Adelaide United confirm PSV legend as Technical Director

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Image credit: Coopers Stadium official Facebook page

Adelaide United confirmed that PSV legend and former Dutch international Ernest Faber will become the club’s Technical Director.

This announcement is linked to the recent strategic partnership between Adelaide United and Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, further demonstrating the Club’s commitment to longer term football investment.

Securing someone of Faber’s elite European football prestige is a brilliant move by the Reds and will advance their already successful off-field development plan that has seen Nestory Irankunda and Joe Gauci leave for big funds.

Faber was appointed Assistant Manager of the Netherlands national team in 2011 under Bert van Marwijk and worked with the national side at the UEFA Euro 2012.

Faber became PSV’s Head of Youth Academy in 2018 and will conclude his tenure there on June 30, 2024. He will join the Reds in July, relocating to Adelaide.

Faber expressed his excitement at joining the club and the challenges that lie ahead for him.

“I am truly honoured and excited to be starting this new challenge and cannot wait to get started,” Faber said in an interview.

“When I came to visit Adelaide in January, I was very impressed with the culture of the Club.

“There are a number of really good young players in South Australia, and I am really excited to work with Marius and the entire Football Department to help elevate the Club to the standards it strives for.”

Adelaide United Chair, Ned Morris mentioned how impactful this move was going to be for the club’s future.

“Today is a monumental day for our great club and we are absolutely thrilled that Ernest has committed to Adelaide United,” Morris said in a club statement.

“Our goal is to become the most successful Club in Australia, and having Ernest’s wealth of experience on and off the field is incredibly valuable to us.

“Having Ernest within our ranks strengthens our ties with PSV Eindhoven and will give us opportunities to work with the next generation of great young prospects in their Youth System.

“We look forward to the positive influence Ernest will have in our Football Department and the organisation as a whole.”

Adelaide United recently embarked on a journey to Eindhoven to link up with the Dutch club and give players, coaches and officials the opportunity to engage with PSV Academy, renowned for nurturing some of the brightest talents in European football.

This new partnership with PSV and appointment of Ernest Faber is part of an ambitious long-term plan that promises growth, success, and a shared passion to nurture young talent and generate success on and off the field.

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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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