Gavin Wilkinson

Gavin Wilkinson

Personal information
Full name	Gavin Brian Wilkinson
Date of birth	(1973-11-05) 5 November 1973 (age 48)
Place of birth	Auckland, New Zealand
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Club information
Current team	Portland Timbers (Technical Director)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1996	Waitakere City
1996–1999	Perth Glory	68	(4)
1999–2000	Instant-Dict	13	(2)
2000	Geylang United	15	(2)
2000–2001	Kilkenny City	12	(0)
2001–2006	Portland Timbers	124	(4)
National team‡
1996–2002	New Zealand	33	(1)
Teams managed
2005–2006	Portland Timbers (USL) (assistant)
2007–2010	Portland Timbers (USL)
2012	Portland Timbers (interim)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:47, 29 January 2013 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 October 2007

Wilkinson (center) with Timbers owner Merritt Paulson (left) and player Nat Borchers in 2016

Gavin Wilkinson (born 5 November 1973) is a former New Zealand footballer and current GM/President of Soccer for the Portland Timbers. Prior to this position, Wilkinson was manager of Portland Timbers in the United Soccer League before their promotion to Major League Soccer beginning with the 2011 season. As a player, he was known as a strong leader and defender.^[1]

International career[]

He played for the New Zealand national football team, the All Whites and collected 33 caps in official FIFA internationals, scoring 1 goal.^[2]

Career[]

Wilkinson played defense for with the USL Portland Timbers from 2001 to 2006, adding assistant coach duties in 2005 and 2006. Wilkinson retired as an active player and was named Head Coach and General Manager for Portland Timbers in September 2006. During the 2009 season, he directed the Timbers to the Commissioner's Cup as the regular season champion and a league record 24 game unbeaten string (14-0-10), smashing the previous record of 16.

Manager career[]

Wilkinson also runs EastSide Timbers FC, a youth soccer club based in Gresham, OR.^[3]

On 18 January 2010, Wilkinson was named Technical Director of the expansion Portland Timbers club in Major League Soccer (MLS), set to begin play in the 2011 season. He assumed those duties while still coaching the Timbers through the 2010 season.

Wilkinson not only played for Portland Timbers, but has also played for the New Zealand National Team 40 times in various competitions including World Cup Qualifiers and the Confederations Cup, playing against countries like the United States, Germany & Brazil.

Wilkinson was the general manager of the Portland Thorns, the Timbers' sister club in the National Women's Soccer League from its inception in 2013. As a result of the 2021 fallout of the scandal surrounding allegations that Paul Riley had sexually harassed Thorns players during his tenure as the club's coach (2014 to 2015), Wilkinson, who was responsible for Riley's hire and the eventual non-retainment of Riley's services following the 2015 season, was put on administrative leave from the Thorns^[4] and eventually replaced by Karina Leblanc.^[5] He remains the Timbers GM, however.

Honours[]

Player[]

Perth Glory

• Most Glorious Player Award (1x): 1996-1997

Manager[]

Portland Timbers

Cascadia Cup (1x): 2012

USL-1 Coach of the Year (2x): 2007, 2009

Managerial stats[]

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	L	D	Win %
Portland Timbers	United States	26 September 2006	10 October 2010	118	50	29	39	42.37

References[]

External links[]

• Gavin Wilkinson – FIFA competition record (archived)