Stuart Baxter facts for kids
Baxter as a manager of Finland in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stuart William Baxter | ||
| Date of birth | 16 August 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Wolverhampton, England | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1971–1973 | Preston North End | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1975 | Preston North End | 41 | (1) |
| 1975 | Morecambe | 1 | (0) |
| 1975 | Dundee United | 0 | (0) |
| 1976–1977 | Stockport County | 4 | (1) |
| 1978–1979 | South Melbourne | 50 | (4) |
| 1980–1981 | Landskrona BoIS | 37 | (2) |
| 1981 | Helsingborg | 16 | (7) |
| 1982 | Landskrona BoIS | 14 | (1) |
| 1983 | San Diego Sockers | 27 | (12) |
| 1983–1984 | Örebro SK | 41 | (19) |
| Total | 251 | (76) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1985 | Örebro SK | ||
| 1986 | IF Skarp | ||
| 1987 | Vitória Setubal | ||
| 1988–1991 | Halmstads BK | ||
| 1992–1994 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | ||
| 1995–1997 | Vissel Kobe | ||
| 1998–2000 | AIK | ||
| 2001 | Lyn | ||
| 2002–2004 | England U19 | ||
| 2004–2005 | South Africa | ||
| 2006 | Vissel Kobe | ||
| 2006–2007 | Helsingborgs IF | ||
| 2008–2010 | Finland | ||
| 2012–2015 | Kaizer Chiefs | ||
| 2015 | Gençlerbirliği | ||
| 2016–2017 | SuperSport United | ||
| 2017–2019 | South Africa | ||
| 2020–2021 | Odisha | ||
| 2021–2022 | Kaizer Chiefs | ||
| 2023– | Helsingborgs IF | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stuart William Baxter (born on August 16, 1953) is a famous English-Scottish football coach and former player. He has had a long career both playing and managing teams around the world.
Stuart was born in England but has Scottish parents. He grew up in both England and Scotland. As a player, he played for many clubs in England, Scotland, Australia, Sweden, and the United States. As a coach, he has managed teams in Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Japan, South Africa, Turkey, and India. He has also coached national teams like South Africa (twice), Finland, and the England Under-19 team.
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About Stuart Baxter's Early Life
Stuart Baxter was born in Wolverhampton, England, on August 16, 1953. His dad, Bill Baxter, was also a professional footballer. Bill played for teams like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa.
Stuart spent his early years in England. Later, his family moved to Scotland when his dad became a manager for Scottish clubs. Because of his background, people sometimes call Stuart English, Scottish, or an Anglo-Scot. He once said he sees himself as "a European" and is "proud to be British."
Stuart Baxter's Playing Career
Stuart Baxter started his football career as a player in 1973 with Preston North End. In 1975, he joined Dundee United in Scotland but left soon after. He then played for Stockport County back in England.
Later, Stuart played football in other countries. He played for South Melbourne FC in Australia, Helsingborgs IF in Sweden, and San Diego Sockers in the United States. His playing career ended in 1983.
While playing in Australia, Stuart even trained with the Australian national team. He played in some unofficial games for them. However, he couldn't play in official international matches because he wasn't an Australian citizen.
Stuart Baxter's Coaching Journey
After his playing days, Stuart Baxter became a coach. He started in Scandinavia, working with the youth team at Örebro SK. In 1986, he became the manager of a smaller Norwegian team called IF Skarp.
The next year, he got a bigger job managing Vitória de Setúbal in Portugal. Then, he went back to Sweden to manage Halmstads BK from 1988 to 1991. In his first year there, he helped them get promoted to the top league, the Allsvenskan.
Stuart then moved to Japan. He coached Sanfrecce Hiroshima from 1992 to 1994. Later, in 1997, he coached Vissel Kobe. He started at Kobe just after a big earthquake hit the city. He even lived in a temporary caravan at the club for two weeks.
Coaching AIK in Sweden
In 1998, Stuart Baxter returned to Sweden to manage AIK. He led them to win the Swedish championship. This win meant AIK could play in the UEFA Champions League, a big European competition.
In the Champions League, AIK played against huge teams like Barcelona, Arsenal, and Fiorentina. AIK finished last in their group, which was expected given the strong opponents. After two years with AIK, Stuart moved to Norway to manage Lyn Oslo.
