Jon Stead

Huddersfield Town

Stead began his career with home town club Huddersfield Town where he came through the club's academy. He made his league debut for Huddersfield Town, as a nineteen-year-old against Brentford on 10 August 2002 coming as a 69th-minute substitute in the 2–0 loss on the opening day of the season. In total Stead made 42 league appearances scoring six goals in the 2002–03 season. He scored four goals in three games at the start of the 2003–04 season, igniting interest from larger clubs. Two goals came in Town's opening game of the 2003–04 season in their 2–2 draw at home to Cambridge United. Stead went on to score two goals in a game on three further occasions for the Terriers during the first part of the 2003–04 season, with his other braces coming against Northampton Town on 13 September in a 3–0 home win, in a dramatic 3–3 away draw at Mansfield Town on 22 November and then again in a 3–1 home win over Doncaster Rovers on 3 January 2004. He scored 18 goals for Huddersfield in 2003–04, with 16 of them coming in the league, before moving to Premier League side Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window. His last game for Huddersfield came in their 2–0 win over Boston United on 17 January 2004. Stead returned to collect his Play-offs Winners' Medal with Huddersfield Town while he was playing for Blackburn Rovers. He appeared on the pitch celebrating the team he supported as a boy and his hometown club's win. After this he said, "I've moved on, but I…

Stead joined Harry Watling's staff at Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship as an assistant coach in June 2021. In January 2022, Stead moved to an assistant coaching role with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. In Florida, he reunited with former Sunderland teammate and current Rowdies manager Neill Collins. In July 2023, it was announced that Stead would be moving to Barnsley along with Collins. He departed the club at the end of the 2024–25 season. In June 2025, Stead joined League Two side Bristol Rovers as an assistant head coach. The appointment saw him reunite with manager Darrell Clarke whom he had assisted at Barnsley the previous season. On 13 December 2025, following a club-record ten consecutive league defeats, Clarke and Stead were relieved from their duties. In January 2026, Stead returned to hometown club Huddersfield Town as a first-team coach to the recently appointed Liam Manning.

Stead has represented England at international level, as his early goalscoring exploits at Blackburn Rovers led to a call-up for the England Under-21 side for their game against the Netherlands in February 2004. However, he managed just 1 goal in 11 appearances for the Under-21s between 2004 and 2005.

Born in Huddersfield, Stead was raised in Honley and attended Honley High School. Stead and his wife Elizabeth have two daughters.