Carl Veart
Australian soccer player
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Thomas Carl Veart (/vɪərt/; born 21 May 1970), known as Carl Veart, is an Australian soccer manager and former player who is the head coach of the Australia men's national under-17 soccer team.[1] As a player, Veart played over 300 games for Adelaide City in the National Soccer League before joining Adelaide United upon their formation, scoring the club's first ever goal and winning the 2005–06 premiership in the first season of the A-League. He enjoyed stints in the English First Division and Premier League with Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, and made 18 appearances for the Socceroos, scoring seven times. As a manager, he led Football Federation South Australia's NTC program from 2012 until 2019, and was Adelaide United's longest serving head coach; managing the club from 2020 until 2025.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Carl Veart | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 May 1970 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Whyalla, South Australia, Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Adelaide United | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Whyalla Croatia | |||||||||||||||||
| Salisbury United | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1989–1994 | Adelaide City | 131 | (54) | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Sheffield United | 68 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Crystal Palace | 62 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Millwall | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2003 | Adelaide City Force | 145 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | → Playford City (loan) | 7 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Adelaide United | 74 | (24) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | → Adelaide City (loan) | 16 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Adelaide City | 6 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 517 | (127) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Australia U-23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2000 | Australia | 18 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Adelaide United Youth | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2019 | FFSA NTC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2025 | Adelaide United | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Australia U-17 | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Early life
Veart was born on 21 May 1970 from the town of Whyalla in South Australia. Veart played various sports growing up, playing soccer, Aussie rules, basketball and cricket at home.[2] Veart began playing soccer at the age of four and joined a local club in the under-9s. After progressing through youth level, Veart made his debut in senior soccer at the age of 15.[2][3] At 17 years old, Veart initially pursued an apprenticeship before moving to Adelaide to pursue football.[2] He spent his early senior years at Salisbury United for two years before moving to Adelaide City under the mentorship of Zoran Matić. Veart considers Matić as his biggest influence both as a player and coach.[2]
Club career
England
Sheffield United
On 22 July 1994, Veart moved to England to sign with Sheffield United for a transfer fee of £150,000.[4] On 5 November 1995, he netted two goals to secure a 4–1 victory over Portsmouth.[5] On 9 September, Veart scored the winning goal in the match against Norwich which saw five Norwich players booked.[6]
On 18 January 1996, Veart scored the winning goal in a shock 1–0 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup third round. Veart scored through a header, assisted by Dane Whitehouse, to pass goalkeeper David Seaman in the 68th minute.[7] By this time, he fell out with new manager Howard Kendall and soon departed to join former coach Dave Bassett at Crystal Palace.[8]
Crystal Palace
On 27 December 1996, Veart scored his first goal for Palace, netting past Australian keeper Andy Petterson, in a 2–1 win against Charlton Athletic.[9] Veart went on to score six goals in nine games, helping his side towards promotion to the Premier League and earned the nickname "goal machine" by the Palace faithful.[10] In the 1997–98 season, after six appearances in the top flight and struggling for playing time, Veart was sold to Millwall for a fee of £100,000 in December 1997.[11]
Adelaide United
After a five-year stint with former club Adelaide City, Veart joined Adelaide United in their inaugural season in the 2003–04 NSL season. He made his debut at Hindmarsh Stadium on 17 October 2003, scoring United's first goal in their history in a 1–0 win against Brisbane Strikers, in front of a sell-out crowd of 15,568.[12] He helped his side to a top-four position on the table, scoring a brace in a 4–3 win over Melbourne Knights on 8 February 2004.[13] Veart went on to score in both legs of the elimination final against Brisbane Strikers, importantly in the second leg where his side lost 4–1, clinching qualification on away goals to the semi-final.[14] He finished his debut season as the club top goalscorer with 12 goals in 27 appearances.[15]
Ahead of the newly established A-League, Veart scored the maiden goal of the competition in a 1–0 opening day victory over Newcastle Jets at EnergyAustralia Stadium.[16] On 28 October 2005, he scored the only goal in a decisive win over Melbourne Victory to send his side to the top of the table.[17] His side continue their dominance at the top, as Veart scored the equaliser in the 76th minute of a 2–1 away win against Newcastle on 2 December.[18] At the end of the season, he was named Adelaide United's Player of the Season and nominated for the Johnny Warren Medal.[19]
International career
He made his debut for the Socceroos in 1992 and played 18 'A' matches, scoring 7 goals.
Managerial career
Veart served as head coach of Adelaide United from 2020 through the end of the 2024–25 A-League Men season, becoming the club’s longest‑serving manager.[20]
On 4 July 2025, Veart would be announced as the Australia Under-17 head coach.[21]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Adelaide City | 1989–90 | National Soccer League | 25 | 7 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 28 | 8 | ||
| 1990–91 | 21 | 8 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 8 | ||||
| 1991–92 | 23 | 12 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 25 | 12 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 31 | 13 | — | 4 | 3 | — | 35 | 16 | ||||
| 1993–94 | 31 | 14 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 14 | ||||
| Adelaide City total | 131 | 54 | — | 10 | 4 | — | 141 | 58 | ||||
| Sheffield United | 1994–95 | First Division | 39 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 41 | 11 | |
| 1995–96 | 29 | 5 | ? | ? | — | 29 | 5 | |||||
| Sheffield United total | 68 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 70 | 16 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 1995–96 | First Division | 15 | 1 | ? | ? | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| 1996–97 | 41 | 6 | ? | 2 | 1 | — | 43 | 7 | ||||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| Crystal Palace total | 62 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | 66 | 9 | |||
| Millwall | 1997–98 | Second Division | 8 | 1 | ? | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| Adelaide City | 1998–99 | National Soccer League | 30 | 5 | — | — | — | 30 | 5 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 33 | 2 | — | — | — | 33 | 2 | |||||
| 2000–01 | 28 | 4 | — | — | — | 28 | 4 | |||||
| Playford City (loan) | 2001 | Premier League | 7 | 4 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 4 | ||
| Adelaide City | 2001–02 | National Soccer League | 21 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | 33 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||||
| Adelaide City total | 145 | 11 | — | — | — | 145 | 11 | |||||
| Adelaide United | 2003–04 | National Soccer League | 27 | 12 | — | — | — | 27 | 12 | |||
| Adelaide City (loan) | 2004 | Premier League | 16 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 3 | ||
| Adelaide United | 2005–06 | A-League | 23 | 7 | — | — | 5[d] | 0 | 28 | 7 | ||
| 2006–07 | 24 | 5 | — | — | 6[e] | 3[e] | 30 | 8 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3[f] | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Adelaide United total | 74 | 24 | — | — | 14 | 3 | 88 | 27 | ||||
| Adelaide City | 2007 | Super League | 6 | 7 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 9 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 517 | 127 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 552 | 138 | ||
- Notes
- Includes NSL Cup, EFL Cup, and Federation Cup
- Includes two appearances in the Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament and three appearances in the A-League Pre-season Challenge Cup
- Includes six appearances and three goals in the A-League Pre-season Challenge Cup
- Includes three appearances in the AFC Champions League
International
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Veart goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 1992 | Lawson Tama Stadium,[24] Honiara, Solomon Islands |  Solomon Islands |
1–0 | 2–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification | [25] |
| 2 | 11 September 1992 | Olympic Stadium, Papeete, Tahiti |  Tahiti |
2–0 | 3–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification | [25] |
| 3 | 20 September 1992 | Perry Park, Brisbane, Australia | Tahiti |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification | [25] |
| 4 | 26 September 1992 | The Gardens, Newcastle, Australia | Solomon Islands |
4–1 | 6–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification | [25] |
| 5 | 6 June 1993 | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia |  New Zealand |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification | [26] |
| 6 | 21 June 1995 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia |  Ghana |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [27] |
| 7 | 2 October 1998 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia | Tahiti |
4–1 | 4–1 | 1998 OFC Nations Cup | [28] |
Honours
Adelaide United
Adelaide City
- NSL Championship: 1991–1992, 1993–1994
- NSL Cup: 1989, 1991–1992
Australia
- OFC Nations Cup: runner-up 1998[30]
Managerial statistics
- As of 3 January 2026[31]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Adelaide United |  |
2020 | May 2025 | 157 | 66 | 39 | 52 | 42.04 |
| Total | 157 | 66 | 39 | 52 | 42.04 | |||