Football Queensland announces reforms to SAP program

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Football Queensland

Football Queensland have confirmed various changes to their Skill Acquisition Phase (SAP) program, with the promise of improving the technical skills of young players in the state.

Every club across Queensland will be gifted access to the SAP curriculum as early as October, with training materials and video guides passed on to coaches to utilize.

“The Skill Acquisition Phase is essential for developing game-related skills, and Football Queensland is committed to providing all participants in the nine to 12 age groups with access to the best possible development opportunities,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci explained.

The updated SAP structure was developed by the governing body’s new Club Development Unit.

The structure includes a Community SAP accreditation for those clubs who want to undertake a personal self-assessment, with a Bronze, Silver and Gold FQ accreditation process also developed for advanced clubs.

“Free Community SAP collateral will help create positive learning environments to ensure clubs across the state have the access and opportunity to deliver quality Skill Acquisition Phase training sessions which nurture key technical skills in their players,” Cavallucci said.

“Clubs interested in delivering the community-based SAP will be able to undertake a self-assessment to receive a Community SAP accreditation from FQ that will indicate their level of service delivery, to ensure transparency for participants across the state.

“Community SAP clubs will provide a training curriculum and their teams will compete in their zone’s local competition at a level suitable for their players.

“Other qualifying clubs that aim to meet higher standards of criteria may be able to request assessment against advanced SAP criteria set by FQ’s Club Development Unit, and receive either a Gold, Silver or Bronze rated SAP accreditation for girls and boys.

“Clubs awarded a Silver or Gold rating by Football Queensland may be invited to participate in new FQ SAP league competitions against other equally-rated clubs.

“FQ’s Club Development Unit will provide support to our clubs as they go through the newly developed assessment process, and will ensure standards are being met through regular and ongoing engagement,” Cavallucci concluded.

More information on the Community SAP collateral will be released in the near future.

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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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