Just for Kicks: A 1993 NSL Cup throwback with Doug Hodgson and Brian Macnicol

Theo Athans29/09/2025 6:05 am27/09/2025

Image Credit: Soccerscene

In Episode 2 of Soccerscene’s Just for Kicks Podcast, which released this past Saturday, two former Heidelberg United greats shared their memories of the club’s famous 1993 NSL Cup triumph ahead of a massive Australia Cup final between Newcastle Jets and Heidelberg United.

Host Theo Athans sat down with Dougie Hodgson and Brian MacNicol to revisit a golden era of Australian football and preview Heidelberg’s huge Australia Cup final clash with the Newcastle Jets at Lakeside Stadium this Saturday.

Hodgson and MacNicol recalled joining Heidelberg in the early 1990s when the NSL was fiercely competitive and derby clashes with South Melbourne and Melbourne Croatia drew massive crowds on live SBS coverage.

**(Left) Doug Hodgson and (Right) Brian Macnicol. Image Credit: Soccerscene**

However it was the 1993 NSL Cup win, which was the club’s first at the time, that was the main topic of the discussion.

Both Macnicol and Hodgson were asked about seven fellow 1993 NSL Cup teammates and late former president Peter Tsaklis where they gave an insight on how each of their personalities played a part in a crazy year for the club and also revealed some funny stories about their playing days including the fun they had off the pitch.

The historic run in 1993 started against South Melbourne over two legs where they won 7-4 on aggregate. Hodgson and Macnicol discussed how it was facing the ‘super team’ at the time with the likes of Durakovic, Trimboli, Boutsianis and Steve Blair just to name a few. Wins against Adelaide City and Parramatta Eagles sealed the club’s first national trophy.

Both former champions also discussed their predictions of the huge Australia Cup finals clash coming up this weekend with both predicting Heidelberg to continue what has been an extraordinary run and secure the cup.

Click hear the full interview with Brian Macnicol & Doug Hodgson, on Episode 2 of Soccerscene’s Just for Kicks Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

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

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

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.