Adelaide United commits to supporting next generation talent

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Adelaide United junior development program
Image credit: Adelaide United

Adelaide United has confirmed the launch of a new junior development program, set to start in October 2023.

The new program will be spearheaded by former Adelaide United player, Marcelo Carrusca, who brings eight years worth of youth development experience to the role. The program in fact will be an expansion of Carrusca’s pre-existing development program that has been a staple of the South Australian football community.

The new program will offer participants elite coaching, holistic development, confidence boosting activities, and it will also promote education on healthy lifestyles. The club aims for the program to be delivered in a safe and inclusive environment, helping participants not only grow as footballers but as better community members.

“Adelaide United Junior Development Program is built with a strong emphasis on skill development, respect, teamwork, and social skills. Not only will the Program develop football skills, but it will teach valuable life skills to use off the field,” the club said via press release.

The program comes off the back of a survey the club conducted with 700 of their fans. The aim of the survey was to better understand what fans wished to get from the club and football generally. As a result of the survey the club discovered that for many of the fans the Adelaide United Football Club is one of the paramount custodians of community football in South Australia.

Following this result, the Club then set to work developing ways that they can live up to this expectation. Adelaide United Chief Executive Officer Nathan Kosmina spoke of this custodial role in the programmes launch.

“As custodians of the game in South Australia, we are delivering on an aspiration to be champions of our community,” he said via press release.

“We are thrilled to be fostering skills both on and off the field to South Australian children, many of whom might have only been introduced to football recently.

“The investment in this program is testament to our commitment to the future of this great Club and the important role it plays in the South Australian community.

“The Adelaide United Junior Development Program is a key pillar in our community engagement and talent development strategies.”

The programs leader, Marcelo Carrusca, added to the CEO’s sentiments expressing the core aims that the program hopes to achieve for the South Australian community.

“I am so happy to be back home at Adelaide United,” he stated via media release.

“The new Adelaide United Junior Development Program will teach South Australian children the fundamentals of football, in addition to skills off the field to be the best person they can be.

“Our coaches are amongst the best in Australia, and I can’t wait to have a positive impact on so many South Australian kids.”

This announcement comes at a perfect time for football development. Not only is it the eve of return the hotly anticipated Isuzu UTE A-League season, but it’s also the time when interest in the game at the junior level is at an all-time high. Announcements such as this are a great indicator that the interest sparked by the home FIFA Women’s World Cup is going to affect real change and give more chances for the next generation of Australian football talent to succeed.

The full program schedule is as follows:

St Clair Oval
Address: Brocas Ave, St Clair SA 5011
Dates & Session Times:
Monday, 23 October – Monday, 11 December (8 Sessions)
5 – 8 Year Old – 6:00pm – 7:00pm
9 – 13 Year Old – 7:15pm – 8:15pm

Saturday, 28 October – Saturday, 16 December (8 Session)
5 – 8 Year Old – 9:00am – 10:00am
9 – 13 Year Old – 10:15am – 11:15am

Ridley Reserve East
Address: Judd Road, Elizabeth SA 5112
Dates & Session Times:
Wednesday, 25 October – Wednesday, 13 December (8 Sessions)
5 – 8 Year Old – 6:00pm – 7:00pm
9 – 13 Year Old – 7:15pm – 8:15pm

*The club has also committed to offering girls-only sessions at Ridley Reserve on Wednesdays and St Clair on Saturdays.

Registration can be made via this link: https://adelaideunited.com.au/community/junior-development-program

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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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