Lawrie McKinna (born 8 July 1961) is a Scottish-Australian politician and former soccer player and coach. He is currently serving as Mayor for the Central Coast Council and is serving for the East Gosford Ward, heaving led "Team Central Coast" at the 2024 election.[1][2][3]

Lawrie McKinna
Mayor of Central Coast Council
Assumed office
8 October 2024
DeputyDouglas Eaton
Preceded byRik Hart (Administrator)
Councillor of Central Coast Council
for Gosford East Ward
Assumed office
14 September 2024
Councillor of the City of Gosford
In office
8 September 2012 – 12 May 2016
Mayor of the City of Gosford
In office
24 September 2012 – 12 May 2016
DeputyBob Ward
Jim Macfadyen
Craig Doyle
Preceded byLaurie Maher
Succeeded byCouncil abolished
Personal details
Born (1961-07-08) 8 July 1961 (age 63)
Kilmarnock, Scotland
Political partyIndependent
Association football career
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1982 Darvel
1982–1986 Kilmarnock 87 (17)
1986 Box Hill
1987 Heidelberg United 24 (6)
1988 APIA Leichhardt 25 (2)
1989–1990 Blacktown City 31 (4)
1990–1991 Wollongong City 5 (0)
1991–1993 Blacktown City 39 (25)
1993–1994 Newcastle Breakers 7 (0)
1994 Blacktown City 23 (7)
1995–1997 Hills United
Managerial career
1992 Blacktown City (assistant)
1995–1996 Hills United
1997–1999 Sydney United (assistant)
1999–2002 Parramatta Power (assistant)
2002–2004 Northern Spirit
2005–2010 Central Coast Mariners
2011 Chengdu Blades
2011–2012 Chongqing Lifan
2016–2018 Newcastle Jets Youth
2018–2019 Newcastle Jets Youth (assistant)
2019 Newcastle Jets Youth
2019–2020 Newcastle Jets Youth (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

McKinna was elected as a councillor on the City of Gosford in 2012, and was elected by his fellow councillors as mayor following the elections. Lawrie was successful in gaining a seat, and was elected by his fellow councillors Mayor of Gosford City on 24 September, serving into that role until the council was abolished in 2016.[4]

Early life

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McKinna was born in Galston in southwest Scotland.[citation needed]

Playing career

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McKinna began his career as a striker with local junior side Darvel and made his debut for Scottish Football League side Kilmarnock in 1982. He made 87 league appearances for Kilmarnock, scoring 17 times before moving to Australia in 1986 where he went on to play for several more clubs in the NSL and various state leagues.

Management career

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McKinna's coaching career began in 1992 with New South Wales side Blacktown City as assistant manager. In 1995 Hills United hired him as a player-manager. In 1997, he became assistant to David Mitchell with National Soccer League (NSL) clubs Sydney Olympic, then following Mitchell to Sydney United in 1998 and Parramatta Power in 1999.

He left Parramatta Power in 2002 to take over as manager of Northern Spirit. His first season as a NSL coach was promising and successful as he beat many accomplished coaches, and was awarded with the NSL coach of the year award after taking the Northern Spirit to their first finals campaign for three years.

Central Coast Mariners

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McKinna with Central Coast in 2009.

In 2005, he was named as manager of the new A-League club the Central Coast Mariners, earning the inaugural A-League coach of the year award after leading the Mariners to the grand final and winning the preseason cup. In May 2006 he signed a new five-year contract with the Mariners.[5]

McKinna was popular in the community for his insistence that all the players at the club engaged in community activities. This became a hallmark of his tenure at the fledgling club.

In the 2006–07 season, McKinna gave an interview during which his team were struggling for on field success. Notably saying how it was frustrating for him when the press report losses in matches but don't mention the long-term injury's to the sides key players like Nik Mrdja, Andre Gumprecht and Noel Spencer. In the interview he also talked about his footballing coaching licenses and mentions that he would be preparing to take his '"Asian 'B' license" course soon.[6]

On 9 February 2010, it was announced that McKinna will take over as the Football and Commercial Operations Manager for the Mariners from the 2010–11 season, with Graham Arnold replacing him as head coach.[7]

Chengdu Blades

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Chinese Super League club Chengdu Blades have shown interest in McKinna taking over the reins as manager of the first team on 18 March 2011.[8] A day later, he was appointed as the head coach of Chengdu Blades [9] a club known to have the lowest operating budget in the CSL.

