FIFA Football for Schools Programme starts in Northern Territory

Staff Writer
FIFA Football for Schools
Image credit: Daniel Abrantes Photography

The FIFA Football for Schools Programme has commenced in the Northern Territory, hosting a suite of initiatives that will see over $70,000 of funding injected into schools in the region.

FIFA Football for Schools is a key programme run by FIFA, delivering football activities that teach life skills and education at the same time. In collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), they contribute to the empowerment of around 700 million children, by making football more accessible to both boys and girls.

FIFA Football for Schools in the Northern Territory was made possible by FIFA, Football Australia, Football Northern Territory, and the Northern Territory government.

The Northern Territory is the first Australian state to secure FIFA Football for Schools funding and becomes part of Football Australia’s strategy to engage more school students in football by aligning to its core objectives and outcomes – the main objective being to encourage students to engage in physical literacy and learning about life principles and skills through sport.

Football Australia CEO, James Johnson on the impact of FIFA Football for Schools via press release:

“We’re so grateful to be the recipient of FIFA Football for Schools funding, it’s a program that has been rolled out globally and we’re excited about the impact it can have for young people across the Northern Territory,” he said.

“We identified an opportunity to build on our existing engagement with First Nations people within the region through Football Northern Territory and this FIFA Football for Schools funding will help enhance this work further.

“More than 45 percent of students identify as First Nations in the Northern Territory, with a vast majority of schools in remote or very remote areas. We want to ensure we’re connecting with these students and providing them with opportunities to engage with football, enjoying the many benefits our game can bring including improved health and wellbeing, creating lifelong friendships and uniting community.”

Funding from FIFA Football for Schools will go towards school curriculums, regional roadshows for remote communities, involvement in after school and holiday programs and the delivery of major events.

“We’ve worked very closely with the Football Northern Territory and the Department of Education to put together what we feel is a thorough program of activities that aligns with our collective objectives, and I look forward to seeing it brought to life in the coming weeks and months,” Johnson added.

Football Northern Territory has already rolled out The FIFA Football for Schools program, starting Wednesday July 19.

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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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