John Filan

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title: "John Filan" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1970-births", "living-people", "soccer-players-from-sydney", "australian-people-of-irish-descent", "men's-association-football-goalkeepers", "australian-expatriate-men's-soccer-players", "australia-men's-international-soccer-players", "olympic-soccer-players-for-australia", "footballers-at-the-1992-summer-olympics", "australian-expatriate-sportspeople-in-england", "expatriate-men's-footballers-in-england", "premier-league-players", "english-football-league-players", "national-soccer-league-(australia)-players", "blackburn-rovers-f.c.-players", "cambridge-united-f.c.-players", "coventry-city-f.c.-players", "doncaster-rovers-f.c.-players", "nottingham-forest-f.c.-players", "sydney-fc-players", "wigan-athletic-f.c.-players", "wollongong-wolves-fc-players", "st-george-fc-players", "blackburn-rovers-f.c.-non-playing-staff", "macclesfield-town-f.c.-non-playing-staff", "shrewsbury-town-f.c.-non-playing-staff", "australian-men's-soccer-players"] description: "Australian former football player" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Filan" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian former football player ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox football biography"]

Field	Value
name	John Filan
image	John Filan.jpg
image_size	130px
caption	Filan warming-up with Sydney FC
fullname	John Richard Filan
birth_date
birth_place	Sydney, Australia
height
position	Goalkeeper
years1	1989–1991
years2	1991–1992
years3	1992
years4	1992–1993
years5	1993–1995
years6	1995
years7	1995–1997
years8	1997–2001
years9	2001–2007
years10	2006
years11	2008
clubs1	St. George Saints
clubs2	Wollongong Wolves
clubs3	St. George Saints
clubs4	Wollongong Wolves
clubs5	Cambridge United
clubs6	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)
clubs7	Coventry City
clubs8	Blackburn Rovers
clubs9	Wigan Athletic
clubs10	→ Doncaster Rovers (loan)
clubs11	Sydney FC
caps1	52
caps2	23
caps3	0
caps4	6
caps5	68
caps6	0
caps7	16
caps8	64
caps9	184
caps10	3
caps11	0
totalcaps	416
goals1	0
goals2	0
goals3	0
goals4	0
goals5	0
goals6	0
goals7	0
goals8	0
goals9	0
goals10	0
goals11	0
totalgoals	0
nationalyears1	1990–1992
nationalteam1	Australia U23
nationalcaps1	14
nationalgoals1	0
nationalyears2	1992–1997
nationalteam2	Australia
nationalcaps2	2
nationalgoals2	0
managerclubs1	Sydney FC (goalkeeper coach)
manageryears1	2008-2011
managerclubs2	Prescot Cables
manageryears2	2013
managerclubs3	Blackburn Rovers (goalkeeper coach)
manageryears3	2014
managerclubs4	Blackburn Rovers U21 (assistant)
manageryears4	2014-2015
managerclubs5	Blackburn Rovers U21
manageryears5	2015-2016
managerclubs6	Shrewsbury Town (assistant)
manageryears6	2018
::

| name = John Filan | image = John Filan.jpg | image_size = 130px | caption = Filan warming-up with Sydney FC | fullname = John Richard Filan | birth_date = | birth_place = Sydney, Australia | height = | currentclub = | position = Goalkeeper | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 1989–1991 | years2 = 1991–1992 | years3 = 1992 | years4 = 1992–1993 | years5 = 1993–1995 | years6 = 1995 | years7 = 1995–1997 | years8 = 1997–2001 | years9 = 2001–2007 | years10 = 2006 | years11 = 2008 | clubs1 = St. George Saints | clubs2 = Wollongong Wolves | clubs3 = St. George Saints | clubs4 = Wollongong Wolves | clubs5 = Cambridge United | clubs6 = → Nottingham Forest (loan) | clubs7 = Coventry City | clubs8 = Blackburn Rovers | clubs9 = Wigan Athletic | clubs10 = → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | clubs11 = Sydney FC | caps1 = 52 | caps2 = 23 | caps3 = 0 | caps4 = 6 | caps5 = 68 | caps6 = 0 | caps7 = 16 | caps8 = 64 | caps9 = 184 | caps10 = 3 | caps11 = 0 | totalcaps = 416 | goals1 = 0 | goals2 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | goals5 = 0 | goals6 = 0 | goals7 = 0 | goals8 = 0 | goals9 = 0 | goals10 = 0 | goals11 = 0 | totalgoals = 0 | nationalyears1 = 1990–1992 | nationalteam1 = Australia U23 | nationalcaps1 = 14 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 1992–1997 | nationalteam2 = Australia | nationalcaps2 = 2 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | managerclubs1 = Sydney FC (goalkeeper coach) | manageryears1 = 2008-2011 | managerclubs2 = Prescot Cables | manageryears2 = 2013 | managerclubs3 = Blackburn Rovers (goalkeeper coach) | manageryears3 = 2014 | managerclubs4 = Blackburn Rovers U21 (assistant) | manageryears4 = 2014-2015 | managerclubs5 = Blackburn Rovers U21 | manageryears5 = 2015-2016 | managerclubs6 = Shrewsbury Town (assistant) | manageryears6 = 2018 John Richard Filan (born 8 February 1970) is an Australian football coach and former professional player.

