Nick Stavroulakis: From NPL champion to overcoming brain aneurysm to making history with Jets

Nick Stavroulakis has recovered success wherever helium has gone, whether that beryllium successful his playing days and archetypal coaching roles successful the NPL, reaching the A-League Grand Final arsenic Melbourne Victory adjunct manager and present making past arsenic portion of the Newcastle Jets resurgence.

Stavroulakis has been progressive successful the world of shot for galore decades and, while helium is present making his sanction arsenic an adjunct manager successful the A-Leagues, his travel archetypal began arsenic a youth talent.

Breaking done arsenic a junior

The Greek Australian recalled to Neos Kosmos some of his aboriginal memories, such arsenic getting into the NSW Institute of Sport earlier gaining a assistance to the Australian Institute of Sport, a precursor to his aboriginal nationalist experience.

“I got chosen with the Joeys somewhere astir 2000, and then besides by the Young Socceroos successful 2002,” Stavroulakis said when recalling some of his prouder memories from his playing career.

He explained his youth travel became a country-hopping acquisition with stints successful Italy with Empoli and then successful the UK with Peterborough.

Stavroulakis settled backmost successful Australia and became a unit successful the NPL, serving arsenic a skipper and winning titles astatine various clubs similar Sutherland Sharks, Sydney United, and APIA Leichhardt.

Nick Stavroulakis’ trophy-laden vocation has extended into his coaching, with him playing a large portion successful the Jets winning their archetypal portion of silverware since 2009. Photo: Supplied

A daze encephalon aneurysm

The backend of Stavroulakis’ vocation was characterised by him wearing achromatic headgear, something helium archetypal wore aft a wholly unexpected aesculapian incidental occurred connected the field.

“In 2014, I had an aneurysm connected the pitch,” Stavroulakis said.

He explained it happened when helium was with Sydney United and occurred during an Australia Cup qualifier against APIA.

“The aneurysm had thing to bash with the interaction of thing playing-wise. It was a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ type of thing, my neurosurgeon aboriginal explained. It could person happened while I was dormant astatine night.”

The incidental kept him retired for 9 months, though helium returned arsenic well arsenic ever and adjacent had 1 of his champion years aft the incident.

“2016 was astir apt 1 of my champion seasons, when I was astatine Sydney United. We won three retired of the 4 trophies available,” helium said, noting they won the NPL Premiership, the Waratah Cup (state cup) and the NPL Champions bid (a tournament played then betwixt the NPL Premiers from each respective state).

Stavroulakis admitted the headgear was something helium wore for extortion when helium archetypal got backmost to training and continued to wear from then until the extremity of his vocation contempt ne'er needing to medically.

“I conjecture possibly I kept wearing it arsenic a luck happening oregon it was conscionable something I was comfy with. It continued connected and it became a trademark for me,” helium said.

“Everything’s been mean since then. The way I treated it was arsenic a ‘get connected with life’ type of moment, where I conscionable thought to myself ‘don’t dice wondering’. That is why a batch of my decisions aft that person been beauteous straightforward.”

Nick Stavroulakis and Mark Milligan recovered contiguous success astatine Newcastle Jets, winning the 2025 Australia Cup. Photo: Supplied

Breaking into coaching

The Greek Australian explained that coaching felt similar a suitable vocation path, particularly since helium gained acquisition working part-time with his person Nick Rizzo’s shot academy while still playing.

Stavroulakis cited his galore years’ acquisition arsenic a person arsenic different factor, while recalling helium ever sought arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic imaginable from his coaches.

“I knew that coaching was something I wanted to bash successful the agelong run,” helium said.

His archetypal taste of adjunct coaching arrived successful 2019 during his past year arsenic a subordinate with APIA, wherein helium served arsenic a player/assistant coach.

Much similar his playing career, his coaching vocation brought success and it came arsenic aboriginal arsenic that 2019 play when APIA won the Grand Final.

Following that, helium committed himself full-time to coaching and helium worked astatine St George with Mark Milligan successful the 2nd part of NSW earlier joining Rockdale successful NSW’s top flight.

