Thomas Carl Veart (born 21 May 1970) is an Australian former footballer who is the head coach for Adelaide United.^[1]

Early life

Carl Veart was born on 21 May 1970 from the town of Whyalla in South Australia. As a typical country kid, Veart dedicated his life to various sports, including soccer, Aussie rules, basketball, and even excelled in A-Grade cricket in Whyalla. He spent most of his time with sports than doing his school work as a youth.^[2]

Veart began playing soccer, around the age of four, when he joined the Croatian club in Whyalla, starting in the under-9s team.^[2] Remaining one of the smallest players on the field during his junior years, Veart was told by his coaches of his low chances of becoming a professional player due to his lack of height.^[2][3] Determined to prove his worth on the field, Veart made his mark in senior soccer at the age of 15 although his talents largely went unnoticed, except for a notable representation at the state under-13 level.^[2]

His breakthrough arrived when he was selected to play for the state's high schools team at the age of 17 where he emerged as the top scorer in the national championships. Veart was told by his coaches that if he wanted to further develop his game, he needed to make the leap to Adelaide. At the time, his plan was to pursue an apprenticeship at BHP's steelworks.^[2]

Initially hesitant about leaving his comfortable country life behind, Veart made the decision to relocate to Adelaide instead.^[2] He began his journey in the state league, representing Salisbury United for two years before making his mark on the national stage with Adelaide City after he was convinced and transferred under the tutelage of City's formidable coach, Zoran Matic. Veart, to this day, considers Matic as his biggest influence both as a player and a coach.^[2]

Club career

England

Sheffield United

On 22 July 1994, Veart moved to England to sign with Sheffield United for a fee of £150,000.^[4] On 5 November 1995, he netted two goals to secure a 4–1 victory over troubled Portsmouth despite Pompey initially taking the lead.^[5] Following a league record in which 14 players were sent off in the Premiership and Endsleigh League matches from yesterday, on 9 September, Veart scored the winning goal in the match against Norwich that saw 5 Norwich players booked, including Robert Fleck who was dismissed from the dug-out.^[6]

Most notably, on 18 January 1996, Veart scored the winning goal and caused one of the surprises of the FA Cup third round by defeating Arsenal 1–0. The tie was settled 68 minutes into a game when Veart stooped to head past David Seaman after a cross from Dane Whitehouse who crossed low towards the penalty spot.^[7] By this time, he fell out with new manager Howard Kendall and soon departed to reunite with Dave Bassett who moved to 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 would continue his form, scoring 6 goals in 9 games, leading him to earn the nickname "goal machine" by the Palace faithful and eventually help them towards promotion to the Premier League.^[10] However, after 6 appearances in the top flight and failing to break into the first-team, Veart was sold to Millwall for a fee of £100,000 in December 1997.^[11]

Adelaide United

Following his 5 year stint with 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

He works at Adelaide United, as the head coach.^[20]

Honours

With Adelaide United:

• A-League Premiership: 2005–2006

With Adelaide City:

• NSL Championship: 1991–1992, 1993–1994
• NSL Cup: 1989, 1991–1992

Managerial statistics

As of 22 December 2023^[21]

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Adelaide United		2020	present	108	48	27	33	044.44
Total				108	48	27	33	044.44