John Hutchinson (footballer, born 1979)

For other people with the same name, see John Hutchinson.

John Hutchinson

Hutchinson with Central Coast Mariners in 2010
Personal information
Full name	John Paul Hutchinson
Date of birth	(1979-12-29) 29 December 1979 (age 44)
Place of birth	Morwell, Australia
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Team information
Current team	Yokohama F. Marinos (interim)
Youth career
1993–1996	Morwell Pegasus
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–2001	Eastern Pride	89	(7)
2001–2004	Northern Spirit	77	(12)
2004–2005	Manly United	25	(4)
2005–2015	Central Coast Mariners	228	(18)
2011	→ Chengdu Blades (loan)	14	(3)
Total		433	(44)
International career
2009–2011	Malta	11	(0)
Managerial career
2015	Central Coast Mariners (player-coach)
2015–2016	Central Coast Mariners (assistant)
2017	Seattle Sounders 2 (assistant)
2018	Seattle Sounders 2
2019	Western United (assistant)
2020	Seattle Sounders (academy)
2021	Yokohama F. Marinos (assistant)
2022	El Paso Locomotive
2023	Yokohama FC (assistant)
2024	Yokohama F. Marinos (assistant))
2024–	Yokohama F. Marinos (interim)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Paul Hutchinson (born 29 December 1979) is a football manager and former player who is head coach of J1 League club Yokohama F. Marinos. He played as a central midfielder for Eastern Pride, Northern Spirit, Manly United, Chengdu Blades and Central Coast Mariners, for whom he served as captain. Born in Australia, he represented the Malta national team.

Hutchinson was born in Morwell, Victoria and made his senior debut for Eastern Pride in the National Soccer League in 1997. Hutchinson went on to play for Northern Spirit and Manly United before joining Central Coast Mariners in 2005. Hutchinson is the all-time most-capped Mariners player. He also spent time on loan at Chinese club Chengdu Blades.

Hutchinson won 11 caps with Malta.

Early life

Hutchinson was born in Morwell, and played youth football from age three for Morwell Pegasus, going on to play for the side in the Gippsland Soccer League. ^[2] He has Maltese ancestry through his mother. ^[3]

Club career

Gippsland Falcons (Eastern Pride)

Hutchinson is one of the most highly lauded prospects to emerge from the Gippsland Falcons youth setup. Huthcinson signed with the Falcons as a youth by coach Harry Bingham. He made his National Soccer League debut for the club in February 1997, coming on as a substitute in a loss to Marconi-Fairfield. ^[4] On 2 January 2000 he scored his first league goal, the opener in a 1–1 draw with Adelaide Force. ^[5]

Despite the limited success of the final seasons of the Falcons, who were subsequently renamed Eastern Pride, Hutchinson received positive reviews for his performances for the club at a young age. ^[6]

Northern Spirit

In June 2001, Hutchinson moved to Sydney-based National Soccer League side Northern Spirit following the dissolution of Eastern Pride. ^{[2] [6]}

Hutchinson was one of several players unpaid during the financial decline of the Spirit, and eventually was left clubless when the club folded in 2004. ^[7]

Manly United

Hutchinson next played for Manly United in the NSW Premier League, where he was club captain. ^[8]

Central Coast Mariners

Hutchinson made his competitive debut for the Mariners in qualifying competition for the 2005 OFC Club Championship, coming on at half-time against Newcastle Jets in a match the Mariners eventually won in a penalty shootout. ^[9] Hutchinson came on in the final minutes of the 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup final against Perth Glory as the Mariners won their first ever piece of silverware in August 2005. ^[9] He was also a last-minute substitute in his A-League debut, again a 1–0 win over Perth in what was the second-ever A-League match. ^[9] His first Mariners goal came in a 5–1 loss to Sydney FC on 5 November 2005. ^[10] Around this time, Hutchinson began to be used as a forward, a role which saw him score six goals from six games, including a brace against Newcastle Jets in the F3 derby. ^[11] Hutchinson's season ended prematurely after picking up an injury in a match against Sydney FC. ^[12]

