Western United providing opportunities for Victoria University students

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Image via Western United & Victoria University

Western United and Victoria University (VU) are continuing their association for a further two years, in a win for students and the football industry.

VU has supported Western United since their inception in 2018 and will remain a premier partner of the club, aiming to provide a unique work placement experience for its students.

Work placement opportunities will be offered in Western United’s marketing and commercial sector, football and matchday operations, and consumer business developments.

VU also offers courses in physiotherapy and sports science which, whilst not disclosed in the official press release, could see students offered a valuable experience with the club.

Given the promise around Western United’s expansion, the decision to continue its collaboration with VU is a sensible one, and presents an exciting opportunity for students with ambitions to enter the football industry.

University affiliations are a key feature for many A-League clubs, who recognise the role they can play student aspirations and the broader community.

In addition, it creates many benefits for Australia’s football industry, where new and existing jobs continue to grow both locally and nationally.

VU Vice-Chancellor Professor, Adam Shoemaker, elaborated further on this via press release.

“Victoria University is a leader in sports education and research, and we are so pleased to continue our support of Western United – a club synonymous with Melbourne’s west,” he said.

“Together, we are kicking off a new chapter of collaboration, fostering growth on and off the pitch for VU students and communities.”

Meanwhile, Western United General Manager of Commercial, Chris Speldewinde, is overjoyed to be working with VU for another two years.

“VU have shown their support since our inception and as we have grown as a Club, they have been great partners and will continue this for at least another two seasons,” he added via media release.

“The opportunity to work with students within the Club has been rewarding for both parties. We truly value the opportunity to have the support from one of the great institutions in the West.”

As part of the renewal, VU will continue to be Western United’s shirt sleeve sponsor for the next two seasons, and will feature prominently on home match days and social media campaigns.

Supporting the next generation of industry leaders is crucial to the long-term development of Australian football, and through Western United’s continuing partnership with VU, empowers young people to drive the future of the game.

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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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