Singapore Premier League clubs resume full training

Daniel Foley01/09/2020 8:00 am01/09/2020

From today, Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs are now allowed to return to full training.

The move is a step towards the resumption of the 2020 season for the eight SPL clubs. Restrictions on group sizes and the types of training that could be completed under Phase 2 have now been lifted.

From June 18, clubs were allowed to train in small groups under Phase 2 Safe Transition guidelines.

Under Phase 2, the maximum group size was five players and one coach. Players were not allowed to mix between groups during a session while heading and physical contact was discouraged.

“The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) welcomes the move by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce to allow the resumption of full-team training sessions for Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs. This is a significant step towards having our clubs resuming football as per normal in this year’s SPL season,” the Football Association said in a statement on Monday.

“The FAS today briefed the 8 Singapore-based SPL clubs on the necessary safe management measures that they will need to abide by as they resume full training sessions with effect tomorrow, Tuesday 1 September 2020.

“As we continue to work alongside the relevant ministries and stakeholders on setting a tentative resumption date in September for the SPL season, a key priority will be to allow an adequate period for players to be conditioned and prepared for competitive matches, while also ensuring all necessary measures are put in place to safeguard the health and safety of players and officials.”

On March 24, the FAS announced the immediate suspension of the SPL season and training for clubs.

In announcing the suspension, the FAS said that the priority of the association was the health and welfare of players, officials and fans.

Singapore have a population of 5.639 million and have had 56,812 cases of COVID-19 and 27 deaths – Singapore’s Ministry of Health confirmed 41 new positive cases on Monday.

The Singapore Premier League is the highest level of domestic competition in Singapore. The league was established in 1996 as the S. League and was rebranded in 2018 as the SPL.

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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.