Football Victoria announce 30 new 5-Star clubs

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Football Victoria has confirmed the 30 latest inductees into the Club Engagement Program (CEP) 5-Star club.

The 5-Star status was awarded to 22 community, 1 NPLW and 7 NPL clubs across Victoria.

Seven clubs were inducted into the exclusive group last year.

Football Victoria CEO Peter Filopoulos claimed the creation of the CEP and Club Ambassadors were an important initiative under the state federation’s strategic pillar of Clubs. The program helps clubs throughout the state become stronger and gives them the opportunity to provide consistent positive experiences for all.

The CEP is an on-line development platform that gives clubs the chance to answer a series of questions regarding all aspects of their football such as:

  • Governance and Capacity;
  • Female Participation;
  • Inclusive Participation;
  • Facilities;
  • Meeting Demand;
  • Community Citizenship; and
  • Football Experience.

The program’s objectives and a number of its measurement methods were used last month by Football Federation Australia. The federation launched the program as The National Club Development Program (NCDP).

Mr Filopoulos said the program recognised clubs for the things they did well, but also gave them an aspirational template to strive for further success.

“Our clubs and players are the very reason FV exists.  We have a commitment and a duty to help them be viable, sustainable and successful. We want them to be the very best they can be regardless of status, geography or demography,” Mr Filopoulos said.

“We know that our clubs are all different because of their demographics, socio-economic factors, facilities, local council relationships, competitor activity and regional factors.

“Ensuring they are strong, vibrant and delivering great experiences for all is a core strategic pillar of Football Victoria to help grow the number of participants of all ages, genders and abilities in our great game.

“Over the past two years in Victoria, we have invested heavily in directly engaging clubs with our Club Ambassadors and providing them with a successful framework to improve. We welcome the NCDP being rolled out nationally by the FFA.”

The full list of all the Victorian 5-Star clubs is below.

5-Star Clubs League
Altona City SC Community
Aspendale SC Community
Berwick City SC Community
Brighton SC Community
Brimbank Stallions FC* Community
Casey Comets FC Community
Chelsea FC Community
Collingwood City FC Community
Coonans Hill SC Community
Craigieburn City FC Community
East Gippsland United FC Community
Essendon Royals SC Community
Fawkner SC Community
Glen Eira FC Community
Hampton Junior SC Community
Keilor Park SC* Community
Maribyrnong Swifts FC Community
Mount Martha SC Community
Myrtleford Savoy SC* Community
North Caulfield Junior & Women FC Community
Sandringham SC Community
South Yarra SC Community
Spring Hills FC Community
Thomastown Raiders FC Community
Wangaratta City FC* Community
Williamstown SC Community
Ballarat City FC NPL
Brunswick City SC NPL
Dandenong City SC NPL
Dandenong Thunder SC NPL
Green Gully SC NPL
Moreland City SC NPL
Moreland Zebras FC* NPL
Pascoe Vale FC* NPL
Whittlesea Ranges FC NPL
Bayside United FC NPLW
Calder United SC* NPLW

*Existing 5-Star Club

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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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