On 15 August, it was confirmed by McKinna via his Twitter account, that he had resigned from his position as manager at the Blades. He cited off-field, back room issues as a major reason for his decision, which contributed to the Blades poor 2011 CSL season, in which at the time of McKinna's departure had seen them only win only twice, conceding 30+ goals, whilst only scoring 13, and the club at the bottom of the ladder after just 20 matches.[10]

Chongqing Lifan

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On 2 December 2011, it was announced that McKinna had signed a one-year contract with China League One side Chongqing Lifan.[11] On 15 April 2012, he announced he was leaving the club after a disagreement with the board.

Central Coast Mariners

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On 4 May 2012, it was announced that Lawrie would become the new Director of Football for the Central Coast Mariners. A position that he took on again temporarily for two months in 2014.

Newcastle Jets

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In June 2016, McKinna was appointed chief executive of the Newcastle Jets.[12]

Political career

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McKinna was elected a councillor of Gosford City Council in September 2012 and nominated as Mayor at the first council meeting.[13][14][15][16][17]

In the 2013 Australian election, McKinna ran as an independent candidate for the seat of Robertson.[18] Lawrie unsuccessfully stood as a candidate in the September 2013 Federal election for the seat of Robertson. His campaign was backed by John Singleton to the tune of $380,000.[19] While receiving 8.7% of the vote, Singleton and McKinna controversially decided the outcome of the seat by directing preference votes to Liberal Party candidate Lucy Wicks.[20] Wicks formally thanked Lawrie and Singleton in her maiden speech in parliament.[21]

Managerial statistics

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As of February 2010
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Central Coast Mariners   2005 9 February 2010 129 43 37 49 033.33
Total 129 43 37 49 033.33

Honours

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Player

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APIA Leichhardt

Manager

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Central Coast Mariners

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "TEAM CENTRAL COAST". Team Central Coast. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  2. ^ "McKinna announces 15-person team to contest Council election". Coast Community News. 29 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  3. ^ Adams, Edgar (8 August 2024). "McKinna takes full team to Central Coast Council election". Central Coast Business Review. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Former Mariners coach scores mayoral post". ABC News. Australia. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  5. ^ "McKinna re-signs with Mariners". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  6. ^ "McKinna interview with Full90". Archived from the original on 6 March 2011.
  7. ^ "News Display". Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  8. ^ "McKinna eyes China gig". SBS The World Game. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  9. ^ McKinna Heads To Chengdu
  10. ^ "McKinna Quits China". FourFourTwo Australia. 15 August 2011. pp. our. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  11. ^ "FourFourTwo | Football news, features, statistics". Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  12. ^ Herd, Emma (14 June 2016). "Lawrie McKinna joins Newcastle Jets as chief executive". Daily Telegraph. News Corporation. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  13. ^ Collins, T. (25 September 2012). "First time councillor and former Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna elected mayor of Gosford Council". Herald Sun. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  14. ^ "EXTRAORDINARY MEETING MINUTES (2012/3) - Monday, 24 September 2012" (PDF). Gosford City Council. 24 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  15. ^ "EXTRAORDINARY MEETING MINUTES (2013/E2) - Monday, 30 September 2013" (PDF). Gosford City Council. 30 September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Third Term for Mayor McKinna, New Deputy Mayor Elected". Gosford City Council. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Fourth Term for Mayor McKinna, New Deputy Mayor Elected". Gosford City Council. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Robertson Results". ABC. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  19. ^ John Singleton Splashed Almost 750000 In Bid To Get Two Independent Candidates Elected The Daily Telegraph [dead link]
  20. ^ Robertson Labor MP Neill Lashes Out At Independent's Preference Deal With Liberals The Daily Telegraph [dead link]
  21. ^ "First Speech: Lucy Wicks MP – Parliament of Australia". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  22. ^ Lucas, Adam (5 March 2006). "Sydney FC prevails". Archived from the original on 3 September 2006.
  23. ^ "Central Coast Mariners - Newcastle United Jets 0:1 (A-League 2007/2008 Finals, Final)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Central Coast Mariners - Perth Glory 1:0 (Pre-Season Cup 2005, Final)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Central Coast Mariners - Adelaide United 5:6 (Pre-Season Cup 2006, Final)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
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Civic offices
Preceded by Mayor of the City of Gosford
2012–2016
Council abolished