Auckland Football Club joins forces with Barfoot & Thompson

Alex Bagdasarian02/10/2024 5:55 am01/10/2024

Image credit: Top Athletes NZ Instagram

Auckland’s largest real estate firm, Barfoot & Thompson, has collaborated with Auckland Football Club to deliver an exciting season of football entertainment for the people of Auckland.

Barfoot & Thompson live by the motto, ‘if our name is on it, our heart is in it,’ and this partnership is no exception for the real estate giant.

As the official and exclusive real estate partner of Auckland FC, Barfoot & Thompson’s logo will be prominently displayed on the players’ shorts as part of their kit.

Established in 1923, Barfoot & Thompson has been a privately owned family business for over a century. With over 80 branches and more than 1,800 salespeople, the company serves Auckland, Northland, the Bay of Plenty, and the Waikato.

Barfoot & Thompson Managing Director, Peter Thompson, shares that he has been looking for the perfect sports opportunity to welcome a new generation of passionate and energetic fans.

“We are always looking for the right opportunities for our brand, and we believe football is the future with the fastest growing audience in New Zealand of any sport,” he said via press release.

“It’s exciting for Auckland to have its own football club, it brings a tremendous vigour and energy to the region and we can’t wait for the season to officially start on Saturday 19 October.

“We love being a part of what makes Auckland a great place to live. We are also focussed on breaking new ground in real estate and our partnership with AFC provides a unique opportunity to reach a younger demographic.”

Auckland FC CEO, Nick Becker, mentioned how the club and the real estate company values aligned together.

“Barfoot & Thompson were a natural fit for us with their entrenched support of all things Auckland. They understand our desire to succeed and to bring another level of entertainment to our audience. We have a similar outlook of creating another reason to be proud to be an Aucklander,” he said via press release.

Partnerships play a vital role in Auckland FC’s success, helping to create pathways for boys and girls to access top coaching and playing opportunities, while also representing their city and country. Securing the right partner is essential to achieving this success.

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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.