Robert de Pauw played football within the Tweede Divisie until he retired at the age of 26 due to several injuries, and to also focus on his managerial career.[3]
Managerial career
NEC Nijmegen Youth
Robert de Pauw began his managerial career at the age of 13 after his father, who was the then sporting director at SCE Nijmegen, offered him to help train the 7 to 8-year-olds. After coaching several youth teams, he was able to coach the first teams at the professional level with the U15, U19 and U23 teams of NEC Nijmegen.[3]
Achilles '29 Vrouwen
The first senior team managed by de Pauw was Achilles '29 Vrouwen and he was appointed as their manager in May 2017; he stayed until the end of the 2017-18 season.[3]
On 29 June 2024, it was announced that Robert de Pauw joined Aston Villa Women as their next manager,[2][5] becoming the first Dutch manager to manage a club in the Women's Super League. He has signed a three-year contract with an option to extend this contract further by one more year.[2]
His first match in charge of Aston Villa was a 1–0 friendly win against Liverpool on 17 August 2024.[8]