Jason Culina
Jason Culina | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 1980 Melbourne, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Soccer player, coach |
| Years active | 1996–2013 (player), 2015–present (coach) |
| Known for | Australian international soccer player, Eredivisie champion with Ajax and PSV |
Jason Culina (born 5 August 1980) is a retired Australian soccer professional and coach. He represented the Australia national football team in two editions of the FIFA World Cup as well as the AFC Asian Cup. At the club level, Culina spent nearly a decade competing in the Netherlands, where he won four Eredivisie championships—one with Ajax and three with PSV Eindhoven.
Club career
Culina launched his playing career at Sydney United, coached by his father, Branko Culina, before transferring to Ajax. During his time at Ajax, he faced challenges breaking into the first team and primarily featured in the reserves. His career gained momentum after moving to Twente, which paved the way for a subsequent move to prominent Dutch club PSV. While at Twente he operated mainly as an attacking midfielder, but upon joining PSV, Culina transitioned into a more disciplined defensive midfielder role and later predominantly played as a right-back. This adaptability enhanced his value to the team.
On 9 January 2009, Culina declared his intention to return to Australia, opting not to renew his contract with PSV as he sought fresh opportunities and aimed to support the growth of the domestic league. Shortly thereafter, on 14 January 2009, he signed a three-year deal with Gold Coast United, becoming their inaugural marquee signing. He made his first appearance on 1 July 2009 in a friendly match against Singapore Olympic Selection, where he scored from a distance of 25 yards.
Culina transferred to Newcastle Jets on 22 February 2011, reuniting with his father, who was serving as coach. Unfortunately, a significant injury prevented him from participating during the entire 2011–12 season; although his playing contract was suspended, he remained with the club for rehabilitation.
On 12 October 2012, Culina joined Sydney FC, but departed less than a year later in February 2013 due to disagreements with manager Frank Farina. He formally announced his retirement from professional soccer on 18 June 2013 at an event organized by Football Federation Australia.
Coaching career
In 2015, Culina began working as part of the coaching staff at King's School, assisting with their first team. The following year, he accepted a role at St Joseph's College as technical director of football and head coach of the First XI squad.
On 16 August 2017, Culina was appointed head coach of Sydney United 58 after the departure of Mark Rudan. However, he stepped down after managing eight matches, finishing with an even record of four victories and four defeats.
Currently, Culina coaches the Sydney United 58 FC under-12 team. On 10 August 2023, he took on a new position as Head of Academy Coaches at Western Sydney Wanderers.
International career
Culina earned his first cap for the Australia national team in 2005 during a match against South Africa. Under the guidance of coach Guus Hiddink, who had also been his manager at PSV, Culina secured a regular starting position. His maiden international goal was scored in September 2005 against the Solomon Islands in Sydney. He featured in both legs of the World Cup qualification play-off against Uruguay, contributing to Australia's successful qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. At the tournament held in Germany, Culina started all four matches for Australia.
On 3 March 2010, Culina captained Australia for the first time during an AFC Asian Cup qualifying match versus Indonesia, which ended in a 1–0 win. He officially retired from international duty on 18 June 2013 ahead of Australia's World Cup qualifying fixture against Iraq.
Personal life
Jason Culina, the youngest child of Branko Culina—former coach of Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets—has roots tracing back to Croatian heritage. On 5 February 2007, he and his wife Terri celebrated the birth of their first son, Roman, who has followed in his father's footsteps and currently competes with the Sydney United 58 Under-20 squad.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Sydney United | 1996–97 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | |||
| 1997–98 | 26 | 1 | – | – | 26 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| Sydney Olympic | 1998–99 | 20 | 1 | – | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| Ajax | 1999–00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Germinal Beerschot (loan) | 2000–01 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 2 | – | 16 | 3 | ||
| De Graafschap (loan) | 2002–03 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 2 | – | 28 | 3 | ||
| Twente | 2004–05 | 32 | 11 | 2 | 0 | – | 34 | 11 | ||
| 2005–06 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | |||
| Total | 38 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 12 | ||
| PSV | 2005–06 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | (39) | 1 | ||
| Total | 98 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 134 | 6 | ||
| Gold Coast United | 2009–10 | 26 | 3 | — | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 5 | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 8 | ||
| Newcastle Jets | 2011-12 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sydney FC | 2012-13 | 8 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 279 | 29 | 32 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 333 | 36 | ||
International
- Listed with Australia's goals first; the score column reflects the scoreline following Culina's goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2005 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia | Template:Fb | 7–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Ajax
- KNVB Cup: 2001–02 season
- Eredivisie title: 2003–04
PSV
- Eredivisie championships: 2005–06, 2006–07, and 2007–08
- Russian Railways Cup winner: 2007
- Johan Cruyff Shield winner: 2008
Australia
- Runner-up in the AFC Asian Cup: 2011
Individual
- Named Gold Coast United Player of the Year for the 2009–10 season
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1980 births
- Living people
- Australian individuals of Croatian heritage
- Soccer athletes originating from Melbourne
- Australian expatriate athletes in Belgium
- Australian expatriate male soccer players
- Australia men's national soccer team players
- Participants in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
- Olympic footballers representing Australia
- Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Competitors in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
- Expatriate male footballers in Belgium
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Expatriate male footballers in the Netherlands
- Players in the National Soccer League (Australia)
- Belgian Pro League competitors
- Eredivisie competitors
- AFC Ajax players
- De Graafschap players
- FC Twente players
- PSV Eindhoven players
- Beerschot A.C. players
- Gold Coast United FC players
- Melbourne Knights FC players
- Sydney Olympic FC players
- Sydney United 58 FC players
- A-League Men participants
- Competitors at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup
- Players at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
- Participants in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup
- Sydney FC players
- Men's association football midfielders
- Sydney United 58 FC managers
- A-League Men marquee players
- Australian soccer coaches
- Australian male soccer athletes
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC non-playing personnel
- 21st-century Australian sports figures