10-year infrastructure strategy revealed for football in NSW

Philip Panas06/10/2020 5:31 am06/10/2020

Football NSW and Northern NSW Football have released a state-wide football infrastructure strategy, which will address the need for investment in facilities over the next ten years.

The governing bodies have begun working on a plan of action that will see crucial upgrades in infrastructure be implemented across the state, including improved lighting, pitches and changing facilities.

A statement on Football NSW’s website detailed that over 270,000 people currently play football at 1000 clubs on 2250 playing fields in the state, however, half of those pitches have poor drainage.

CEO of Football NSW, Stuart Hodge, believes the continued rise in participation numbers of people playing the game needs to be adequately supported by appropriate investment in facilities.

“Identifying and understanding the infrastructure required to support and sustain community football over the coming decade is imperative to our communities,” he said.

“The NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy was commissioned in response to an independent audit of almost 1000 community football facilities, comprising 2200 individual pitches throughout 2018 and 2019.

“The audit identified the acute need for investment in football facilities to ensure the game has the capacity to cater for the projected boom in participation, particularly following the announcement that Australia will co-host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

Northern NSW Football CEO, David Eland, added: “Female participation in football continues to exceed expectations and will only increase amidst the excitement of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Developing new facilities and improving existing infrastructure which ensures that the nation’s largest club-based sport is inclusive is crucial.

“This strategy will be central to the NSW 2023 FWWC Legacy Strategy, which will be developed in conjunction with Football Federation Australia and the NSW Government to ensure football has the capacity to embrace thousands of new female participants inspired by the exploits of the mighty Westfield Matildas on home soil.”

The NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy can be found here.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Declan Chan15/04/2026 6:15 am14/04/2026

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.