Football West’s Building Stronger Clubs Program provides funding

Liam Watson12/11/2020 5:00 pm12/11/2020

Football West’s Building Stronger Clubs Program has provided financial and resource support to more than 20 clubs.

The offering was to clubs based in Western Australia who were invited to apply for funding by signing up to the program. It was launched to future-proof the sport with good practice clubs and associations working in unison to create a better all-round experience for all involved.

The total number of clubs to receive the funding is 24 – going towards projects valued at over $100,000.

“Congratulations to the clubs who have successfully applied for funding through the Building Stronger Clubs Program,” Football West CEO James Curtis said.

“This will provide direct financial help for clubs to offer better services for their members.

“Money is tight for many clubs and associations and it is fantastic that they have taken advantage of the program. The benefits will be felt throughout the club and this is reflected on what the money will go towards.”

Adding on to the Building Stronger Clubs Program, Football West has invested extra to the sport through the Empowering People Scholarship Fund.

Individuals were invited to apply for scholarship funding to develop their skills that would further service the game for Western Australia. This saw 64 applicants who were successful and will each receive $500.

“It is great to see applicants from all over WA apply for the scholarship to further their football education,” Curtis said.

“With 20% of the applicants being from regional Western Australia, it goes to show that football in regional Western Australia is growing and will only get stronger.

“Football West has a gender equity target of 50/50 by 2027 and by having a third of the applicants female and wanting to improve, we feel as though we are on track to achieving our goal.”

Football West has already released a Community Grants Directory, putting all available grants for WA clubs in the one place. Currently, the directory features over $3 million allocated for clubs who wish to apply.

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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.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Declan Chan15/04/2026 6:15 am14/04/2026

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.