Adelaide United participate in sports betting awareness program ‘Here For The Game’

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Rory Spreckley
Image provided by Adelaide United

Earlier this week, Adelaide United’s senior men’s squad participated in a ‘Here For The Game’ sports betting awareness and education program at the VALO Training Centre.

Following the Club’s announcement in November 2021 where they partnered with the State Government’s Department of Human Services aimed at tackling issues related to gambling harm, Carl Veart’s squad were taken through an informative and eye-opening seminar.

Here For The Game is an awareness and education program designed to reinforce the positive aspects of sport without gambling, such as the matchday experience, atmosphere, and sense of community.

Manager of the Office for Problem Gambling in South Australia, Rory Spreckley (pictured), explained it was critical to challenge the normalisation of sports betting given it was the fastest-growing form of gambling in the state.

“By reinforcing the positive aspects of sport without gambling and reminding fans of the real reasons they love it in the first place, it’s a crucial way we can break the desensitisation that has occurred when it comes to gambling on sports and the serious impacts it can have,” he said in a statement.

“At the same time, we are raising awareness and educating the community and players about the risks attached to sports betting and ways to keep themselves safe.

“As role models, Adelaide United’s players can influence fans, including by showing them that the value of sport lies in its celebration of talent and skill, teamwork, respect, and health and wellbeing.

Adelaide United Captain Craig Goodwin added via Adelaide United:

“The messaging that comes from the ‘Here for the Game’ initiative is vital for all our supporters, but, most importantly, for our young fans.

“Growing up all I wanted was to see Adelaide United win games because I love the club and want to share the success with my family, friends, and community.

“That passion should remain in the stands and not filter its way into sports betting.

“We’re proud to be partnered with the State Government for this initiative and I know our squad got a lot out of this awareness and education session.”

For more information about Here for the Game, plus resources including a guide on how to talk to children about gambling, visit the website here.

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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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