AFC partners with global flooring group Gerflor

Avatar
Image provided by Gerflor

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently announced a new partnership with global flooring group Gerflor, ahead of the AFC Futsal competitions in 2022 and 2023.

Gerflor will become an Official Tournament Supporter for AFC Futsal competitions, covering the upcoming AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022 and the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2023.

Gerflor will play a key role in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022, employing their global expertise to provide Futsal pitch flooring solutions for the competition. The partnership stems from the AFC and Gerflor’s commitment to ensuring the optimum playing and safety standards for the benefit of all players, teams and match officials.

Gerflor are a leading global flooring solutions brand, with 85 years of experience in creating, manufacturing, and marketing innovative, decorative and sustainable flooring solutions and wall finishes to clients across the world. Since 1947, Gerflor have established themselves as a leading brand in global sports with their renowned sports flooring brand Taraflex.

Datuk Seri Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said in a statement:

“The AFC is pleased to enter into this partnership with Gerflor as our Official Tournament Supporter for the AFC’s Futsal competitions.

“Gerflor are well known for their experience and expertise in providing global flooring solutions and their commitment to providing an unparalleled futsal environment fits in well with the AFC’s Vision of ensuring our players and teams shine in our world-class competitions.”

Lionel Arlin, Sport Federations and Events Manager at Gerflor, added via press release:

“Gerflor is proud to pursue the journey with the AFC for another term and to provide all futsal players, from beginners to seasoned professionals, with the highest standards in safety and performance. Gerflor’s innovative and state-of-the-art futsal flooring provides the best playing conditions for the athletes at the highest AFC futsal events in 2022 and 2023 (AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022TM and the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2023TM).”

Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at FMA, said via AFC:

“We are pleased to have Gerflor on board as an Official Tournament Supporter for AFC Futsal competitions. Gerflor have demonstrated their commitment to establishing the highest standards of safety and quality in providing sports solutions for venues across the world, and we look forward to working with them to bolster our offering to players and fans alike across the AFC Futsal competitions.”

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