Landmark AFC Programme champions gender equity in football

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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) reinforced its strong commitment to advancing women’s roles in football with the launch of the AFC Empowering Women in Football Programme (AEWFP), an innovative online initiative highlighting the various contributions women make to the football industry, both on and off the field.

This six-month programme will provide participants with essential knowledge and skills to better understand the global football ecosystem, promote gender equity and inclusion, and identify and tackle industry barriers using ethical, strategic, and diplomatic approaches.

The programme will examine the significant contributions women have made in football’s history across areas like business strategy, advocacy, brand transformation, executive leadership, and other key aspects of the modern game. It will highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion, showcasing their exceptional role in advancing both Asian and global football.

AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John talks extensively about the programme.

“The AEWFP is truly a groundbreaking programme that aligns with the AFC’s continuous championing and promotion of gender equity, inclusivity and integrity,” he said via press release.

“From a historical viewpoint to contemporary leadership, women have long played, and are playing, a powerful role in shaping the football industry. This programme not only honours their immense contributions but also empowers the next generation to drive positive, inclusive change and lead the football business into a future of excellence.

“The AFC places the advancement of our MAs, RAs and the Asian football community as key to realising our Vision of becoming the world’s leading Confederation. The AEWFP is in line with our objective, and we strive to ensure it provides our leaders with the knowledge to continue making impactful decisions that keep to the industry’s best practices, for the betterment of their respective organisations and global football as a whole.”

The AEWFP is the newest initiative from the AFC Academic Centre of Excellence (ACE), established in 2021 to enhance the skills of Asian football leaders. It adds to a prestigious line-up of programmes, including the AFC Football Management Certificate, AFC Football Management Diploma, AFC Certificate in Football Leadership, AFC Certificate in Football Administration and Management, AFC Certificate in Child Safeguarding, and AFC Certificate in Strategy and Planning.

The AEWFP, designed for leaders of the AFC Member Associations (MAs), Regional Associations (RAs), and other football stakeholders, consists of seven modules. These modules address topics such as the strategic influence of women in football business, overcoming barriers, driving organisational innovation, and empowering women in executive leadership roles.

These tailored modules are delivered online, combining theoretical insights, practical activities, and real-world case studies. Participants will graduate with the skills to make decisions that enhance inclusivity, diversity, and integrity, while strengthening women’s impact on the global growth of football in an ever-evolving and competitive environment.

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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.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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