Football Queensland and Stryker launch Community Heart Program

Liam Watson
Football Queensland's Community Heart Program together with Stryker will assist clubs in the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators.

Football Queensland has launched the Community Heart Program together with Stryker, which is a new fundraising initiative that will assist clubs in the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

The program highlights Football Queensland’s continued commitment towards the safety of all participants, in moments where emergency care needs to be provided.

“Football Queensland is delighted to launch the Community Heart Program to support our clubs at all levels of the game in providing a safe environment for participants and attendees,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“We can’t stress enough how important it is for all FQ licensed clubs in Queensland to have at least one AED accessible when games are being played to provide participants with the best possible chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.

“Through this new initiative and our partnership with First Aid Accident & Emergency, Football Queensland is proud to offer clubs a best practice solution with access to discounted defibrillation packages and valuable education on heart safety.

“The Community Heart Program fundraising platform provides our clubs with a simple and easy way to raise money for the purchase of an AED package, so that together we can ensure every football ground in Queensland is a safe place for all in attendance.”

Stryker is a medical technology company which manufactures AEDs. Their connection to the Community Heart Program means they will provide clubs across Queensland with access to a fundraising platform, built specifically to raise money for the purchase of an AED package.

“At Stryker, we are driven to make healthcare better and we feel proud that we are in a position to support Football Queensland with technology that could make a difference in an emergency situation,” Stryker Managing Director Ryan McCarthy said.

“Stryker and Football Queensland share many of the same values when it comes to the care of their community, whether that is promoting the health benefits of playing sport or providing vital lifesaving tools.”

You can view the Community Heart Program fundraising platform here.

You can view the First Aid Accident & Emergency website here.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
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

Avatar
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.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend