Widely recognised among rugby league circles, former player, turned head coach, turned manager Stan Martin has passed away at the age of 72.
Playing as a dummy-half during the local and regional levels during his younger years, Martin was named Auckland Rugby League's Player of the Year in 1980 before turning to a career in coaching.
This saw him coach several representative teams, including the Junior Kiwis, Cook Islands at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) and the Kiwi Ferns at the Women's RLWC in 2008.
Everyone at the club is saddened to hear of the passing of Stan Martin.
Stan coached Whitehaven from 1995 to 1999 and gave us some great memories with the team he built.
All our thoughts are with his family at this sad time🤎💙💛 pic.twitter.com/pkTWH5pCzm
— Whitehaven Rugby League (@OfficialHavenRl) September 10, 2025
An accredited agent, he founded Sports Vision Management in 2002, which lists several NRL stars among its client base, including Brandon Smith, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Deine Mariner and Erin Clark.
"It is with great sadness to inform you all of the passing of our foundation SVM founder, Stan Martin," a statement read on social media.
"Stan passed peacefully this morning with his whanau at his bedside in Auckland Hospital at 9.35am this morning."
