It has been a long journey to a senior coaching gig for Matthew Nicks, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Fittingly, his story (so far) starts and ends in Adelaide.

As a kid, Nicks grew up in Belair in the Adelaide Hills with his parents and older brother Paul.

There’s no doubt football has been the sporting love of his life, but it all started with soccer.

“As a kid, everything revolved around sport for me - it didn’t matter what sport,” Nicks told AFC Media.

“I played soccer for most of my junior life - right the way through primary school and most of high school.”

He was sixteen before he first played Australian Rules Football, but his love for the game started well before then.

“I watched a lot of footy - we were Sturt supporters growing up,” Nicks said.

“We’d get out and see Rick Davies and Peter Motley play - Motley was my idol growing up.

“When Adelaide came in to the AFL we transferred across and began supporting the Crows.”

At 17, he joined West Adelaide - the Club that gave him the opportunity to play in the AFL.

“I played as a full forward when I first started out and I got to know the game really well there,” Nicks said.

“I really enjoyed going through the ranks and playing in a Reserves premiership in 1994 - alongside Micky Godden actually.”

West Adelaide Football Club 1994 Premiership photo featuring Matthew Nicks

The day of the 1994 AFL draft was one Nicks will never forget.

Selected with pick No. 21, he became a Sydney Swan, facing the biggest move of his life.

Elated with the realisation he’d made it to the AFL, it was still a bittersweet moment for Nicks.

“Disappointed isn’t the right word, but I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t picked up by Adelaide,” Nicks said. 

“For Sydney to pick me up as early as they did was a shock, and it was going to be a big move.”

But it ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to him.

“For my football and my career, I went to an outstanding football club in the Sydney Swans,” Nicks said.

“They looked after me and have given me everything from that point on - I owe them a lot.”

Matthew Nicks, Michael O'Loughlin and Andrew Dunkley at the Sydney Swans

Over his 11 years at the Swans, he had his fair share of challenges with injury and illness.

In 2005, he knew it was time to say goodbye to his AFL career.

“You feel when things are coming to an end as a player,” Nicks said.

“Your performance is dropping away, your body gets sorer and your mind ends up being ahead of your body.

“I felt that coming with about three years to go so I got into the financial markets.”

He spent five years as a stockbroker, but in the end, his love for football drew him back in.

“I really did miss the teamwork that’s involved in footy so I got back in working informally as a coach in the Sydney Footy League,” Nicks said.

“Back in Adelaide, I spent a couple of years (coaching) at Scotch College and then got a call from Port Adelaide about working in development.

“When I first arrived, Matty Primus was coaching and we went through some tough times.

“Then Ken Hinkley came across and I learnt a lot off of Ken – eight years at Port Adelaide gave me great experience.”

Matthew Nicks speaks to Nathan Krakouer ahead of a Port Adelaide game in 2015

As his passion for coaching grew, so did his desire to obtain a head coaching role.

“The moment I decided to coach in the Sydney Footy League, I think I was working towards that head coaching role,” Nicks said.

But it was never a rush, I wanted to wait for the right opportunity so the moment this position (at Adelaide) became available, I knew that this was the one.

And now, he’s the Senior Coach of the Football Club he loved growing up. 

Even sweeter, he gets to bring the people he loves most home to Adelaide.

“Family is everything, it’s number one – that’s why I’m doing what I do – and we’re a lot happier to be home,” Nicks said.

“Having three kids under the age of five - it’s a lot of fun, it’s chaos, but that’s all part of it.

“Sometimes you need to just pause in the moment and enjoy it - I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

After nine years in the coaching system, Nicks understands the significant role family plays at any football club.

“I’m big on us creating a family atmosphere (at Adelaide),” Nicks said.

“There’s our immediate families, and then there’s our club family and that’s our supporter base - whether you’re a member or not.

Getting us all on the same page (as a family) is part of what we’re going to try and do over the next few years.

Win or lose, Nicks’ goal is to ensure the club is delivering performances the Crows family can be proud of.

“We want everyone to come away from games being proud of what our family has done on that day,” Nicks said.

“We’ve got a lot of staff you don’t see on camera and they’re part of that family as well.

“If we can perform well, the outcome takes care of itself.”