Chelsea and FansMall agree to regional deal in China

Shramith Surya14/03/2023 5:55 am13/03/2023

Image credit: Chelsea

Premier League side Chelsea have teamed up with FansMall, China’s largest sports trading card platform – on a multi-year deal that will see them becoming Chelsea’s official trading card & sports collectibles partner in Greater China.

Founded in 2019, FansMall provide a variety of services around sporting collectibles and cards – which includes a retail platform, a trading platform, social media communities, and card collector apps. Its operations include the development of trade ecology for ball card collections, sporting brand promotions, production of media content, and much more.

FansMall Founder Sebastian Zhao said via press release:

“FansMall is honoured and delighted to establish a long-term partnership with Chelsea FC, one of the most respected and beloved football clubs in China with a winning culture and a fine tradition of success,” he said.

“As the club’s Official Trading Card & Sports Collectibles Partner in Greater China, FansMall is dedicated to bringing the best trading card collectibles to fans and collectors and we will release an exclusive selection of Chelsea trading card products for this season and the seasons to come.”

In recent years, Chelsea has established a strong presence in Greater China, led by the club’s regional Asian headquarters in Singapore. They were able to hold pre-season games in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau. FansMall will create a collection of Chelsea-themed trading cards for the Greater China market via this partnership, and Chelsea’s fanbase in China will have access to exclusive merchandise such as signed memorabilia and match-worn shirts.

Chelsea President of Business, Tom Glick, added via press release:

“We are delighted to welcome FansMall as our Official Trading Card & Sports Collectibles Partner in the Greater China region. FansMall is a fantastic addition to our family of partners at Chelsea FC and we look forward to working closely with them and introducing our fans in Greater China to their highly impressive range of exclusive Chelsea-theme cards and collectibles.”

The partnership will expand Chelsea’s already massive fan following in China, and along with partners such as FansMall creating innovative sporting collectibles to give a global audience a unique experience, this will eventually lead to setting up a better ecosystem for sporting services and products in the near future.

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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.