As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1989 until 2008 and notably played in the Premier League for Coventry City where he was a specialist at kicking the ball out of the stadium when under pressure, Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic, having also been contracted without playing for Nottingham Forest in England's top division. He also played in the Football League for Cambridge United and Doncaster Rovers, and in his native country for St. George Saints, Wollongong Wolves and Sydney F.C. He was capped two times by Australia.

Following retirement, Filan has worked as a coach and held a role with Sydney FC before a spell as assistant manager with both Macclesfield Town and Shrewsbury Town.

Club career

He played for St. George Saints and Wollongong Wolves in the old National Soccer League in Australia before moving to England to join Cambridge United in 1993, after an unsuccessful trial at Southampton. In 1995, he signed for Coventry City, then moved on to Blackburn Rovers in 1997.

He joined Wigan Athletic in December 2001 for £600,000. Prior to the start of Wigan's debut season in the Premier League he had missed only one match for the club but was injured at the start of the 2005–06 season with Wigan's new signing Mike Pollitt taking his place in the side. Filan, however signed a new contract which kept him at the club until 2007. Seeing out his contract with Wigan, he was released at the end of the season. Whilst at Wigan he appeared as a substitute in the 2006 Football League Cup Final when Pollitt had to come off early in the first half with an injury. He is also remembered for saving a Nolberto Solano penalty in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United in February 2007.{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/6371353.stm |title=Wigan 1-0 Newcastle |publisher=BBC |date=25 February 2007|access-date=30 August 2016}}

International career

Filan was a member of the Australian team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and finished in fourth place. As he has an Irish passport through his ancestry, he once sought to play international football for Ireland. However, FIFA ruled against it in February 1999 because he had played for the Australian Olympic team.

Coaching career

Filan returned to Australia in semi-retirement, resettling in his home town of Sydney. In August 2007 agreed terms with A-League side Sydney FC as backup to Clint Bolton, however the deal fell through citing outside issues.

Filan was appointed as assistant manager to John Askey at League One side Shrewsbury Town in June 2018, having previously worked with Askey during his managerial tenure at Macclesfield Town. This role lasted only five months, with the whole management team departing after only four wins in seventeen league matches.

Career statistics

International

::data[format=table title="Appearances and goals by national team and year"] | National team | Year | Apps | Goals | Total||2||0 | |---|---|---|---|---| | Australia | 1992 | 1 | 0 | | | 1993 | 0 | 0 | | | | 1994 | 0 | 0 | | | | 1995 | 0 | 0 | | | | 1996 | 0 | 0 | | | | 1997 | 1 | 0 | | | ::

Honours

Blackburn Rovers

• Football League First Division runner-up: 2000–01

Wigan Athletic

• Football League Championship runner-up: 2004–05
• Football League Second Division: 2002–03
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2002–03 Second Division

References

References

1. (2003). "In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC". Hagiology Publishing.
2. (15 December 2001). "Filan joins Wigan".
3. (20 April 2005). "Filan agrees new deal with Wigan".
4. [http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1999/02/24/phead.htm Given hoping return to Ewood is a happy one] {{webarchive. link. (29 September 2007)
5. [http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/tdf/special/soccerold/1999/0223/soccer3.htm FIFA rule Leeds must free players]
6. (28 August 2007). "Oh what a Filan: Sydney get their hands on veteran keeper". The Sydney Morning Herald.
7. (31 August 2007). "Filan's about-face puts Sydney on spot". The Sydney Morning Herald.
8. (6 June 2018). "Shrewsbury Town: John Filan named assistant manager to John Askey". BBC Sport.
9. (12 November 2018). "John Askey: Shrewsbury Town sack manager after five months in charge". BBC Sport.
10. "John Filan".
11. (26 February 2006). "Man Utd ease to Carling Cup glory".
12. David McKechnie. (28 April 2003). "Henry lands PFA award". The Guardian.

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