Springvale White Eagles Football Club is a semi-professional Australian soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria currently playing in the Victorian Premier League 2. Founded by Serbian Australians, they play at the Serbian Sports Centre in Keysborough, Victoria.
They were founded in 1975 and were in the Victorian Premier League from 1997 to 1999, 2007 and 2011.
History Springvale White Eagles Club was formed in 1975 as Springvale United, and have been known by their current name since 1995.
In 2002 White Eagles got into the State League Cup Final, losing 4–2 to Westvale.
In June 2007, the coach Leon Gardikiotis resigned less than a month after replacing from Zoran Trajceski. The club president Zoran Stojanovic also resigned. In 2008, Springvale White Eagles appointed former Frankston Pines coach Stan Webster, who experienced little success at the club.
The club was promoted to the Victorian Premier League in 2010, but suffered relegation in their first season in the top flight in the following year.
In 2012 Springvale were relegated from State League 1, having finished bottom of the league with just 1 win in 22 league games. − They took out the State League 2 South-East title the following season, pipping Dandenong City SC by one point.
National Premier Leagues Victoria (2014–present) The club entered the NPL Victoria 2 division for the 2014 season, the new second tier of soccer in Victoria. The club finished the season in 12th place in the 14 team league, just avoiding the relegation playoffs.
In 2015, the NPL 2 was split into an East and West division with the White Eagles competing in the East division, finishing in nineteenth place overall in the NPL1 league system. Late in October 2015, head manager Zlatko Mihajlović resigned from his position. Shortly after, Mihajlović was replaced by Boyan Mitkov as the new senior head coach. Springvale then lost key player Šimo Jovanović to Kingston City. Jovanović had spent his entire career with the White Eagles, progressing through the youth system to eventually become the club's captain. On 12 April 2016, it was announced that Mitkov and his assistant Gus Caminos (who were winless in their first seven league games in the NPL2 season) had resigned from their positions, with former White Eagles player Nik Kovacevic announced as the replacement. Springvale subsequently finished the season in 6th place in the NPL2 East, its second best-ever finish in the NPL2 competition. In November 2016, head coach Kovacevic departed the club to return to Pascoe Vale as a senior assistant coach.
Springvale White Eagles appointed former Altona Magic coach Vlado Tortevski as their new manager for the 2017 NPL2 season. Despite winning three of their opening four NPL2 league games, Tortevski's side then won just one of the following ten, leading to the departure of the head coach in May 2017. The White Eagles finished the season in 7th place.
For the 2018 season, Springvale reappointed former club coach Nik Kovacevic to lead the team, and had a total of 7 key signings in the off-season. This included the experienced central defensive partnership of Pavle Durkic (formerly at Whittlesea Ranges FC) and Milos Tošić (formerly at West Adelaide SC). Also adding to the squad were Andy Kecojević, Marcus Dimanche, Delarno Pharoe, Slaven Vranešević and Englishmen Luke Barrow. With the mid-season loss of Captain Dejan Erakovic the Eagles brought in other key signings to its squad, including Bonel Obradović, Nemanja Lojanica and Nenad Nikolic. The Eagles finished the 2018 campaign in fourth place in the NPL2 East, its best finish since the inception of the NPL in 2014.
In 2019 the club finished in last place, with just four wins in 28 games, and were relegated to NPL3 for the 2020 season. Head coach Nebojsa Vukosavljevic resigned after the club's relegation, with Springvale appointing former Socceroo John Markovski for the 2020 NPL3 campaign.
In 2024, the club finished second on the State League 1 ladder with a 3-1 victory over the Eltham Redbacks in the final game of the season, this win secured the club a return to the Victorian Premier League in 2025 after a 2 year hiatus.
