Inside NRL Coach Todd Payten Family With Wife Julie Payten

Todd Payten had a difficult time growing up in his family during childhood. His late grandfather and mother raised him in Temora, New South Wales.

The 43-year-old Cowboys head coach claims that his grandpa and mother Christine have been the greatest inspirations in his life, in contrast to many athletes who cite coaches and other athletes as their key influences. They are why he will play as a reserve forward in the championship game.

Todd Payten Was Raised By His Mother Alone

Despite being born in Sydney, his family moved shortly after his birth to Tamora, where he grew up with a single mother without a father.

His mom Christine would take proper care of Todd despite all the strain and trauma she had to face mentally and financially. Sometimes his grandfather would support her with anything he could do.

Payten said, “Mum is a single mother, and whenever she came up short, grandad would help out. He chipped in when it was needed, financially as well.” He was around nine years old when she became alone, and she did an exceptional job raising a kid all on her own. 

To support her children, his mum Christine held four jobs simultaneously. To help Todd and his sister Stacey, she primarily worked as a waitress, bartender, and house cleaner in the tiny hamlet of Temora near Wagga Wagga.

Left Home At An Early Age To Pursue His Career

Todd excelled in various sports in his early teens, earning spots on the basketball, football, and track and field national teams. Payten began playing junior varsity football for the Raiders when he was 16 years old after moving to Canberra for school.

Despite inclement weather in Adelaide and Melbourne, driving him to athletic events was a shared responsibility between her mother, Christine, and grandfather, Jock.

Payten found an outlet in sports despite his Temora family life sometimes being challenging due to his mother’s tireless efforts to make ends meet. He has elevated his talent to the NRL’s prestigious heights due to the sacrifice his mother and grandfather granted him.

Todd Payten, a former New Zealand Warriors head coach, is still married to his beloved wife, Julie Payten.

He is a family man, had an unsettling upbringing without a father, and saw his mother Christine suffer a lot raising him and his sister Stacey all alone. Thus, he does not want any of his horrible past to be experienced by his wife and children.

Thus, Payten is always in close contact with them and loves them with all his heart. Moreover, he agreed to stay in Townsville and extend his contract with the North Queensland Cowboys. He is living with his wife and kids in Townsville, and moving again to a different location could hamper his children with their studies.

After a disastrous first season in charge up north that resulted in a season-ending 15th-place finish and rumors of player disruption, Payten was widely regarded as the NRL’s most careworn coach during the preseason.

Emotional Reunion With His Family In 2020

“It’s been a great few days. I got my family back after a four-month separation.”, The first Todd said after seeing his wife and kids near the fourth-months distance with them.

While it is nice to have his family back with him after a four-month absence, Todd Payten, NRL coach, has acknowledged that it does make him feel a bit guilty.

The COVID-enforced NRL bubble has kept the 41-year-old man away from his family since May; nevertheless, last week, he was given the fantastic opportunity to hug his children once more.

Moreover, on Father’s Day 2020, his former club, Warriors, posted the video on its social media accounts. A mere 2-minute-long video was attributed to his reunion with the family after his 14-day quarantine period upon arrival in Australia. Because of the pandemic restriction on international borders, players and coaching staff were stucked in Tasman for four months.

Todd Payten has an estimated net worth of 3 million dollars from his rugby profession. He is one of the highest earning national coaches.

The former Sydney Roosters player managed to achieve success both as a player and manager, which is always a rare case scenario in sports. He had an excellent time playing in the NRL for the Wests Tigers from 2004 to 2011. The club helped him shape the man he is today. And no doubt Payten earned millions while he was there.

Before commencing a coaching career with the Warriors and Cowboys, Payten played over half of his 259 NRL games during his time with the Tigers, where he also won a championship in 2005.

After his retirement, the 43-year-old also acted in a managerial role for a brief period before North Queensland Cowboys announced him as their new head coach in October 2014.

Again in 2020, the two parties reunited for the common goal. According to The Courier Mail, Payten was introduced as the next head coach of the Cowboys on a $1.5 million three-year contract.

Cowboys Prepare To Offer Payten A New Contract

Fast forward to 2022, and he is set to extend his stay in the club for a few more years. Despite his team being unable to produce good results last season, the Cowboys are willing to offer him a new contract.

To complete one of rugby league’s biggest 180-degree twists, North Queensland Cowboys head coach Todd Payten is about to agree to a multi-million dollar contract to stay with the North Queensland Cowboys. Though the fee is kept a secret, for now, it is expected to be more than he was offered in 2020, according to rumors, a staggering $2 million deal.

The team wants to lock up the 43-year-old coach before he starts talking to other clubs, even though his contract with the organization runs through the end of next year.