Cromer Park’s $2 million redevelopment now complete

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Cromer Park has seen the completion of a $2 million redevelopment for its famous precinct in the Northern Beaches suburb of Sydney.

Cromer Park has seen the completion of a $2 million redevelopment for its famous precinct in the Northern Beaches suburb of Sydney.

Funding of $500,000 was secured via the Community Development Grants Program and a further $20,000 was secured through the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership.

In addition, the combined efforts of home tenants Manly Warringah Football Association, Manly United FC and Manly Warringah District Football Club meant that the long-awaited upgrades to Cromer Park’s facilities were ensured.

Manly Warringah Football Association CEO David Mason was delighted to have finalised the upgrades for Cromer Park.

“The redevelopment of the Manly Warringah Football Club has been on the agenda for the best part of a decade with various projects and plans considered to rejuvenate the facility,” he said.

“The latest plans started three years ago when all football bodies on the Northern Beaches came together to prioritise the project.

“Funding from the football community was put in place and when we received a $500,000 from the Australian Government through the Community Development Grants Program it gathered serious momentum. Construction on the project started in January 2021 and was completed on time and on budget in 6 months.

“We have designed and constructed a facility that makes Cromer Park the true ‘Home of Football’ on the Northern Beaches.”

Building ‘Homes of Football’ is one of five key infrastructure priorities identified by Football NSW in their Infrastructure Strategy document. Homes of Football are essential to improving access to football programs, pathways and development services across the association.

“The Manly Warringah Football Club includes a modern Social Club that will be for the use of the entire Manly Warringah football community and the general public with café, bistro and bar facilities as well as function and meeting rooms for the MWFA clubs, Manly United and registered footballers,” Mason continued.

Cromer Park interior

“We have also constructed a first-class physiotherapy, injury rehabilitation and gymnasium for the Manly Warringah football community and upgraded the administration offices for the MWFA and Manly United.

“The Manly Warringah Football Club is now a first-class community facility providing a focal point and meeting place for the football community for years and generations to come.

“This project has been the culmination of many years of planning and collaboration from all members of the Northern Beaches football community that has been made possible by funding from the Australian and NSW Governments as well as money that has been raised and contributed by the football community.

“It is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when football works cohesively and collaborates with all stakeholders in a unified way to bring to life a vision and dream.”

Cromer Park

Prior to the upcoming 2022 season, Cromer Park No.1 will also receive an upgrade to its synthetic surface after Northern Beaches Council were successful in the recent Greater Cities Sports Facility Fund – Round 1.

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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.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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