Football as Therapy for Kids with Autism

Staff Writer

Football as therapy for kids with Autism by Sporting Network for Autistic People and Parents (SNAPP) was created by Allison & Kris Gately when they saw the need for this program as their son Bruin was diagnosed with Autism.

The Early intervention for autistic children is very intense and we knew that sports covered so much of the therapies we were doing all in one activity.  As well as the added benefit of social play with kids his age.  We tried Miniroos, and he was just not capable of following the coach’s directions. Autism can be incredibly isolating as a parent and it broke our heart to watch our boy struggle, and then have to explain our differences to other parents on the sidelines.  We just wanted a place for our son to be with kids like him… and a place that parents like us could feel at ease and in no need for explanation. – Allison

Neuro diversity and Autism cover the broadest range of abilities and challenges. These struggles can include but not limited to anxiety-based, sensory based, auditory processing, non-verbal, verbal and physical. Whilst most of the kids in SNAPP are enrolled in Mainstream Primary Schools, this does not mean they feel comfortable in a mainstream football program or even an All Abilities football program. With this in mind, Kris and Allison created SNAPP.

Sporting Network for Autistic People and Parents (SNAPP) was created by Allison & Kris Gately when they saw the need for this program as their son Bruin was diagnosed with Autism.

The Early intervention for autistic children is very intense and we knew that sports covered so much of the therapies we were doing all in one activity.  As well as the added benefit of social play with kids his age.  We tried Miniroos, and he was just not capable of following the coach’s directions. Autism can be incredibly isolating as a parent and it broke our heart to watch our boy struggle, and then have to explain our differences to other parents on the sidelines.  We just wanted a place for our son to be with kids like him… and a place that parents like us could feel at ease and in no need for explanation. – Allison

Neuro diversity and Autism cover the broadest range of abilities and challenges. These struggles can include but not limited to anxiety-based, sensory based, auditory processing, non-verbal, verbal and physical. Whilst most of the kids in SNAPP are enrolled in Mainstream Primary Schools, this does not mean they feel comfortable in a mainstream football program or even an All Abilities football program. With this in mind, Kris and Allison created SNAPP.

This year, SNAPP will launch their 3rd program out in the west of Melbourne. The programs in Williamstown, Wyndham & Geelong are slightly different, catering to different needs. Once the football season ends, SNAPP continues with Cricket, Gymnastics and a swimming program with Life Saving Victoria.

Jason Charles, Executive Manager – Clubs & Community at Football Victoria, is pleased that “FV supports Kris and Allison with their SNAPP football programs and to see the positive impact they are having in their community through sport.”

For more information, please visit their website: www.snapp.org.au or follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SNAPPSports

If you’re interested to join or want to help out, please contact Allison Gately on 0400 810 088 or allison@snapp.org.au

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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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