Thomas Carl Veart (; born 21 May 1970), known as Carl Veart, is an Australian soccer manager and former player who is the head coach of the Australia men's national under-17 soccer team. As a player, Veart played over 300 games for Adelaide City in the National Soccer League before joining Adelaide United upon their formation, scoring the club's first ever goal and winning the 2005–06 premiership in the first season of the A-League. He enjoyed stints in the English First Division and Premier League with Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, and made 18 appearances for the Socceroos, scoring seven times. As a manager, he led Football Federation South Australia's NTC program from 2012 until 2019, and was Adelaide United's longest serving head coach; managing the club from 2020 until 2025.
Early life Veart was born on 21 May 1970 from the town of Whyalla in South Australia. Veart played various sports growing up, playing soccer, Aussie rules, basketball and cricket at home. Veart began playing soccer at the age of four and joined a local club in the under-9s. After progressing through youth level, Veart made his debut in senior soccer at the age of 15. At 17 years old, Veart initially pursued an apprenticeship before moving to Adelaide to pursue football. He spent his early senior years at Salisbury United for two years before moving to Adelaide City under the mentorship of Zoran Matić. Veart considers Matić as his biggest influence both as a player and coach.
Club career England Sheffield United On 22 July 1994, Veart moved to England to sign with Sheffield United for a transfer fee of £150,000. On 5 November 1995, he netted two goals to secure a 4–1 victory over Portsmouth. On 9 September, Veart scored the winning goal in the match against Norwich which saw five Norwich players booked.
On 18 January 1996, Veart scored the winning goal in a shock 1–0 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup third round. Veart scored through a header, assisted by Dane Whitehouse, to pass goalkeeper David Seaman in the 68th minute. By this time, he fell out with new manager Howard Kendall and soon departed to join former coach Dave Bassett at Crystal Palace.
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. Veart went on to score six goals in nine games, helping his side towards promotion to the Premier League and earned the nickname "goal machine" by the Palace faithful. In the 1997–98 season, after six appearances in the top flight and struggling for playing time, Veart was sold to Millwall for a fee of £100,000 in December 1997.
Adelaide United After a five-year stint with former club 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. 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. 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. He finished his debut season as the club top goalscorer with 12 goals in 27 appearances.
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. 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. 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. At the end of the season, he was named Adelaide United's Player of the Season and nominated for the Johnny Warren Medal.
International career He made his debut for the Socceroos in 1992 and played 18 'A' matches, scoring 7 goals.
Managerial career
Veart served as head coach of Adelaide United from 2020 through the end of the 2024–25 A-League Men season, becoming the club’s longest‑serving manager.Adelaide United profile
On 4 July 2025, Veart would be announced as the Australia Under-17 head coach.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAdelaide City1989–90National Soccer League257—31—2881990–91218—00—2181991–922312—20—25121992–933113—43—35161993–943114—10—3214Adelaide City total13154—104—14158Sheffield United1994–95First Division39111010—41111995–96295??—295Sheffield United total68161010—7016Crystal Palace1995–96First Division151??—1511996–97416?21—4371997–98Premier League600021—81Crystal Palace total6270042—669Millwall1997–98Second Division81?00—81Adelaide City1998–99National Soccer League305———3051999–2000332———3322000–01284———284Playford City (loan)2001Premier League74—20—94Adelaide City2001–02National Soccer League210———2102002–03330———330Adelaide City total14511———14511Adelaide United2003–04National Soccer League2712———2712Adelaide City (loan)2004Premier League163—00—163Adelaide United2005–06A-League237——502872006–07245——633082007–0800——3030Adelaide United total7424——1438827Adelaide City2007Super League67—32—99Career total51712710308143552138 Notes
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsAustralia1992441993511994201995211996201997001998211999—200010Total187
Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Veart goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Carl VeartNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands1–02–11994 FIFA World Cup qualification2Olympic Stadium, Papeete, Tahiti2–03–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification3Perry Park, Brisbane, Australia1–02–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification4The Gardens, Newcastle, Australia4–16–11994 FIFA World Cup qualification5Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia1–03–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification6Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia1–01–0Friendly7Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia4–14–11998 OFC Nations Cup
Honours Adelaide United A-League Premiership: 2005–2006 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup: 2006 Adelaide City NSL Championship: 1991–1992, 1993–1994 NSL Cup: 1989, 1991–1992
Australia OFC Nations Cup: runner-up 1998
Managerial statistics
TeamNatFromToRecordGWDLWin %Adelaide United2020May 2025Total
References
External links Adelaide United profile Oz Football profile