Hutchinson came on in extra time in the 2006 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup final against Adelaide United and converted his penalty in the 5–4 loss in a penalty shoot-out. ^[13] Hutchinson's only goal of the 2006–07 season was the Mariners' first in the 2006–07 A-League, the opening goal in a 1-all draw with Newcastle Jets. ^[14]

After recovering from a knee injury, Hutchinson became a key player for the Central Coast Mariners, playing in central midfield with the likes of Mile Jedinak and Tom Pondeljak in Version 3 of the A-League. This form led him to be named one of the most influential players in the A-League. ^[15] On 28 October 2007, Hutchinson scored a double against Sydney FC, with two strikes off either foot from outside the box, but was unable to prevent the Mariners suffering a 3–2 loss. ^[16] The Mariners won the 2007–08 A-League Premiership, ^[17] and came within one game of the Championship, losing to the Jets in the 2008 A-League Grand Final, with Hutchinson playing a full match. ^[18]

Hutchinson played his 100th A-League match in August 2009 - a 1–1 draw against Newcastle Jets - becoming just the second Mariner to achieve this milestone after Alex Wilkinson. ^{[19] [20]}

In 2011, Hutchinson was loaned to Chinese Super League side Chengdu Blades, under former Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna and alongside fellow Mariner Adam Kwasnik. ^[21] Hutchinson scored his first goal for the side in a 2-all draw with Changchun Yatai on 31 July 2011, having made his debut three weeks prior in a loss to Shandong Luneng. ^[22]

Hutchinson came on as a substitute for Mustafa Amini in the 2011 A-League Grand Final and scored a penalty in the shoot-out but it was not enough as the Mariners lost 4–2. ^[23]

Hutchinson was part of the Mariners side which won the 2011–12 A-League Premiership. ^[17]

Hutchinson has most recently played an important role in the strong A-League performance of the Central Coast Mariners over recent years and was named club captain after long-serving captain Alex Wilkinson departed the club before the 2012–2013 season. ^[24] He captained the side to its first ever A-League Championship, beating Western Sydney in the 2013 A-League Grand Final. ^[25]

Hutchinson played his 200th A-League match on 5 April 2014 - a loss away to Perth. ^[26]

The 2014–15 season is Hutchinson's tenth with the Mariners. ^[27] In November 2014, Hutchinson scored a goal in the 94th minute from outside the box to secure a 2-all draw for the Mariners with Melbourne City, breaking a run of four consecutive losses. ^[28] Hutchinson concluded his 10-year professional career with a 3–1 loss to Melbourne Victory in the final round of the 2014/15 A-League season, capping of his 226th league appearance for the Central Coast. A testimonial match was held to conclude John's career on 23 May, attracting a crowd of over two thousand as to watch "Hutch's XI" versus the Mariners. The match yielded 17 goals, with "Hutch's XI" netting a dozen of those to win the match 12–5.

He is currently the most capped Central Coast Mariners player, with over 200 appearances for the Gosford side. ^[29]

International career

Australia

Following a strong 2007–08 A-League season, Hutchinson was called up to a Australia training squad for A-League players by Pim Verbeek in early 2008. ^[30] He appeared for the side in a training match against the Australia under-23 side, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 loss. ^[31]

Malta

Due to his Maltese descent, he earned a call-up by Malta coach Dušan Fitzel, ^{[3] [32]} and he made his international debut for the Malta in a friendly against the Czech Republic, where he was employed in centre midfield. ^[33] On 10 June 2009, Hutchinson played his first competitive match for Malta in the 2010 World Cup qualifier loss to Sweden at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. ^[34] Hutchinson's best result with the side came in a 1–1 draw at home against Georgia. ^[35] Hutchinson's opportunities to play at international level were at times limited by club commitments and the considerable travel involved in flying between Australia and Europe for games. ^[36] Hutchinson made eleven appearances for Malta. ^[22]

