Mitch Cooper
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mitch Cooper | ||
| Date of birth | 18 September 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Vanuatu | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Newcastle Jets | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Gold Coast United | ||
| 2011 | QAS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012 | Gold Coast United | 6 | (1) |
| 2012 | NJ Youth (State League) | 5 | (0) |
| 2012– | Newcastle Jets | 5 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Australia U-17 | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 December 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Mitch Cooper (born 18 September 1994 in Vanuatu) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for Newcastle Jets in the A-League.
Club career
Gold Coast United
In 2010 he signed with the Gold Coast United who play in the A-League.[1] On 15 February 2012 it was announced that would be handed the captaincy for the round 21 match against Melbourne Heart on his professional debut at only the age of 17 years and 152 days.
He become the youngest captain in A-League history.[2] Team owner Clive Palmer made the decision when regular captain Michael Thwaite was suspended and 14 senior players were unavailable due to many reasons including injury. Coach Miron Bleiberg publicly supported the choice, but was later suspended from coaching for a week by Palmer after the club was unhappy that Bleiberg had described the appointment as "ceremonial".
Assistant coach Mike Mulvey was named as the interim coach.[3]
Newcastle Jets
On 25 May Cooper signed a two-year contract with the Newcastle Jets.[4]
International career
He has represented the Australia national under-17 association football team including four matches at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[5]
Club statistics
- As of match played 3 March 2013[6]
| Club | Season | League | Finals | Continental | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Gold Coast United | 2011–12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Newcastle Jets | 2012–13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | |
Personal life
At the age of 8, he moved from Vanuatu to a small island located near New Zealand. When he was 13 he moved with his family to Australia and settled on the Sunshine Coast. At the age of 16 he transferred to The Southport School where he completed his senior education. During his time at The Southport School he was given the nickname "Mitch Kooka". It is also reported that within his social crew he was ranked no. 4 of 4 correlating with his status within his gorup. Close colleagues chanted things such a "when i say mitch - you say Kooka" and he regulaly got beaten in table tennis by UJ. [7]
References
- ↑ Worldfootball.net profile
- ↑ Bleiberg hands rookie the captaincy
- ↑ Gold Coast United bans coach Miron Bleiberg from clash with Melbourne Heart on Friday night
- ↑ "Jets snare Mitch Cooper, re-sign Bridges". Football Federation Australia. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- ↑ FIFA playing record
- ↑ "Mitch Cooper - Player profile - transfermarkt.co.uk". Transfermarkt. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ↑ Football Australia profile
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