Coaching England U-19 and South Africa
In 2002, the Football Association hired Baxter to coach the England Under-19 team. After two years, he became the manager of the South Africa senior team.
As a guest team, he led South Africa to the Quarter Finals of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were knocked out by Panama after a penalty shootout. Stuart left this role in 2005 because the team didn't qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
He then had another short time coaching Vissel Kobe in Japan. After that, he moved back to Helsingborgs IF in Sweden as their manager in 2006. He helped Helsingborg get past the group stages of the UEFA Cup in 2007, but he resigned at the end of that year.
Coaching Finland
In early 2008, Stuart Baxter became the manager of the Finland national team. He signed a two-year contract, which was later extended.
However, things got tough for the Finland team in 2010. They lost important matches, and many people, including fans and experts, wanted Baxter to resign. It also became clear that he wasn't getting along well with some of the key players. Stuart refused to resign and criticized journalists. In November 2010, the Football Association of Finland announced that Baxter would no longer be the national team manager.
Success with Kaizer Chiefs
On May 7, 2012, Stuart Baxter was announced as the new manager of the South African club, Kaizer Chiefs. He started in June 2012. In his very first season, his team, nicknamed Amakhosi, won two major trophies: they finished first in the 2012–13 Premier Soccer League and won the Nedbank Cup.
The next season (2013–14) was a bit disappointing, as they didn't win any trophies. But in the 2014–15 South African Premier Division season, Baxter led Kaizer Chiefs to an amazing start. They won their first nine matches in all competitions! They also won the MTN 8 cup, beating their rivals Orlando Pirates in the final.
Baxter completed his second league and cup double with Kaizer Chiefs that season, winning the PSL league title again. On June 2, 2015, Baxter left Kaizer Chiefs.
Other Coaching Roles
After Kaizer Chiefs, Baxter briefly joined Turkish club Gençlerbirliği in June 2015. However, he left in August 2015 after losing the first two games of the season.
In January 2016, he signed with SuperSport United in South Africa. He led them to win the Nedbank Cup in 2016. The following season (2016–2017), SuperSport United won the Nedbank Cup again, beating Orlando Pirates in the final.
Return to South Africa National Team
On May 4, 2017, Stuart Baxter was named the coach of the South Africa national team for a second time. Under his leadership, Bafana Bafana (the team's nickname) qualified for the 2019 AFCON tournament. They even beat the host nation, Egypt, in the Round of 16, which was a big surprise! They were later knocked out by Nigeria. He resigned in August 2019.
In June 2020, Baxter became the head coach of Indian Super League club Odisha FC.
Second Time with Kaizer Chiefs
In June 2021, Stuart Baxter rejoined Kaizer Chiefs for his second time as head coach. On July 17, 2021, he coached Kaizer Chiefs in their first-ever Champions League Final. They lost the match 3–0 against Al Ahly.
Stuart Baxter's Family
Stuart Baxter comes from a football family. His father, Bill, was a professional footballer. Stuart also has a son named Lee, who used to be a professional football player and is now a goalkeeping coach.
Stuart Baxter's Achievements and Awards
Stuart Baxter has won many titles and awards as a manager:
- Halmstads
* Division 1 Södra: 1988 (Promotion to top league)
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima
* J1 League 1st Stage Champions: 1994
- AIK
* Allsvenskan: 1998 (Swedish Championship) * Svenska Cupen: 1998–99 (Swedish Cup)
- Vissel Kobe
* Promotion to higher leagues: 1996, 2006
- Helsingborg
* Svenska Cupen: 2006 (Swedish Cup)
- Kaizer Chiefs
* Premier Soccer League: 2012–13, 2014–15 (South African League Champions) * Nedbank Cup: 2012–13 (South African Cup) * MTN 8: 2014 (South African Cup)
- SuperSport United
* Nedbank Cup: 2015–16, 2016–17 (South African Cup, won twice in a row)
- South Africa
* COSAFA Cup Plate: 2017, 2018, 2019 * Four Nations Cup: 2018
Individual Awards
- PSL Coach of the Season: 2012–13, 2014–15 (Best Coach in South Africa's top league)
Images for kids
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Baxter as a manager of Finland in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Stuart Baxter para niños
- List of residents of Wolverhampton