Coaching career

From 2015 to 2016, Hutchinson served as assistant coach at the Mariners, before parting ways in August 2016. ^[37] On 1 March 2017, Hutchinson was appointed assistant coach for Seattle Sounders FC 2, the reserve team of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC. ^[38] He became head coach of the team on 30 January 2018 to replace Ezra Hendrickson. ^[39] On 23 January 2019, the Sounders announced that Hutchinson would be departing the club to return to coach in Australia. ^[40] On the same day, he was announced as the assistant manager of Western United. ^[41]

Hutchinson was appointed head coach and technical director of El Paso Locomotive FC on 9 December 2021. ^[42] On 15 November 2022, Hutchinson left El Paso to return home to Australia. ^[43]

He spent the 2023 season as assistant at Yokohama FC, and joined Harry Kewell's staff as head coach of Yokohama F. Marinos for 2024. ^[44] Hutchinson became interim head coach on 15 July 2024 after Kewell's contract was released by the club. ^[45]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Eastern Pride	1996–97	National Soccer League	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	1997–98		9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
	1998–99		21	0	0	0	0	0	21	0
	1999–2000		31	2	0	0	0	0	31	2
	2000–01		24	5	0	0	0	0	24	5
	Total		89	7	0	0	0	0	89	7
Northern Spirit	2001–02	National Soccer League	21	3	0	0	0	0	21	3
	2002–03		33	7	0	0	0	0	33	7
	2003–04		23	2	0	0	0	0	23	2
	Total		77	12	0	0	0	0	77	12
Manly United	2004	NSW Super League	25	4	0	0	0	0	25	4
Central Coast Mariners	2005–06	A-League	17	6	4	0	0	0	21	6
	2006–07		16	1	1	0	0	0	17	1
	2007–08		22	3	4	0	0	0	26	3
	2008–09		22	2	3	0	6	0	31	2
	2009–10		23	3	0	0	0	0	23	3
	2010–11		26	1	0	0	0	0	26	1
	2011–12		22	0	0	0	6	0	28	0
	2012–13		27	1	0	0	6	0	33	1
	2013–14		27	0	0	0	6	0	33	0
	2014–15		26	1	4	0	0	0	30	1
	Total		228	18	16	0	24	0	268	18
Chengdu Blades (loan)	2011	Chinese Super League	14	3	0	0	0	0	14	3
Total			433	44	16	0	24	0	473	44

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Malta	2009	4	0
	2010	1	0
	2011	6	0
Total		11	0

Managerial statistics

As of 20 July 2024

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat.	From	To	Record								Ref.
				P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Seattle Sounders FC 2		30 January 2018	24 January 2019	34	6	7	21	40	71	−31	017.65	[39] [40]
El Paso Locomotive FC		9 December 2021	15 November 2022	35	13	7	15	57	56	+1	037.14	[42]
Yokohama F. Marinos (interim)		16 July 2024	present	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00	[46]
Total				70	20	14	36	99	128	−29	028.57

Honours

Manly United

• NSW Super League: 2004

Central Coast Mariners ^[17]

• A-League Championship: 2012–13
• A-League Premiership: 2006–07, 2011–12
• A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup: 2005

