Former Adelaide United captain and ex-Socceroo Travis Dodd to coach NPL side Croydon in 2021

A former Adelaide United skipper and ex-Perth midfielder has landed his first senior coaching gig with a strong NPL men’s side for 2021.

New Croydon Kings soccer coach Travis Dodd. Picture: Supplied, Croydon Soccer Club

Travis Dodd says he never really had a desire to become a soccer coach.

The former Adelaide United captain, ex-Socceroo and Perth Glory midfielder’s A-League career cruelly ended in 2014 after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

It left him feeling upset that he could no longer play the game.

Now, six years later, Dodd’s mindset has well and truly changed and he will be at the helm of NPL SA side Croydon in 2021.

Dodd’s appointment came after a four-year apprenticeship with MetroStars as an assistant coach to Robbie Saraceno.

“During the last couple of years of my playing career in Perth, and even I guess when I was in Adelaide, I never had a real ambition to want to coach,” Dodd said.

“I always saw myself more behind the scenes in like an admin-type role off the field.

Travis Dodd celebrates scoring a goal during an Adelaide United v Wellington Adelaide Phoenix match. Picture: News Corp

“It wasn’t until when I came back to Adelaide and played a season with MetroStars and got injured again that I was sure my time (playing) was well and truly done and dusted.

“At that stage I got being involved as an administrator sort of thing out of my head, so coaching was the natural progression.”

Dodd, 40, will replace former Croydon coach Ange Costanzo who stepped down at the end of this season.

Costanzo led the Kings to this season’s NPL finals but they went down to Adelaide City 3-1 in a semi final last Friday — prior to this week’s sport shutdown to help stop a COVID-19 second wave in SA.

Dodd lined up with Adelaide United from 2005-2011 before a three-year stint with Perth Glory.

He then returned to Adelaide and played one NPLSA season with MetroStars before taking up the role of assistant coach at the club.

“It was a fantastic four years (as assistant coach) with MetroStars,” Dodd said.

Travis Dodd in action for Adelaide United against Melbourne Victory. Picture: News Corp

“It got me to a point where I was ready and confident enough to go out and take a team on my own.

“When Mark Brazzale (Croydon technical director) called me to discuss options … the opportunity was really perfect for me to take.

“I was certainly nervous and tough to leave MetroStars but I have done it with their blessing and I got to club that has the same type of environment.”

Dodd said most of this year’s squad had committed to playing again in 2021 and he would look to strengthen the team by adding a few new faces.

He said his focus would be on ensuring players at the Kings were super competitive and would be driving a philosophy of “train as if you’re playing the game”.

“That’s one thing I’ll try and bring to the squad, to make sure we’ve got that intensity day in, day out,’ Dodd said.

“The players will need to believe in what I’m doing and what my assistant is doing and if they do that, we’ll get success.”