Clublinks Named Venue Operator for New Sports Centre

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Image credit: Built Environs

Venue manager company, Clublinks have been appointed by the Sport and Recreation Victoria as the venue operator of the new Bundha Sports Centre, an indoor sports centre in the heart of Melbourne’s inner north.

The new sports centre will officially open in early 2026, with four competition standard basketball, netball, and volleyball courts, a multi-purpose futsal court, a large gymnasium, cafe and lounge area and other community spaces.

Clublinks will operate the centre in the iconic Fitzroy Gasworks precinct in a long-term agreement, utilising their expertise in maintenance and asset renewal programs as part of the centre’s operation.

Clublinks CEO, Anthony Lawrence stated they are delighted to be given the opportunity to deliver brilliant customer experiences that align with the quality of the Bundha Sports Centre.

‘We are excited to facilitate opportunities for the community to participate in sport, recreation and fitness at this beautiful facility,” he said via press release.

“While Bundha is primarily a sports centre, it will deliver wonderful connection, unity and community benefit to Melbourne’s inner north.”

Construction of the Bundha Sports Centre was announced last year, Development Victoria released a statement reading the $54.5 million project would be delivered by a range of local and businesses and suppliers.

Additionally, the Victorian Government invested $49.5 million into the centre, complemented by a $5 million contribution from Yarra City Council.

In this partnership with Sport and Recreation Victoria, Clublinks will also reinvest a portion of the centre’s profits to enable access for a range of programs and initiatives promoted towards community members’ participation in centre activities.

Clublinks are also conducting an Expression of Interest process for local sports and associations looking to join the centre once it opens early next year.

It is hoped Clublinks’ new role in the Bundha Sports Centre will allow more people in the inner west to experience the benefits of the facility to grow their teams, programs and competitions once it formally opens.

Clublinks have a reputation in venue management capability in Victoria, currently operating the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre and Narrandjeri Stadium in Darebin as well as other sports venues across Australia.

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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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