Capital Football’s Home of Football backed by ACT Government support

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Capital Football’s plans to establish a Home of Football has taken a massive step, with the ACT Government committing to the expansion of football in Canberra.

Capital Football CEO Phil Brown, Chair Fran Sankey and Canberra United players Grace Maher and Emma Ilijoski joined ACT Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry in reaffirming the ACT Government’s desire to aid in the growth of what is the most popular sport in the state.

An additional $9 million was committed to the Throsby development in the 2021/22 Budget, taking the total investment to $33.5 million, which includes a $4.5 million contribution from Capital Football.

“It’s a significant investment for football in the ACT because we’ve seen significant growth, with the highest participation rates in Canberra,” ACT Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry said.

The Home of Football will support more than 30,000 participants in the ACT, by providing a dedicated competition and training facility.

The project will deliver state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor football facilities in the ACT, support a range of community and high-performance programs for Capital Football and its affiliated clubs, and provide valuable open space for the public to use and enjoy.

Canberra United player and Majura FC junior Grace Maher believes having a home of football will ensure that players are provided with invaluable playing pathways and opportunities.

“Looking out into an empty field at the moment, you start to envision yourself there and I’m really looking forward to seeing it come to life,” she said.

“Canberra has such a rich history with women’s sport and the culture we have here is great.”

The project will also include the construction of a new futsal building that will house two full-sized futsal courts and have an adjoining grandstand that will overlook the main enclosed and associated synthetic playing fields.

On the first floor, the building will include office space for Capital Football staff, operational areas, and a multi-purpose function room for match and non-matchday activities.

New community sportsground facilities will also be provided and will include grass and synthetic fields and a new sportsground pavilion.

Capital Football CEO Phil Brown is pleased to have support from the ACT Government.

“Community sport plays a vital role in the health and wellbeing of society, and we are grateful for the ACT Government’s support in developing the Throsby precinct to enable our organisation to continue to provide that social benefit in the Gungahlin District and Canberra through participation in football and futsal,” he said.

Community engagement on the design and development of Throsby Home of Football will commence shortly through the ACT Government’s YourSay website.

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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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