Neil Jones (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil Warren Jones | ||
| Date of birth | 16 February 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Takapuna, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Loyola Ramblers (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Westlake Boys High School | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2004 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 75 | (36) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004 | Cape Cod Crusaders | 9 | (3) |
| 2005 | East Coast Bays AFC | ||
| 2005 | Queensland Roar FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2005 | Kuala Lumpur FA | ||
| National team | |||
| 1999 | New Zealand U17 | 3 | (0) |
| New Zealand U20 | |||
| New Zealand U23 | |||
| 2004 | New Zealand | 2 | (1A) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2006–2010 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (assistant) | ||
| 2010–2012 | Northwestern Wildcats (assistant/associate) | ||
| 2012– | Loyola Ramblers | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Neil Warren Jones (born 16 February 1982) is a New Zealand collegiate soccer coach and former professional footballer. Jones is the current head coach of the Loyola Ramblers men's soccer team at Loyola University Chicago.
Jones was born 16 February 1982 in Takapuna, New Zealand, to parents Fran and Barry Jones. Growing up in New Zealand, he spent time with many football clubs, among them Rangitoto (Juniors), East Coast Bays AFC, Dunedin Technical, Waitakere City F.C., and Westlake Boys High School. He would later attend the University of Otago briefly before transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara.
While at UCSB, Jones was a student-athlete on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team. Alongside fellow Kiwi freshman defender Tony Lochhead, Jones appeared in 14 games, scoring 3 goals and adding an assist. He was moved in his sophomore year from defense to forward by coach Tim Vom Steeg. As a forward, Jones led the attack for the Gauchos and culminated in an appearance of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship final match, losing on penalties. For his UCSB career, Jones appeared in 75 games and scored 36 goals with 15 assists.
While enrolled at UCSB, Jones appeared for Cape Cod Crusaders of the USL PDL. In 2004 alongside Gaucho teammate Drew McAthy, Jones appeared in 9 games and scored 3 goals.
After leaving Santa Barbara, Jones went on trial with European clubs, including Atlético Madrid and Aalesunds FK, in hopes of securing a professional contract. While with Aalesunds FK, the training staff were impressed with his play and wanted Jones to play in front of manager Ivar Morten Normark, who had been out on holiday. He appeared in a friendly match for Aalesunds against IL Hødd, but he was forced to leave just minutes from the start after fracturing his leg, ending his trial with the club.
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