First words from Jermain Defoe after surprise appointment as new Woking manager

Woking Football Club is pleased to confirm the appointment of Jermain Defoe as the club’s new Manager.

Defoe joins the club following a distinguished playing career at the highest levels of the game and has built coaching experience through his work within the academy structure at Tottenham Hotspur and in a player-coach role at Rangers FC as part of Steven Gerrard’s coaching staff.

Following a detailed recruitment process, the club identified Defoe as the candidate whose values, leadership style and footballing philosophy best aligned with its long-term vision.

Club Chairman Todd Johnson said:

“Jermain’s achievements as a player speak for themselves, but what stood out to us during the process was how he sees the game, how he drives standards, and his approach to leadership and player development.

“We have a clear plan for where we want to go as a club, and we believe Jermain is the right person to build on the strong foundations already in place and help take us forward in the next phase of that journey.”

Director of Football Jody Brown added:

“Jermain’s love of the game, his determination to succeed and his alignment with our preferred playing philosophy were important.

“These are shared values in terms of the working environment, player development, and high-performance culture.

“He has a real appreciation for the club, the staff, the players, and what we’re building here.”

Jermain Defoe:

“Woking is a historic club with huge potential, and I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting project. I can’t wait to get started.”

Coaching Team:

Defoe will be supported by Assistant Coach Paul Bracewell, who joins the club with extensive experience, including roles at Fulham FC, Sunderland AFC and Halifax Town AFC.

He also enjoyed a long and successful playing career, including winning a league title with Everton.

We are pleased to confirm that Craig Ross and Jake Hyde will continue to play important roles within the club’s coaching structure moving forward, following their outstanding work in the interim period.

Additional Background:

Off the pitch, Jermain Defoe is widely admired across the football world for his character and compassion, including the close bond he formed with Bradley Lowery that touched fans throughout the game.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his charitable work through the Jermain Defoe Foundation, which supports vulnerable children in Saint Lucia, and dedicated the honour to Bradley.

The interim coaching team of Craig Ross, Jake Hyde and Dale Gorman will continue to take charge of the team through Tuesday night’s fixture against Altrincham FC.

The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Craig, Jake and Dale for the outstanding job they have done during this period and looks forward to their continued contribution moving forward.

Jermain Defoe will take part in an introductory media session at 10:30AM on Wednesday, 1st April in the Cardinal Bar at the Laithwaite Community Stadium, followed by further media interview opportunities.

#Woking have a new head coach! 👉🏻☝️😀

Jermaine Defoe takes over as the man in charge. #COYC pic.twitter.com/qEvOaBpAhQ

— BBC Sport Surrey (@BBCSurreySport) March 29, 2026

Here’s how social media users reacted after checking out the first words from Jermain Defoe on his surprise appointment as new Woking manager…

@Ay_Ay_Ron10: Of the many former England boys getting managerial jobs I want Jermaine to succeed the most! He comes across as one of the nicest blokes and ill never forget what he did for Bradley at Sunderland! Good luck JD 🙌

@avfcbreaking: Put his boots on and you’ll get promoted

@CalTalksNL: Well, this is certainly an unusual appointment ain’t it. Defoe has a brilliant footballing brain. One of England’s most loved strikers. But that doesn’t guarantee results. It’s something completely different from Woking. I respect it. Big phone book. Let’s see. #WokingFC🔴

@CallumHallett6: Very cool… Always like listening to Jermaine Defoe if he does any punditry/ analysis stuff; His tactical understanding is TOP, it’ll be interesting to see whether he can adjust as a manager @ #WokingFC. He’s got a month to show what he can do, before having a Summer to get himself right into it. I hope this works out as a positive move for Woking… Great exposure for The National League too.

@imraisbeck: Hopefully he got it purely on sporting merit and not just because he’s a ‘name’. He’ll no doubt be ambitious though, so hopefully the club will match this. Looking forward to him continuing on with a more attacking approach to carry on the excellent work of Rossy and team. COYC

@N17Revolution: Congrats @IAmJermainDefoe perfect reason for me to pop down to my local club. Might be a welcome relief from watching Spurs right now

@DanWrexham: What on earth is going on in the National League

@ibroxrocks: Love Jermain Defoe. Hope he smashes it.

@arron1s: we’ve got so old that we’ve entered what used to be reserved for 5 years into an fm21 save

@WillB_2003: I presume we are now known as Jermain Defoe’s Woking?? On a serious note, a fantastic name to have in the National League and someone who has shown himself to be a fantastic person on and off the pitch

@NL_Bible: Shit appointment imo. Can’t see him taking Woking from the Conference to the Champions League in 6 seasons

@RashfordHQ: Never seen any Woking tweet get this much attention. Biggest club in National league now

@rangers72__: It’s an interesting appointment but I don’t know if he will take Woking as far as Jay Cartwright did

@WSXSAFC: Relegate Braintree next Monday, you’ll do for me son.

@Callum7McFadden: Fair play to Jermain Defoe for being open to starting his managerial career further down the football pyramid. Some ex players that have played at a high level are too proud to start at the bottom & work their way up as managers/coaches. Definitely keep an eye on his progress.

 @JonCouch_NLP: It’s always exciting to see high-profile appointments like this at our level but thoughts with Craig, Jake and Dale, who did an unbelievable job in steadying the ship

pic.twitter.com/qydkyvFid9

— Cameron Haddow (@CammyHaddow) March 29, 2026