John Tambouras

John Tambouras
John Tambouras
Born	January 30, 1979 (age 47); Darwin, Australia
Occupation	Footballer (former)
Years active	1997–2010
Known for	Professional Australian football player

John Tambouras (born 30 January 1979 in Darwin, Australia) is a former professional Australian football player.

Club career

Tambouras initiated his semi-professional journey with South Melbourne F.C. before transferring overseas to Greece to represent Kalamata, where he appeared in matches against Olympiacos during the Intertoto Cup competition.

Subsequently, he joined the professional New Zealand outfit Auckland Kingz for the 2003–2004 season of the Australian NSL, where he was honored as the club’s "Player of the Year." In the next season, Tambouras competed in the inaugural A-League campaign with the New Zealand Knights, although his contract was not renewed after that season.

He then signed with Malaysian side Pahang, playing a pivotal role in their victory in the FA Cup final decided by penalties. After a short stint back with the New Zealand Knights, Tambouras underwent an unsuccessful trial at Romanian club FC Universitatea Craiova before securing a contract with Irish team Drogheda United in July 2007. While at Drogheda, he took part in UEFA Cup qualifying rounds and helped the club claim its maiden League of Ireland championship.

Following his time in Ireland, Tambouras agreed to a three-year deal with Azerbaijani club Neftchi Baku after completing a week-long trial period.

In June 2009, he returned to Australia to join the newly formed A-League franchise North Queensland Fury for their inaugural season.

On 2 March 2010, Tambouras trialed with and subsequently signed for Chinese second-tier team Guangzhou Evergrande. He made his debut in a China League One match on 10 April against Pudong Zobon, but was released from the squad after just two appearances in June.

Coaching

In October 2010, Tambouras took on the position of skills acquisition coach for the Northern Territory, a role created and partially financed by FFA. His responsibilities include coaching players aged between 9 and 13 according to the National Curriculum.