikeltadze, Angus Thurgate and Jack Duncan. Sotirio, Jurman, Saito and Al-Taay also left the club. Arthur Papas also resigned as Head Coach.
2023/24 Season
At the beginning of the season, the Club appointed former Sydney FC Youth Team and Assistant Coach Robert Stanton as the new Head Coach of the A-League Men’s team on a two-year deal. Stanton was quick to use his Sydney FC links to build his squad, signing former Sydney FC Youth players Clayton Taylor and Nathan Grimaldi. Former juniors Jacob Dowse and Lachlan Bayliss were also brought back to the club from Perth Glory and the Central Coast Mariners Youth Team respectively. Zac Bowling was handed a scholarship after impressing at Broadmeadow Magic and Altona Magic, whilst Marconi Stallions striker Justin Vidic was also given a scholarship deal. More experience was also brought in, with Apostolos Stamatelopoulos returning to the Club, whilst Ryan Scott joined from Western United and Jason Berthomier from France.
The Club struggled on the field amid the ownership concerns, as they limped to a 10th place finish, winning just six games. A bright spark from the season was Stamatelopoulos, who scored 17 goals in 25 A-League games, finishing third in the A-League golden boot, as well as earning a call-up to the Socceroos and a move to Motherwell FC in the Scottish Premiership. Club legend Jason Hoffman also retired from professional football as the Clubs most capped player. He soon took up a role within the Clubs commercial team. Archie Goodwin also departed for Adelaide United, amongst a host of other other players who moved elsewhere.
At the conclusion of the season, it was announced that Maverick Sports Partners had taken over the ownership of the club, bringing long-awaited stability and room for growth for the club. Maurice Bisetto was named Executive Director, as well as interim CEO.
2024/25 Season
With stable ownership thanks to Maverick Sports Partners, the Club was able to bring some real quality into the squad. Former Socceroo Aleksandar Šušnjar was brought in to solidify the backline, whilst young attacking weapon Eli Adams was brought in on a three-year deal from Melbourne Victory. Lachlan Rose also made the move to the club, leaving Macarthur FC. Stanton continued to use his Sydney FC connections, bringing in highly rated winger Oscar Fryer, as well as former Sydney FC junior Ben Gibson, who was fresh off a stellar 2024 NPL season with Apia Leichhardt. Matthew Scarcella also joined on loan from Sydney FC. Brazilian winger Wellissol also joined the club. Three youth team players were also rewarded with two-year scholarships. Youth Team captain and defender Ben Van Dorssen, attacking young gun Alex Nunes, and midfield technician Will Dobson.
Before the season got underway, Oscar Fryer was ruled out for the entirety with a devastating ACL injury. The Club struggled through the first half of the season, winning just ten points. Yokohama Marinos legend Kota Mizunuma was brought in midway through the season, as well as Tanzanian international Charles M’Mombwa. Kota made a massive impact, scoring twice and assisting four in his 12 appearances, becoming a cult hero in the process. Tain Drinkwater was also named as the new CEO midway through the season.
The Club managed to improve on the previous season, finishing in 9th position as well as breaking the club record for longest undefeated streak, lasting seven games. At the conclusion of the season, the Club announced a host of departures, including Dane Ingham, Ryan Scott, Phil Cancar, Wellissol, Callum Timmins and Justin Vidic amongst others. Robert Stanton also departed at the end of his initial two-year contract.
2025/26 Season
Socceroos legend and former player Mark Milligan was announced as the new Head Coach. Kota Mizunuma and Daniel Wilmering both had their contracts extended as well. Milligan brought Nick Stavroulakis, Jess Vanstratten and Ruben Zadkovich to fill his coaching staff. The Club were also able to bring in experienced A-League midfielder Max Burgess, as well as AFC Youth Player of the Year Alex Badolato. Joe Shaughnessy, a former team-mate of Milligan, joined from Dundee, whilst James Delianov was also brought in from Adelaide United, Joel Bertolissio from APIA Leichhardt, and Richard Nkomo from the Western Sydney Wanderers Youth Team. Alex Nassiep was also brought in from Western United. The Club also promoted from the Youth Team, with Xavier Bertoncello, Lucas Scicluna and Christian Bracco all being awarded with one year scholarship deals, whilst Max Cooper was signed on a multi-year deal.
The Club started the season strong, winning five games in a row en-route to winning the Australia Cup in an action-packed final against NPL Victoria powerhouse Heidelberg. The Club went down 0-1 in the 8th minute, after Lethlean scored from close range. The deficit lasted less than 15 minutes, after Max Burgess scored to equalise. The game went to extra time, before Oscar Fryer scored a superb curling effort to go up 2-1. Captain Kosta Grozos was sent off for two quick yellows, before Heidelberg’s Johnny Apostolopoulos was also given his marching orders for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity after fouling Alex Nunes. Ben Gibson scored moments after to secure the 3-1 victory, and the Clubs second ever trophy.
