Football Australia release updated Member Protection Framework

Avatar

Football is Australia’s number one club-based participation sport with over 1.8 million participants playing the world game across the country.

What intrinsically drives football in Australia is the love of the game and the multitude of connections that are forged in our communities and clubs through the sport.

In addition to being the biggest participation sport in Australia, football is also the most diverse with participants born in over 180 different countries.

Football Australia (FA) strives to protect all participants and football members from harm in an effort to ensure that everyone is given the chance to partake in football in a positive and safe environment. Whether it be a club volunteer, referee, coach or player, the safety and welfare of those involved is paramount so that participants can focus on enjoying the game we all love.

The FA recently delivered a newly updated Member Protection Framework (MBF), which is a suite of policies and resources that support the FA’s commitment to eliminating discrimination, harassment, child abuse and other forms of inappropriate behaviour from football.

The new MBF provides greater clarity and has addressed some of the inconsistencies in the previous Member Protection Policy document, particularly in relation to procedures for breaches of the policy.

The MPF covers:

  • Safeguarding
  • Bullying and Harassment
  • Anti-Discrimination
  • XI Standards of Respect
  • Complaints Procedure

A comprehensive standalone Safeguarding Policy, which forms part of the MBF, has been developed in line with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations as endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments.

The updated Complaints Procedure will ensure better clarity in regards to how a complaint may be dealt with under the MBF, whilst clarifying that Football Entities have the power to take disciplinary action under separate regulations, such as the National Code of Conduct and Ethics.

The MBF will be a constantly expanding source of information in order to best support football administrators and participants alike in helping to address member protection matters in our sport. The MBF is supported by a confidential online reporting tool for member protection matters arising at a national level to be reported to Football Australia.

With this renewed MBF, Football Australia have adhered to their responsibility in providing a positive, safe and welcoming environment for each other in our game.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
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

Avatar
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.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend