Darren Stewart (soccer)

Darren Stewart
Personal information
Full name Darren Stewart
Date of birth (1966-05-17)17 May 1966
Place of birth Newcastle, Australia
Date of death 18 October 2018(2018-10-18) (aged 52)
Place of death Singapore
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Toronto
Awaba
Newcastle KB United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1986 Newcastle Rosebud 16 (5)
1986–1992 APIA Leichhardt 120 (6)
1992–1993 Newcastle Breakers 23 (4)
1993–1998 Johor FA 244 (38)
1993–1994 → Newcastle Breakers (loan) 11 (0)
1995–1996 → Newcastle Breakers (loan) 9 (1)
1998–2001 Balestier Central 33 (7)
Total 456 (61)
International career
1992 Australia 3 (0)
Managerial career
2003–2004 Balestier Khalsa (Youth)
2004–2005 Geylang International FC (Youth)
2005–2006 Geylang International FC (assistant coach)
2008–2011 Gombak United
2012–2013 Balestier Khalsa
2014–2015 Woodlands Wellington
2016–2018 Maldives
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Darren Stewart (17 May 1966 – 18 October 2018) was an Australian soccer player who played in the Australian, Malaysian and Singaporean national leagues before becoming a coach active in Singapore and managing the Maldives. He represented Australia three times in 1992.

Playing career

Club career

A defender, Stewart was a former notable player for APIA Leichhardt, Newcastle Breakers and Johor FA where he captained and won the Malaysia FA Cup in 1998.[1][2]

He moved to Singapore in 1999, where he played for Balestier Central FC from 1999 to 2002.[3] In 2002, he retired from playing football.

International career

Stewart was an Australia national football team player from 1991 to 1993.

Coaching career

He was the assistant manager for Balestier Khalsa FC's Prime League team in 2003 and assistant manager for the Geylang United FC team in 2004–2005.

He lived in Singapore where he coached and managed the Elias Park Football Club and was a coach for Little League Pte Ltd.

Stewart was named as head coach for Gombak United FC at the start of the 2009 S.League season. He joined the club as a technical analyst in late 2008.

In January 2012, Stewart was confirmed as Balestier Khalsa's head coach for the season 2012 S.League campaign. His time at Balestier were successful, as he guided the club to win the 2013 Singapore League Cup and 6th and 4th placings in the 2012 and 2013 league seasons respectively, the best positions by the club since merging from Balestier Central and Clementi Khalsa. However his contract was not renewed at the end of 2013.[4] Stewart was then contracted to Woodlands Wellington F.C. at the start of 2014.[5] Initially Stewart were successful, with 5-game unbeaten streak in the league and interest from hometown club Newcastle United Jets F.C. to be their head coach, which Stewart turns down to stay with the Singapore club.[6][7] But after a string of poor results, culminating in a 7–1 thrashing at the hands of Albirex Niigata Singapore in June, Stewart resigned from his position at the club.[8]

In July 2016, Stewart was appointed head coach of the Maldives national team.[9]

Death and legacy

Stewart died in Singapore on 18 October 2018 at the age of 52.[10] In 2020, the Darren Stewart Cup, an annual tournament involving teams that Stewart represented was started.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Stefanutto to Storey". Aussie Footballers. OzFootball.
  2. ^ Cockerill, Michael (23 March 1999). "Socceroo with a foot in two cultures - and a leaning to the East". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 41. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  3. ^ Chin, Dan Guen (4 December 1998). "Stewart moves across to Balestier". New Strait Times. p. 40. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  4. ^ Sazali Abdul Aziz (16 November 2013). "Darren Stewart cut loose by Balestier". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Woodlands Wellington FC: News: Darren Stewart New Rams Coach". Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  6. ^ Ahmad Khan (3 April 2014). "Woodlands' Darren Stewart on Newcastle Jets shortlist". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  7. ^ Gardiner, James (9 April 2014). "Darren Stewart ruled out of Jets coaching job". Newcastle Herald. p. 46. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  8. ^ "S.League: Stewart out, Salim back with Rams". AsiaOne. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  9. ^ Maldives name Darren Stewart as head coach, Asian Football Confederation, 27 July 2016, Retrieved 3 August 2016
  10. ^ "Darren Stewart: former Socceroo and NSL player dies | Fox Sports". www.foxsports.com.au. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  11. ^ Gardiner, James (8 February 2024). "Darren Stewart Cup more than a game of football". Newcastle Herald. p. 45. Retrieved 13 June 2024.


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