AFC medical course shares valuable knowledge with key regions

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Image credit: AFC website

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has shared valuable medical knowledge with key regions, ASEAN and East, across the five-day Football Emergency Medicine and Anti-Doping Course.

Hosted by The Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand), the course presented to 20 Member Associations (MAs), from November 23rd to the 26th.

Conducted at the BDMS Rehabilitation Centre in Bangkok, the course was led by Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh and assisted by a variety of AFC Instructors.

The course was separated into two segments. The first segment facilitated a number of theoretical sessions and lectures on the most recent developments in football emergency medicine.

While the second segment initiated a variety of active practical sessions. These sessions provided live training on the management of critical medical emergencies on and off the pitch, sessions also covered anti-doping concerns.

Additionally, BDMS Instructors for Advance Life Support trained and assured participants were proficient in on-field emergency management of cardiac arrest, concussion, trauma and other injuries.

Dato’ Dr. Singh outlined the goals of the course.

“The contents of this course is tailored to provide the latest evidence-based practices in management of emergencies on the field in line with those of FIFA,” he said via press release.

“The AFC wants to deliver a message, which is ‘unity of doctrine’ – this means that if a sudden cardiac arrest incident occurs, the medical staff will respond in a standardised protocol as implemented in accordance with the FIFA Emergency Action Plan.

“This course is part of the low-cost, high-output educational activities organised within Asia by the AFC and reinforces the AFC’s commitment in maximising the potential of our Member Associations.”

In her opening speech, Mrs Nualphan Lamsam, President of FA Thailand expressed pride for the course.

“Your presence reflects our shared commitment to advancing football across Asia. It is a privilege to host such a distinguished group whose efforts empower athletes and shape the sport’s future on the global stage,” she said via press release.

“The AFC Football Emergency Medicine & Anti-Doping Regional Course embodies the strong partnership between the AFC and FA Thailand. This initiative is designed to advance expertise in sports medicine — an indispensable aspect of football, where intensity and physicality define the game.”

The presentation was the second leg of the course, the first had been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May, for Western MAs.

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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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