All Abilities Gala to continue the increase in inclusivity

Adam Palombi08/04/2024 6:05 am07/04/2024

Image credit: Melbourne Victory official website

Melbourne Victory have partnered with Transport Accident Commission (TAC) to host the second edition of the All Abilities Gala on Saturday April 20 to shine a spotlight upon the importance of inclusivity within football.

The inaugural event in 2023 occurred as the curtain raiser to Melbourne Victory’s ANZAC round fixture against Macarthur FC. The event held at Gosch’s paddock consisted of training clinics and engaging activities, concluding with a 5v5 round robin all abilities tournament.

This year, the event has increased in capacity. Two sessions for different age ranges will commence. From 3:15pm to 3:45pm, children aged between 4 to 12 will have their session, with the older contingent aged from 13 to 18 to participate in their session from 4:00pm to 4:30pm.

Upon declaring their involvement for the event, all participants are offered a free ticket to attend the round 25 A-League Men’s fixture, where Victory will host Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park. TAC have been one of Victory’s key sponsors since their inception in 2005 with the partnership nearing its 20th anniversary that is scheduled for next year.

Inclusivity within society has become a point of focus for sporting codes across the globe – none more so than football. Members of society who face the difficulties of having special needs should have an engaging outlet. This allows for those to have a joyful and fulfilling, outdoor experience.

Amongst other codes of football, the globally renowned variation tends to be far simpler and palatable, especially in terms of building skills and understanding general rules. Therefore, parents and guardians of those who have a disability may lean towards electing soccer as the sport that their kids can participate in, aware of the unique subtlety and non-aggressiveness that surrounds it when in comparison to the likes of Australian Rules football or rugby.

The community event hosted by Victory simultaneously contributes to the community across Melbourne, while also increasing participation and appreciation for the sport of football within a state where it remains down in the pecking order of preferred sports.

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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.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

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.