Jess Vanstrattan
Jess Vanstrattan | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 19, 1982 Gosford, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Former professional soccer player (goalkeeper), goalkeeping coach |
| Years active | 1998–2015 (player), 2014–present (coach) |
| Known for | Goalkeeper for Central Coast Mariners, Gold Coast United, Newcastle Jets; first Australian to play for Juventus in pre-season matches |
Jess Kedwell Vanstrattan (born 19 July 1982) is a former Australian professional soccer player who specialized as a goalkeeper.
Originating from Gosford, Vanstrattan launched his senior career with Central Coast before spending the majority of his playing years in Italy. He eventually returned to Australia to participate in the A-League representing Gold Coast United, Central Coast Mariners, and Newcastle Jets.
Early life
Vanstrattan was born in Gosford, New South Wales.
Club
Vanstrattan commenced his professional journey with Central Coast and subsequently joined Northern Spirit based in Sydney, making his debut at age 17 in the National Soccer League.
Verona
In 2001, he secured a five-year contract with Juventus and was immediately loaned to Verona through a co-ownership arrangement valued at 500 million lire. At 19, he served primarily as a backup goalkeeper for Verona’s Serie A squad while accumulating 54 appearances for their reserve team.
During the 2003–04 season, Vanstrattan was loaned to Carrarese Calcio under coach Marco Baroni, marking his first senior-level action in Italy. Unfortunately, he sustained a significant ACL injury in the opening fixture, which sidelined him for the remainder of that campaign.
He returned to Verona in January 2004, agreeing to a four-year contract extension. By June of that year, Verona had obtained full ownership rights over his registration.
Juventus
In the summer of 2007, following an early termination of his Verona contract amid disagreements concerning unmet commitments, Vanstrattan signed with Juventus. He participated in pre-season fixtures, becoming the first Australian player to feature for the club. However, the Lega Calcio later invalidated his Juventus contract due to Verona’s submission of falsified documents aimed at obstructing the transfer.
Vanstrattan briefly rejoined Verona before judicial authorities ruled against them. Subsequently, he officially transferred to Juventus on loan for the 2007–08 season. During this time, he took part in friendly matches held across China, Hong Kong, and Australia.
In June 2008, Vanstrattan chose not to accept a three-year contract renewal with Juventus and was consequently released by both clubs.
Gold Coast United
On 7 October 2008, following his release from Juventus in June, Vanstrattan became the inaugural signing for Gold Coast United.
On 3 August 2009, he suffered an ankle injury during training ahead of the 2009–10 A-League season, which kept him out for several weeks. Upon recovery, he produced multiple man of the match performances despite initial challenges adapting.
Central Coast Mariners
On 19 July 2010, Vanstrattan signed with the Central Coast Mariners, aiming to return home. The club had recently lost its primary goalkeeper Danny Vukovic to Turkish side Konyaspor. However, after only three matches, Vanstrattan endured a second ACL tear that ruled him out for the entire season. He was released by the Mariners on 14 April 2011.
International
Vanstrattan represented the Australia U-17 team in 1999, contributing to their victory at the OFC U-17 Championship and securing second place at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship.
In 2001, he featured for the Australia U-20 side, which won the 2001 OFC U-20 Championship and participated in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship.
He also appeared for the Australia U-23 squad in two friendly matches against German club teams.
Management career
In 2014, Vanstrattan took on the role of goalkeeping coach at the Central Coast Mariners Academy until the academy was disbanded later that year. The following year, he accepted a position as goalkeeping coach with the Newcastle Jets.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Central Coast | 1998 | NSW Super League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Northern Spirit | 1999–2000 | National Soccer League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Verona | 2000–01 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Verona total | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Carrarese (loan) | 2003–04 | Serie C2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ancona (loan) | 2006–07 | Serie C1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Juventus (loan) | 2007–08 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gold Coast United | 2009–10 | A-League | 18 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 18 | 00 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 2010–11 | 3 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 3 | 00 | |
| Newcastle Jets | 2014-15 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | |
| Career total | 35 | 00 | 01 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 36 | 00 | ||
Honours
Australia U-20