ST PETERSBURG, FL (January 4, 2022) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies offseason moves continued on Tuesday with the announcement that Jon Stead and Eric Wilde have joined Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins’ staff as Assistant Coaches.
Stead enjoyed a lengthy and productive career as a striker in England, tallying over 165 goals in more than first 700 first-team appearances. His career included stints in the Premier League with Sunderland, Sheffield United, and Blackburn Rovers. Like Collins, Stead’s transition from playing to coaching was a swift one. A few weeks following his retirement in May of last year after several seasons at Harrogate Town, Stead jumped head first into the role of Assistant coach at USL Championship side Hartford Athletic.
“There’s always so many factors when you’re considering staff,” said Collins. “I think with Jon, first and foremost was the fact that he showed the willingness to come out here last year and start his coaching career in the USL. To come out on his own without his family and just grasp that opportunity certainly grabbed my attention. I spoke to him when we played Hartford and saw the passion he was developing for coaching. I think some players know they want to be coaches and some players think they might but when they do it they find they might not. I think Jon is one of those people that has prepared himself for coaching and now that he’s in it is really enjoying it and he’s passionate to do it more. So he’s ticked a lot of the boxes.”
Collins has some familiarity with Stead, as the two were teammates for a short while at Sunderland. They also played against each other often throughout their careers in England, developing an understanding of one another’s tendencies over the years.
“As you can imagine, there’s been so many candidates that are good coaches that we obviously considered, but I think with Jon, he also knows me and my personality. And I know Jon’s, and it’s different to mine,” Collins noted. “For me, that’s the single most important thing about that particular assistant role; having someone that knows what I’m like and can compliment that with different things. I think Jon will do that.”
Wilde’s journey to Tampa Bay has been different from Stead and the rest of the Rowdies coaching staff, yet his experience offers a fresh perspective in the coaches’ locker room. A graduate of Marquette University in 2016, Wilde has been a member of USL League One side Forward Madison’s technical staff since the club’s first season in 2019. While in Madison, Wilde specialized in video analysis, opposition scouting and data analytics.
“Eric’s the first member of the staff that has not played professionally, but I think that’s neither here nor there really because I think it’s about getting the best person for the job,” said Collins. Eric showed really well in his application for the role. He has great experience putting himself forward at Forward Madison. Again, if you look through a lot of the staff that are at this club, they’ve all put themselves out there and extended themselves by trying to grasp an opportunity. Eric did that at Forward Madison. He worked there for three years and gradually got more and more responsibility.”
While still a young coach, Wilde has gained a reputation for the value he brings to the squad through his work ethic and analysis skills.
“You speak to the coaches that work with Eric and I think the biggest endorsement they gave was if they were getting another job tomorrow they’d be taking him with them,” said Collins. “The work he put together in applying for this job I thought showed great diligence. The skills he brings are an important part of what we’re looking to improve, that analytics side and analyzing not just our opponents but ourselves and our individual players. I think Eric will help our individual players get better by being able to give feedback on their game.”
Stead and Wile join returning Assistant Coach Stuart Dobson and Performance Coach Pete Calabrese.
Stay tuned to the Rowdies social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in the coming days for news on more announcements regarding returning players, new players, and schedule related news.
Fans can secure tickets for the 2022 season now by calling 727-222-2000 or clicking here. Seasons tickets start as low as $170 for the slate of 17 home matches at Al Lang Stadium.
