#FootballForFires match to be played in October at Bankwest Stadium

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The #FootballForFires fundraising match will now be played at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday, October 3.

The charity event was initially scheduled to take place at ANZ Stadium on May 23, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic it has been further delayed.

Event promoter Lou Sticca claimed most of the football superstars who had already committed to the match will still play in Australia later this year.

“Communities left devastated by the Australian bushfires last summer are now dealing with the double-whammy of a global health crisis so the #FootballForFires event will take on even greater meaning and importance when it is played in October,” Mr Sticca said.

“Thousands of Australians were planning to visit regional communities at Easter and during the winter to support the businesses so badly damaged by the bushfires, however the COVID-19 emergency has prevented this so there has been no respite in these areas.

“The collective will of players, sponsors and the football community to rally in support of those hurting most has not diminished, so we have re-committed to #FootballForFires and it is our intention for the match to go ahead on the evening of Saturday 3 October at Bankwest Stadium, one of the great football venues of the world.”

More players will be announced for the game in the near future.

“There is every indication that we will have a roster of players as strong – possibly even stronger than the original squad named for #FootballForFires,” Mr Sticca said.

All proceeds from the match will go towards restoring local football clubs that were affected by the Australian bushfires.

FFA CEO James Johnson commented on the importance of rescheduling the event: “As a sport of nearly two million participants, football has an extremely important role to play in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 across Australia so we are supportive of rescheduling the match. It’s vital however, that we continue to acknowledge the terrible effect the bushfires had on so many communities, and do everything we can to provide support through these difficult times.

“Football can play an important role in the rebuild of those communities affected by the bushfires. With some of the biggest names in the world game taking part and given the current circumstances, #FootballForFires will be a showpiece occasion and something the entire football family in Australia and abroad, can really look forward to.”

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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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