Records

• Most appearances for Central Coast Mariners: 271 games

References

1. "John Hutchinson". Central Coast Mariners. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
2. Darroch, Samuel (25 April 2013). "From Morwell to Mariners". Latrobe Valley Express. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
3. "Aussie Hutchinson gets Malta call-up".
4. "1996/1997 Season Round 17 Results". ozfootball. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
5. "1999/2000 Season Round 14 Results". ozfootball. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
6. "Spirit signs six". The World Game. 13 June 2001.
7. "Hutchinson recalls his darkest days". The World Game. 18 December 2013.
8. "Mariners link with Manly Warringah". SportsAustralia.com. 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
9. "John Hutchinson" (stats). aleaguestats.com. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
10. "Petrovski hat-trick inspires Sydney victory". ABC. 5 November 2005. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
11. Dunkerley, Chris. "Central Coast Mariners v Newcstle United Jets". Ozfootball. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
12. "Sydney, Mariners in 1-1 draw". ABC. 15 January 2006.
13. "Central Coast Mariners - Adelaide United 5:6". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
14. "Jets snatch a draw". SportsAustralia.com. 23 September 2006. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
15. "Daily Telegraph".
16. "Sydney FC 3 Central Coast Mariners 2". Sydney FC. 29 October 2007.
17. "John Hutchinson". Central Coast Mariners FC. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
18. Clark, Alan. "Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle United Jets". Ozfootball. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
19. "Hutchinson joins the hundred club". Central Coast Mariners FC. 12 August 2009.
20. "Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners draw 1–1 in F3 derby". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . 14 August 2009.
21. Busuttil, Antoine (4 July 2011). "John Hutchinson joins Chengdu Blades on short-term loan". Maltafootball.com.
22. "Matches of J. Hutchinson". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
23. "Brisbane Claim Championship in Grand Final thriller". Brisbane Roar FC. 14 March 2011.
24. "LOYAL midfielder John Hutchinson has today been named Captain of the Central Coast Mariners. | Goal Weekly". Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
25. Conway, Doug (21 April 2013). "Central Coast Mariners win their first A-League grand final beating Western Sydney Wanderers". Fox Sports (Australia).
26. Washbourne, Michael (5 April 2014). "Perth Glory 3 – 1 Central Coast Mariners". Goal.com.
27. Smithies, Tom (24 April 2014). "Why John Hutchinson is the glue that holds Central Coast Mariners together". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) .
28. "Mariners' late comeback stuns Melbourne City". The World Game. 16 November 2014.
29. "ALeagueStats".
30. "Pim Names His Training Camp". Football News. 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
31. "Olyroos beat Socceroos 2–1". Football News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
32. "Central Coast's John Hutchinson Called Up To Malta Squad - Goal.com". 1 June 2009.
33. "Central Coast Mariners Home".
34. "Sweden vs. Malta 4–0". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
35. "Malta vs. Georgia 1–1". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
36. Azzopardi, Kevin (12 November 2010). "Hutchinson back in Malta's fold for tough Croatia clash". Times of Malta .
37. "Central Coast Mariners and club legend John Hutchinson 'mutually' part ways". A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
38. Ormond, Aidan. "Ex Hyundai A-League great joins US club". A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
39. "Sounders FC announces technical staff updates ahead of 2018 campaign" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. 30 January 2018.
40. "Chris Little promoted to Sounders FC 2 Head Coach following departure of previous manager John Hutchinson" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. 23 January 2019.
41. Western Melbourne Group appoint John Hutchinson as assistant coach for inaugural season, foxsports.com.au, 24 January 2019
42. "Locomotive FC Appoints John Hutchinson as New Head Coach, Technical Director". USLChampionship.com. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
43. Huichapa, Alberto. "El Paso Locomotive FC Head Coach and Technical Director John Hutchinson to Depart Organization". El Paso Locomotive FC. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
44. Lewis, Dave (30 December 2023). "It's a Kewell–Hutchinson double act at post-Muscat Marinos". FTBL.com.au. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
45. "Harry Kewell sacked as coach of Japanese club Yokohama after seven months in charge". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
46. "John Hutchinson". FotMob. Retrieved 20 July 2024.

External links

• John Hutchinson – FIFA competition record (archived)
• John Hutchinson at Soccerway
• John Hutchinson at FootballDatabase.eu
• John Hutchinson profile at SoundersFC.com
• John Hutchinson profile at OzFootball.net