Stacey Papadopoulos traded Australia for Scotland when she joined the Hibees in 2024!

Born into an Australian-Greek football-loving family, ‘Papa’ would spend her formative years watching on as her older brothers played the sport before soon joining in herself. 

Starting out with Victoria side Heidelberg United, and being a member of A-League club Melbourne Victory’s training squad aged just 15, preceded spells abroad in the US, Hungary and Greece for Papadopoulos. 

At Northern Premier League Victoria club Calder United, the versatile full-back won multiple titles before making the step up to professional football with A-League club Western United.

Papadopoulos quickly became a fans’ favourite with United, with the team finishing second and third in the league across her two seasons with the club. The club also reached the A-League Grand Final in 2023, but lost out to Sydney. 

Injuries limited Papa’s minutes in her first season with the west Melbourne club, though she would play in all of their 22 league matches the following year before making the move to Hibernian in May 2024 – signing a two-year deal on a pre-contract agreement with the Club. 

In her first season in Leith, Papadopoulos quickly became a popular squad member amongst her new peers and excelled on the pitch, also. Playing 33 times and scoring twice – both of which were terrific long-range strikes – across all competitions helped Hibs to title success.