Mitre Appointed FV’s Sole Ball Supplier Across All Competitions

Alex Bagdasarian09/12/2025 6:05 am08/12/2025

Image credit: Football Victoria

Football Victoria has unveiled Mitre as its exclusive official ball partner in a significant new three-year deal.

As part of the agreement, Mitre will also serve as a Bronze Partner of the FV Business League, an exclusive networking community created to support members in expanding their connections, elevating their brand, and engaging with like-minded professionals who share a passion for both football and business.

From the 2026 NPL Victoria season, clubs will play with the Mitre Ultimax Pro 26, the latest iteration of Mitre’s iconic match ball. The new Ultimax Pro features cutting-edge technology, enhanced performance, and a contemporary design inspired by the original 1995 model.

The ball incorporates a completely redesigned panel layout, engineered to deliver greater control, more accurate flight, and increased power with every strike.

The new exclusive deal reinforces the eight-year relationship between Mitre and Football Victoria, marking one of the most enduring partnerships in the industry.

FV Commercial Executive Manager, Chris Speldewinde described the agreement as a “major milestone” ahead of the 2026 season.

“Mitre has been a trusted partner of Football Victoria for many years, and this new agreement reinforces our shared commitment to elevating the game at every level,” he said via FV Official media release.

“As we move into the 2026 season, having a world-class ball partner ensures our clubs and players are equipped with the highest standards in performance.”

Director of Sportsmart Group, Gerrard Woods said Mitre was pleased to build on its long-running collaboration with FV.

“Our goal has always been to support the growth of football across the state by delivering products that players and coaches can trust at every level,” he said via press release.

In addition to Mitre’s established reseller network, clubs will be able to order match balls through a dedicated online platform designed for simple, streamlined purchasing.

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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.