Football Victoria set to change NPL junior boys for 2020

Football Victoria, in a media release earlier this week, have announced that next year, the Junior Boys NPLVIC will be expanding.

12 new licenses were granted to sides as the competition will have 48 eligible teams.

It is a great move by FV, showcasing that the sport at the community level is just as important as the elite level.

With this expansion, the sport of soccer in Victoria will be allowed the grow as more aspiring juniors from more suburbs will have access to playing NPL for their local sides.

The media release can be found below in full:

Football Victoria (FV) has announced a major expansion of its Junior Boys National Premier League (JBNPL) competition for season 2020.

Following the most comprehensive review ever commissioned by FV, the revamped JBNPL will have up to 48 eligible teams next year after FV granted 12 new licenses today.

The 18-month review, which covered both the Men’s and Boys’ competitions, was completed by Sports Business Partners (SBP) in September 2018.

In line with the review’s recommendations, the FV Board agreed the 2020 JBNPL will now comprise four age levels – U13, U14, U15 and U16.

Subsequently, FV’s Board unanimously agreed on the recommendations made by the Assessment Panel to accept the following 12 new licenses (in alphabetical order below).

  1. Ashburton United SC
  2. Berwick City
  3. Caroline Springs George Cross
  4. Eltham Redbacks FC
  5. Essendon Royals SC
  6. Gippsland FC
  7. Glen Eira FC
  8. Malvern City FC
  9. Mornington SC
  10. Nunawading City FC
  11. Peninsula Strikers FC
  12. Ringwood City FC

In addition, all existing NPL and Hyundai A-League (HAL) clubs will be eligible for new licenses for the JBNPL 2020 competition.Both existing and new clubs must agree to the updated participation license in order to take part in the JBNPL 2020 competition.

FV President Kimon Taliadoros said the granting of new JBNPL licenses followed a competitive application process involving all interested community clubs.

“Football Victoria would like to thank and congratulate each of the 31 clubs for their submissions and interest in the JBNPL 2020 competition. FV was overwhelmed by the quality of the applications,” Mr Taliadoros said. “The unanimous selection of the successful 12 clubs by the Assessment Panel followed a stringent process in accordance with the published JBNPL criteria.”

As part of its commitment to improving junior development, FV will regularly review the NPL Junior Boys competition structure – including the provision to increase the number of clubs beyond 2020. FV will also continue to work with the unsuccessful applicants and any other community clubs who aspire to participate in Football Victoria’s NPL Boys Junior Development pathway competitions.

The Assessment Panel consisted of highly credentialed individuals with expertise across the various criteria.

FV has also confirmed that an additional position is available (to make up the 48 clubs for season 2020) as a result of Western United delaying their entry until the 2021 season.

As such, the Board has requested the Assessment Panel consider an additional license. FV will conduct a review in the next two weeks to confirm which club will be offered that license.

FV’s new JBNPL 2020 competition structure is designed to improve the level of competition whilst providing more opportunities to aspirational Victorian footballers. The competition will feature an 11-game qualification phase before teams are re-graded into leagues that best reflect their competitiveness.

Further details of the competition structure can be found at footballvictoria.com.au or by clicking here.

FV is well underway with the equivalent Women & Girls’ competition review with recommendations to be considered by the board in mid-August. The full report will be released to the football community once the recommendations have been approved.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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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

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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.

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