Persib Bandung become inaugural Indonesian club to join Socios.com

Matthew Badrov14/06/2022 5:55 am13/06/2022

Indonesian Liga 1 side Persib Bandung have announced that they are officially set to launch a Fan Token on Socios.com.

Persib becomes the first Indonesian club to partner with the world-leading blockchain powered fan engagement and rewards app, giving fans of the side a chance to be a part of a growing digital sporting community.

Fan Tokens are digital assets that give sports fans access to a new digital service provided by their favourite teams. More than 1.5 million users from 167 countries have downloaded Socios.com, with Fan Token holders able to influence their favourite teams in polls, earn rewards, VIP experiences and access games, competitions and exclusive offers on the app.

Based in Bandung, Jawa Barat, Persib is one of the biggest football clubs in Indonesia and has been established since 1933. Persib won the Indonesian football league twice, once in the 1994/1995 season and again in 2014/15.

The club is focused on the next generation of talent and is committed to developing its Education and Training programme through its Elite Youth Program, creating a positive impact for the Indonesian football industry.

Persib joins a roster of over 150 major sporting organisations to have embraced Socios.com. Big names from Socios.com’s extensive network include Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Valencia, Atlético de Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Socios.com is on course to run at least 500 polls this year for its growing community of Fan Token holders, enabling them to influence fan-centric decisions on matters ranging from kit designs to squad numbers and celebration songs. Socios.com will also reward more fans than ever before with as many as 17,000 fans set to watch games for the teams they love in style in 2022.

Teddy Tjahjono, Director of PT Persib Bandung Bermartabat, in a statement:

“We are very happy and proud to welcome Socios.com as our partner. Persib is a club that is very open and supportive to various innovations and new technologies. Together with Socios.com, we believe that we can offer new opportunities for the entire Persib fan base, both in Indonesia and around the world to engage more deeply and to be at the forefront with the club.

“The Persib Fan Token will be a great tool for us, bringing our global digital fanbase of more than 20 million closer to the club.”

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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.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.