Joe Gauci
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Joe Anthony Gauci (; born 4 July 2000) is an Australian professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player who plays as a
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
for club
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
and the Australia national team. Gauci's professional career began when he received a scholarship deal with
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...
and subsequently joined
Adelaide City Adelaide City Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakden, a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide. The club was a founding member of the now-defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and currently competes in the National Premier ...
and Melbourne City before signing a scholarship contract with
Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...
in 2020. Gauci made his
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
debut in 2021, and went on to make 76 appearances for Adelaide, before he was signed by
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in January 2024 for an undisclosed fee. Internationally, Gauci has made seven appearances for the Australia national team. He received his first call-up in 2022 as a train-on player and made his debut in a friendly match against
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
in 2023.


Early life

Gauci was born on 4 July 2000 in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, Australia to parents of Maltese descent. At the age of four, Gauci moved to
Waiheke Island Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most populated island ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
after his mother was posted as a general manager for
Kangaroo Island SeaLink Kangaroo Island SeaLink is a South Australian ferry company and tour operator owned by Kelsian Group, which has plied the crossing from mainland South Australia to Kangaroo Island since 1989. From 1989 to 1994, Kangaroo Island Sealink was own ...
. While living in New Zealand, Gauci joined local club Waiheke United at youth level and, with his brother, traveled by ferry to
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
where he started playing football as a striker. Gauci began playing as a goalkeeper during a school football camp in New Zealand. Gauci moved back to Adelaide, aged 11, and joined
Cumberland United Cumberland United FC is an Australian association football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. Cumberland competes in the National Premier League South Australia, the second-tier of Australian soccer under the top-flight, A-League ...
after a successful trial. During his time at the Clarence Gardens outfit, Gauci represented South Australia in an under-14s national competition held at
Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...
. Gauci eventually joined the National Training Centre program where he was coached by
Carl Veart Thomas Carl Veart (born 21 May 1970) is an Australian former Football (soccer), footballer who was most recently the head coach for Adelaide United FC, Adelaide United. Early life Veart was born on 21 May 1970 from the town of Whyalla, South A ...
at the time.


Club career


Early career

At 16 years old, Gauci caught the attention of scouts while captaining West Torrens Birkalla's under-18s in the
National Premier Leagues The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a men's national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state- ...
(NPL). Gauci led his team to the title, triumphing over
Adelaide City Adelaide City Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakden, a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide. The club was a founding member of the now-defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and currently competes in the National Premier ...
in the final. In February 2018, Gauci went on trial with
Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...
. Although he was not offered a contract, the club invited him for another week of training in May. He officially signed a two-year scholarship contract with the Mariners on 19 June 2018. After being released a year later, Gauci signed with Adelaide City mid-season of the NPL South Australia in June 2019. He made eight league appearances in the
2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...
. On 9 September, Gauci signed a scholarship contract with Melbourne City where he took part in the club's youth teams.


Adelaide United

On 7 October 2020, Gauci signed a scholarship deal with his hometown club
Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...
after serving as a backup goalkeeper at Melbourne City. As first choice goalkeeper
James Delianov James Nicholas Delianov (born 20 October 1999) is an Australian professional soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusiv ...
was ruled out due to failing his fitness test, Gauci made his professional debut on 13 March 2021 in a 3–1 away victory against
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...
. He kept his first
clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
in the league on 28 March 2021 in a 1–0 win against
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...
. The match was Adelaide's sixth consecutive win of the 2020–21 season, matching the club record in the 2005–06 season. Carl Veart, the head coach of Adelaide United, praised Gauci's performance on the team's success. On 13 May, Gauci suffered a thigh injury during a warm-up session before a match against Melbourne City which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. In the 2020–21 season, Gauci made 10 league appearances with three clean sheets and extended his contract for two years on 25 May. In the 2021–22 season, Gauci went seven-months without an appearance and was ruled out at the start of the new year with
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. He made his first appearance for the season, as to replace Delianov who sustained an injury mid-season, on 8 January against Melbourne Victory. By the end of the season, Gauci signed a three-year contract extension on 13 April 2023. In the 2022–23 season, Adelaide United progressed to the A-League finals series. In the elimination final, Gauci kept his first clean sheet in 13 matches, the last being against
Macarthur FC Macarthur Football Club is an Australian professional association football, soccer club based in South Western Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in Australia's premier soccer competition, the A-League, under Professional sports league organi ...
on 20 January, in a 2–0 win against
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...
on 5 May. Adelaide United ended the season with a loss in the semi-final leg against Melbourne City. In February 2024, midway of the 2023–24 season, Gauci departed Adelaide United with a total of 76 appearances and 16 clean sheets.


Aston Villa

On 1 February 2024, Gauci signed for English
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
for an undisclosed fee. The fee was reported to be around $2.5m (around £1.29m). It was confirmed that the player would join up with his new club after the end of Australia's involvement in the ongoing Asian Cup. Gauci was on the bench for the February 2024 game against Nottingham Forest. The 24-year-old made his Aston Villa debut on 24 September 2024, starting an
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
tie away to
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
.


Barnsley (loan)

On 30 January 2025, Gauci joined League One side
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
on loan for the remainder of the season. On 1 February, Gauci got a clean sheet in his first appearance in the
English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, a 0–0 draw against
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
.


International career

Other than Australia, Gauci is eligible to represent
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
at international level. In March 2022, Joe Gauci received his first call-up to the Australia national team as a train-on player for the first week of camp, in preparation for the World Cup qualification matches against
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
. Gauci received his first official call-up to the Australia national team ahead of two friendly matches against
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
. During the second friendly match on 28 March, the 21-year-old earned his first international appearance, starting in Australia's 2–1 defeat at
Marvel Stadium Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...
. In January 2024, Gauci was called up to the Australia national team for the
2023 Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 2019, with hosts Qatar t ...
.


Personal life

Gauci has a younger brother, Jed, who plays for The Cove in
State League 2 South Australia State League South Australia is a series of soccer leagues based in South Australia which consists of two divisions; SA State League 1 (SL1) and SA State League 2 (SL2). It runs as the second and third tiers of soccer in South Australia ( third ...
. The two played against each other for the first time on 18 July 2023 where Adelaide United won 8–1 over The Cove. In April 2022, Gauci, acting as a representative of Adelaide United, became an ambassador for the Childhood Cancer Association (CCA) in supporting local children with cancer, and their families. To show his commitment and generosity, Gauci vowed to contribute a sum of $20 for every save he made throughout an entire season. As of May 2023, Gauci donated an amount of $1,920 to the association.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Individual * PFA A-League Team of the Season:
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...


References


External links


Joe Gauci
at
Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional Association football, football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English foot ...
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauci, Joe 2000 births Living people Australian men's soccer players Australia men's international soccer players Australia men's youth international soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers West Torrens Birkalla SC players Central Coast Mariners Academy players Central Coast Mariners FC players Adelaide City FC players Melbourne City FC players Adelaide United FC players Aston Villa F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players National Premier Leagues players English Football League players A-League Men players Soccer players from Adelaide Australian people of Maltese descent 2023 AFC Asian Cup players Expatriate men's footballers in England Australian expatriate men's soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Australian sportsmen