FIFA celebrates Bahrain talent academy with milestone event

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Image Credit: Vitalii Vitleo / Shutterstock.com

FIFA celebrated Bahrain’s successful FIFA Talent Academy under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme with a milestone ceremony in the country’s capital, Manama, last week.

The event saw significant figures such as President of the Bahrain Football Association, His Excellency Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, and legendary former manager Arsene Wenger, the FIFA Chief of Global Football Development attend, highlighting a major moment in FIFA and Bahraini collaboration.

The event marks an inaugural celebration of the first of over 20 operational FIFA Talent Academies under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).

Launched in February 2022, the TDS aims to bolster the footballing prowess of men’s and women’s national-team football across the globe by providing pathways for sustainable long-term development for member associations. Across its lifespan, the TDS has so far assisted more than 200 FIFA Member Associations, developing players in all corners of the world.

As the TDS continues to march on successfully, the scheme has a key focus to develop at least 75 FIFA Talent Academies around the world by 2027.

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, expressed his admiration for the FIFA Talent Academies and Bahrain’s work in a video message.

“Bahrain has been a pioneer in the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, and I want to thank you for your support. Together, we celebrate the great progress that has been made,” he said via press release.

“We are also aware that football has an important role to play beyond the pitch, so the FIFA Talent Academies will look to develop well-rounded individuals by instilling values such as discipline, teamwork and leadership through football in a safe environment. This will ensure that players not only excel on the pitch but also grow as responsible, contributing members of society.”

A core tenant of every FIFA Talent Development Academy is the responsibility to protect and educate players, allowing them to flourish in a safe environment.

FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, spoke of the goals of the academies.

“The ultimate objectives of FIFA Talent Academies are to develop young players by providing them with the highest levels of training, education and development to help them reach their full potential, contributing to the overall growth of football in the country,” he said via press release.

FIFA will continue to investigate and develop ways to create sustainable long-term football systems to elevate player skill and the sport as a whole.

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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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