Robert Louis de Pauw (born 24 July 1981) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Women's Super League side Aston Villa Women.[2]

Robert de Pauw
Personal information
Full name Robert Louis de Pauw[1]
Date of birth (1981-07-24) 24 July 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Nijmegen, Netherlands
Team information
Current team
Aston Villa Women (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
?-2007 Unknown Tweede Divisie club(s)
Managerial career
1994–? NEC Nijmegen (U15, U19, U23)
2017-2018 Achilles '29 Vrouwen
2018–2020 Netherlands Women's U-17
2021–2022 FC Twente Vrouwen
2022–2024 Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women
2024– Aston Villa Women
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Tweede Devisie

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Robert de Pauw played football within the Tweede Divisie until he retired at the age of 26 due to several injuries, and to also focus on his managerial career.[3]

Managerial career

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NEC Nijmegen Youth

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Robert de Pauw began his managerial career at the age of 13 after his father, who was the then sporting director at SCE Nijmegen, offered him to help train the 7 to 8-year-olds. After coaching several youth teams, he was able to coach the first teams at the professional level with the U15, U19 and U23 teams of NEC Nijmegen.[3]

Achilles '29 Vrouwen

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The first senior team managed by de Pauw was Achilles '29 Vrouwen and he was appointed as their manager in May 2017; he stayed until the end of the 2017-18 season.[3]

Netherlands under-17 Women

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He was then appointed as the manager of the Netherlands Women's U-17 national team during qualification for the 2019 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship; he also managed the team that lost in the final of the competition on penalties to Germany.[4]

FC Twente Vrouwen

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He then joined FC Twente Vrouwen as their manager in 2021, and in 2022, he completed the double with them by winning both the 2021-22 Eredivisie Vrouwen and the 2021-22 Eredivisie Cup.[5][1][6]

Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women

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de Pauw joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women in the summer of 2022.[7] In the 2022-23 season, he guided the club to fifth, and during the 2023-24 season, his club placed sixth within the Frauen-Bundesliga.[7]

Aston Villa Women

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On 29 June 2024, it was announced that Robert de Pauw joined Aston Villa Women as their next manager,[2][5] becoming the first Dutch manager to manage a club in the Women's Super League. He has signed a three-year contract with an option to extend this contract further by one more year.[2]

His first match in charge of Aston Villa was a 1–0 friendly win against Liverpool on 17 August 2024.[8]

Personal life

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De Pauw is the father of two daughters, and in 2004, he graduated from the University of Arnhem and Nijmegen with a Bachelor of Social Work.[9]

De Pauw lives with his family in Nijmegen and has an apartment in Leverkusen.[3]

Honours

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FC Twente Vrouwen[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Robert de Pauw :: Aston Villa :: Coach Profile". www.playmakerstats.com. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Robert de Pauw appointed new Women's manager". Aston Villa Football Club. 2024-06-29. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  3. ^ a b c d "Der Architekt - Robert de Pauw im Porträt | Bayer04.de" (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  4. ^ "Netherlands-Germany | Women's U-17 2019 Final". www.uefa.com. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Aston Villa Women appoint Robert de Pauw as new manager following Carla Ward departure". www.skysports.com. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b "FC Twente - - Frauenfußball auf soccerdonna.de". Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  7. ^ a b "WOMEN'S HEAD COACH ROBERT DE PAUW TO LEAVE BAYER 04 AT END OF SEASON". www.bayer04.de. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Liverpool 0–1 Aston Villa". Aston Villa Football Club. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  9. ^ Tobias Krell (2022-08-10). "Bayers Frauen-Coach Robert de Pauw im Interview: „Die Entwicklung ist nicht mehr aufzuhalten"" (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-14.