Achievements
League Division Champions Runners Up VIC State League 1st Division (x2) 1996, 2010 (x2) 2006, 2024 VIC State League 2nd Division SE (x1) 2005 VIC State League 2nd Division (x1) 1995 VIC State League 3rd Division (x1) 1992 VIC Metropolitan League Division 4 (x1) 1984 VIC Buffalo Provisional League Division 3 (x1) 1983 VIC Provisional League Division 4 (x1) 1982 VIC District League Division 3 (x1) 1981
Cup Cup Champions Runners Up Victorian State League Cup – (x1) 2002 Karadjordje Cup (x8) 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2023 (x5) 2000, 2006, 2012, 2016, 2022
Victorian Premier League/NPL Victoria Highest finish: 6th in 1997 Season Appearances: 5 Seasons Greatest home win: 8–2 against Melton Reds in 1997 Greatest away win: 6–0 against Westvale in 1999
Notable current and former international players
Vince Grella Rodrigo Vargas U20 Ricky Diaco U20 Miloš Lujić U20 Zlatko Mihajlović U20 Bonel Obradović Nebojša Pejić Kenny Athiu Taban Makoii
Individual awards Bill Fleming Medal – Media voted VPL Player of the Year 1999 – Zlatko Mihajlović
Club Top Goal Scorers 2024 - Matheus Assumpção - 14 2023 - Nashir Hussainy - 6 2022 - Nashir Hussainy - 12 2021 - Andy Kecojevic - 5 2020 - Cancelled due to COVID-19 2019 - Taban Makoii - 7 2018 - Damir Stoilovic - 9 2017 - Damir Stoilovic - 10 2016 - Damir Stoilovic - 16 2015 – Hernan de Rito – 6 2014 – Vojislav Milojević – 11 2013 – Stephane Leblond – 15 2012 – Philip Ajao – 5 2011 – Goran Zoric – 8 2010 – Nenad Pavasovic – 8 2009 – Zoran Vukas – 6 2008 – Grujo Mrdić – 7 2007 – Goran Zorić – 5 2006 – Nikolaos Papadopoulos – 11 2005 – Sastre Teyedor Juan – 11 2004 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 9 2003 – Ricky Diaco – 12 2002 – Eric Styczen – 9 2001 – Nebojsa Kozlica – 6 2000 – Eric Styczen – 6 1999 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 10 1998 – Sasha Nikolić – 4 1997 – Danny Gnjidić – 14 1996 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 16 1995 – Micheal Michalakopoulos – 14 1994 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 7 1993 – Zlatko Mihaljović – 11 1992 – Zlatko Mihaljović – 12 1991 – Ian Kerezovic – 9
Stadium
White Eagles play at the Serbian Sports Centre (Srpski Sportski Centar).
Current squad
Squad correct at 21 February 2025.
Competition timeline SeasonLeagueTop scorerDockerty Cup Division Position Player(s) Goals1982Div4262015752352432nd 1983Div3262321952174481st Runner up1984Div4261655613427372nd 1985Div3261457543717335th 1986Div3261041259518249th 1987Div32411494045−5264th 1988Div3261439624022316th 1989Div32668123166−252011th 1990Div32674152858−301812th 1991Div32678112536−113111th Ian Kerezovic 91992Div3281900672344471st Zlatko Mihaljović121993Div2261655471730373rd Zlatko Mihaljović111994Div226117841329295th Zlatko Mihaljović 71995Div2261853562927591st Micheal Michalakopoulos 141996Div1261745562729551st Zlatko Mihaljović161997VPL26118743376416th Danny Gnjidić141998VPL2686122742−153011th Sasha Nikolić41999VPL2686123740−33011th Zlatko Mihaljović102000Div12264122636−10229th Eric Styczen62001Div1228682737−10308th Nebojsa Kozlica62002Div12255123457−232011th Eric Styczen9 Runner up 2003SL2SE22104834322345th Ricky Diaco122004SL2SE2248102545−202010th Zlatko Mihaljović92005SL2221444502525461st Sastre Teyedor Juan112006SL122116530228392nd Nikolaos Papadopoulos112007VPL2612231777−60516th Goran Zorić5No cup2008SL12256112538−13219th Grujo Mrdić72009SL12245133141−101710th Zoran Vukas62010SL1221237453411392nd Nenad Pavasovic82011VPL2436152462381511th Goran Zoric8Quarter final2012SL12215161969−49812th Philip Ajao5 Zone final2013SL222135433249441st Stephane Leblond144th round2014NPL 22673164463192412th Vojislav Milojević116th round2015NPL 2284519245430179th Hernan de Rito65th round2016NPL 228124125243+9406th Damir Stoilovic164th round2017NPL 22810414445814327th Damir Stoilovic 104th round2018NPL 2281161141476394th Damir Stoilovic 94th round2019NPL 22847172670 −441910thTaban Makoii72nd round2020NPL 300000000Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia2021NPL 3142391937 −189CancelledAndrija Kecojevic5Cancelled2022NPL 32261153560 -251811thNashir Hussainy122023SL12245131735 -181710thNashir Hussainy62024SL12215245325 28482ndMatheus Assumpção14
Managerial history
Gus MacLeod (1987–1996) Dušan Kalezić (1997–1998) John Gardiner (1998) Miloš Nasić (1999) Bobby McLaughlin (1999) Zoran Trajčevski (2006–2007) Vlado Zorić (2007) / Leon Gardikiotis (2007) James Sid (2007) Stan Webster (2008) / Zlatko Mihajlović (2008–2011) / Bojo Jevdjevic (2012) / Zlatko Mihajlović (2013–2015) / Boyan Mitkov (2015–2016) / Nik Kovačević (2016) / Vlado Tortevski (2017) / Nik Kovačević (2018–2019) / Nebojša Vukosavljević (2019) / John Markovski (2020) / Artour Kirichian (2021–2022) / Darko Djurić (2022-2023)
Andrew Skledar (2024-)
External links Official website (archived) Football Federation Victoria Official website Serbian Sports Centre – official website (archived)
References