Atletico Madrid lock in WhaleFin shirt deal

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Image provided by Atletico Madrid

Spanish football giants Atletico Madrid have confirmed a new, five-year agreement which will see cryptocurrency exchange platform WhaleFin become the club’s main shirt sponsor from the start of the 2022/23 season.

WhaleFin’s logo will feature on the front of Atleti’s playing kit, with the Amber Group-owned platform also set to gain global and main partner designation.

The deal is reportedly worth $62m AUD annually, according to Spanish sports business publication 2Playbook, more than double the $25m AUD a year agreement with trading platform Plus500 that expired at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

The Amber Group digital asset specialist, meanwhile, will become the club’s exclusive digital wealth and digital lifestyle partner. The broad agreement includes significant branding exposure at Atletico’s Estadio Metropolitano home and across the club’s digital assets.

WhaleFin will serve as the preferred digital asset gateway for Atletico fans, while Amber Group has acquired exclusive rights to establish the ‘Atletiverse’ virtual island on its Openverse Web 3.0 platform.

The community outreach elements of the deal include support for the Atletico de Madrid Foundation on sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, as well as general education campaigns around sustainability, with related local research project investment.

“This multi-year partnership is a monumental moment for Amber Group, and we are proud to be partnering with Atlético de Madrid, one of the top football clubs in Spain and Europe,” Michael Wu said in a statement, the chief executive of Amber Group.

“This partnership celebrates our shared values in teamwork and community-building which are resonant in both the world of sport and crypto finance. As we continue to work towards a more connected and inclusive global economy that promotes fair opportunity for all, we look forward to democratising financial innovation and to creating opportunities for everyone to start on their digital asset journey.”

Miguel Ángel Gil, Atletico de Madrid chief executive, added in a statement:

“Today is a significant day for the future of Atlético de Madrid, as we join forces with a global leading company in the digital finance space.

“This partnership aligns with our desire to evolve digitally and being able to offer better, more superior digital experiences to our fans.”

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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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