Chelsea FC and Fanatics extend long-term collaboration

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Image credit: Vitalii Vitleo / Shutterstock.com

Chelsea FC has announced that the club has renewed and expanded its long-term agreement with Fanatics.

This new phase of the collaboration will bring Chelsea fans an improved online shopping experience with upgraded website features, exclusive content, and a wider selection of products.

As part of the expanded agreement, Fanatics will continue managing Chelsea’s global eCommerce operations and gain additional rights to design and produce new fan apparel.

They will use their in-house design and manufacturing expertise to create premium, exclusive merchandise tailored specifically for Chelsea supporters worldwide. This update comes amid strong growth in merchandise sales through Chelsea’s online store.

Since partnering with Fanatics in 2018, sales have consistently grown by double digits each year. In 2024 alone, Fanatics delivered Chelsea gear to fans in over 130 countries around the globe.

Together, Chelsea and Fanatics are committed to offering fans a top-notch digital shopping experience, which will include the launch of a revamped online store.

The new site will showcase enhanced product details and images, smarter search powered by the latest AI technology, faster checkout, and support for multiple languages and payment options.

Phil Lynch, Chief Digital Officer of Chelsea Football Club, expressed excitement about extending the partnership with Fanatics.

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Fanatics,” Lynch said in a press release.

“Together, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage with our loyal fanbase, and with the launch of our new e-commerce platform, we have delivered a world-class shopping experience through personalisation and a best-in-class commerce experience.”

Stephen Dowling, International President at Fanatics, highlighted Fanatics’ commitment to delivering premium gear and a smooth shopping experience to Chelsea’s passionate fanbase.

“Chelsea FC’s ambition to be at the forefront of global football makes this partnership exciting for us,” Dowling said via press release.

“Their loyal and passionate fanbase deserves the best merchandise and a seamless and elevated shopping experience when they shop online with the club.

“We are committed to delivering that for them in the years ahead and look forward to continuing our work together.”

This expanded partnership marks an exciting new chapter for both Chelsea FC and Fanatics, focused on delivering a world-class shopping experience that matches the passion and loyalty of Chelsea supporters around the globe.

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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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