The A-League season commenced with a 3-2 loss away to the Central Coast Mariners, as the Jets opened the season with just two wins and five losses from their first seven games. The Club then went on to win eight of their next nine games, which left them sitting in first place with ten games left in the regular season.
Club records
| Most appearances | Jason Hoffman – 239 Appearances (181 Starts) |
|---|---|
| Most appearances as captain | Nigel Boogaard – 121 |
| Top goalscorer | Joel Griffiths – 62 (34 in A-League) |
| Most goals in a season | Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (2023-24) 17 Goals |
| Biggest win | 8-2 v Central Coast Mariners, Round 27, 14 April 2018 |
| Longest winning streak | Six* – 1 January 2026 to tbc (still continuing) |
| Longest unbeaten streak | Seven – 14 October 2005 to 25 November 2005; 13 November 2010 to 15 December 2010; 25 January 2025 to 12 March 2025 |
| Largest home crowd | 29,410 v Melbourne Victory, 2018 Hyundai A-League Grand Final |
Newcastle Jets Men’s Top 20 Appearance Makers
*As of 9th January 2026
| Name *Bold denotes Active Player at the club | Appearances |
| Jason Hoffman | 239 |
| Ben Kantarovski | 210 |
| Nikolai Topor-Stanley | 202 |
| Tarek Elrich | 153 |
| Matt Thompson | 145 |
| Steven Ugarkovic | 144 |
| Jobe Wheelhouse | 141 |
| Joel Griffiths | 138 |
| Nigel Boogaard | 128 |
| Ben Kennedy | 127 |
| Angus Thurgate | 125 |
| Adam D’Apuzzo | 122 |
| Kosta Grozos | 117 |
| Labinot Haliti | 111 |
| Ryan Griffiths | 108 |
| Jack Duncan | 99 |
| Ruben Zadkovich | 97 |
| Esala Masi | 96 |
| John Koutroumbis | 96 |
| Dane Ingham | 95 |
Newcastle Jets Men’s Top 20 Goal-Scorers
*As of 9th January 2026
| Name *Bold denotes Active Player at the club | Goals |
| Joel Griffiths | 62 |
| Roy O’Donovan | 31 |
| Ryan Griffiths | 27 |
| Dimitri Petratos | 24 |
| Matt Thompson | 20 |
| Apostolos Stamatelopoulos | 20 |
| Beka Mikeltadze | 19 |
| Esala Masi | 18 |
| Andrew Nabbout | 18 |
| Adam Taggart | 18 |
| Jason Hoffman | 17 |
| Clayton Taylor | 17 |
| Labinot Haliti | 16 |
| Mark Bridge | 14 |
| Jobe Wheelhouse | 13 |
| Lachlan Rose | 13 |
| Michael Bridges | 12 |
| Trent Buhagiar | 12 |
| Eli Adams | 12 |
| Angus Thurgate | 11 |
Newcastle Jets WoMen’s Top 20 Appearance Makers
*As of 9th January 2026
| Name *Bold denotes Active Player at the club | Appearances |
| Cassidy Davis | 182 |
| Gema Simon | 134 |
| Tara Andrews | 131 |
| Lauren Allan | 104 |
| Hannah Brewer | 103 |
| Elizabeth Copus-Brown | 91 |
| Clare Wheeler | 67 |
| Emily Van Egmond | 63 |
| Rhali Dobson | 63 |
| Jenna Kingsley | 61 |
| Natasha Prior | 59 |
| Stacey Day | 51 |
| Emma Dundas | 51 |
| Claire Coelho | 48 |
| Sophie Hoban | 48 |
| Lorena Baumann | 47 |
| Claudia Cicco | 47 |
| Ashlee Brodigan | 46 |
| Josie Wilson | 45 |
| Lara Gooch | 43 |
Newcastle Jets WoMen’s Top 20 Goal-Scorers
*As of 9th January 2026
| Name | Goals |
| Tara Andrews | 45 |
| Lauren Allan | 24 |
| Emily Van Egmond | 19 |
| Sarina Bolden | 14 |
| Katie Stengel | 13 |
| Arin Wright | 12 |
| Rhali Dobson | 10 |
| Jenna Kingsley | 9 |
| Gema Simon | 8 |
| Tori Huster | 8 |
| Melina Ayres | 8 |
| Elizabeth Copus-Brown | 6 |
| Sheridan Gallagher | 6 |
| Deven Jackson | 6 |
| Kate Gill | 6 |
| Cassidy Davis | 5 |
| Ashlee Brodigan | 5 |
| Lara Gooch | 5 |
| Jennifer Hoy | 5 |
| Lisa De Vanna | 5 |