He spent respective years astatine that club, getting to capable successful connected occasions arsenic caput coach, during which they won the premiership.

Nick Stavroulakis during his playing days astatine Sydney United. Photo: Supplied

Joining Melbourne Victory

His NPL success did not spell unnoticed arsenic helium σύντομα recovered himself successful the sights of Melbourne Victory.

“I got a telephone telephone from Arthur Diles astatine Melbourne Victory. The nine called maine and I got the adjunct relation successful January 2025,” Stavroulakis said.

He gave afloat recognition to Diles, whom helium has known for a agelong time, for the accidental to work astatine Victory, saying helium “stuck his cervix retired for me”.

Stavroulakis and Diles (who was successful his archetypal play arsenic a caput coach) helped steer the broadside to the A-League Grand Final where they fell conscionable abbreviated against Melbourne City.

“We missed retired connected conscionable 1 crippled to unafraid silverware, but I was very grateful for that experience, for sure,” Stavroulakis said.

Nick Stavroulakis had 1 of his champion seasons successful 2016, aft the encephalon aneurysm. Photo: Supplied

The Jets revival

The Greek Australian’s aboriginal taste of A-League was further developed aft helium became adjunct manager astatine Newcastle Jets for the 2025/26 season.

For Stavroulakis, the relation represented not lone a accidental to assistance Newcastle but besides reunite with 1 of his oldest friends successful Mark Milligan (the caput coach).

“I’ve been adjacent with Milligan since I was 15, having played against each different and played with each other,” helium said.

“We’ve got a truly agelong narration together arsenic mates and we ever spoke astir however it would beryllium bully to work together again aft our acquisition astatine St George.”

Stavroulakis admitted Newcastle was an charismatic proposition to him personally since working successful Melbourne had kept him distant from his family.

Beyond that, helium remarked helium was excited astatine the imaginable of working with and improving the emerging youngsters of Newcastle.

“There’s a batch of bully talent present successful Newcastle. Milligan and I some wanted to physique the players to try and play successful the way we spot the game. It was something that Milligan and I wanted to work together with and spot where it took us.”

It lone took a fistful of games under the caller coaching staff for the nine to unafraid silverware arsenic they won the 2025 Australia Cup, something they adjacent did not expect.

“It was a quicker progression than we thought, to beryllium honorable with you. And astir apt too σύντομα for the way we wanted to bash things,” Stavroulakis said.

He praised the achievement, which was Newcastle’s archetypal trophy since 2008, noting it instilled contiguous assurance among the players.

He expressed, however, his content it whitethorn person besides had an interaction connected their slow start successful the A-League (losing 4 of their archetypal 5 matches).

Despite their sluggish start, the Jets would spell connected to marque much past arsenic they went connected a club-record 8 wins successful a row, a tally of signifier that helped found them arsenic 1 of the premiership favourites.

Nick Stavroulakis and Mark Milligan person had an contiguous interaction astatine Newcastle Jets, spearheading an historical play that could gain the nine its archetypal A-League premiership. Photo: Supplied

Stavroulakis stressed it did not travel arsenic a surprise for him and the different staff.

“The quality is that we spot these guys each day, so we weren’t truly shocked due to the fact that we spot however hard they work each time and we spot what they bash daily,” helium said.

He praised the maturation successful crowds this play which has seen locals travel backmost to the stadium.

“For us, we wanted to marque sure that the marque of shot that was brought to beingness helped warrant bringing radical into the ground. And I think we’ve seen that.”

The Jets are presently connected track to win the premiership, which would beryllium its archetypal successful nine history.

Pride successful his family

Stavroulakis expressed immense pridefulness successful his full family, singling retired his Athens-born begetter arsenic a pivotal crushed helium fell successful emotion with the world game.

“We grew up successful a location where we lone followed football,” helium said.

He stressed his begetter and parent played influential roles for him increasing up, serving arsenic his biggest supporters and biggest critics.

“I americium everlastingly grateful for them arsenic parents, but besides very grateful that my begetter introduced maine to this sport that has fixed maine so much.”