Football Queensland hosts unique futsal referee course

Philip Panas02/12/2020 5:50 am12/10/2021

Football Queensland hosted a first-of-its-kind referee course over the weekend, supporting match officials who are transitioning to futsal officiating.

20 football referees attended the course at Mt Maria College, which was designed to give outdoor referees the knowledge and qualifications to apply their skills to the small-sided game.

“The referee course delivered over the weekend was an innovative way to support a group of match officials to broaden their skillset and pursue a new pathway with an introduction to the futsal Laws of the Game,” FQ State Referee Manager Jacqui Hurford said.

“Football Queensland developed this concept for our referees after discovering that the existing two-day futsal referee course model was prohibitive for some match officials.

“This provided an opportunity for us to get creative and come up with a new form of futsal referee course for existing match officials, created in collaboration with established referees Dion Bradley, Zac Keenan and other members of the Futsal Referee Working Group.

“Dion and Zac also delivered the course on Sunday, which was attended by 20 match officials from across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

“Members of the Football Queensland referee department were also in attendance alongside a number of experienced referees assessors and instructors who will help to develop these match officials as they transition into refereeing futsal.

“After a successful course over the weekend, we’re excited to continue providing more opportunities for our outdoor referees to gain experience in futsal to support the growth of the sport.

“For this reason, Football Queensland has recently released a Futsal Referee Information Pack to provide new and existing outdoor referees with information on the benefits of refereeing futsal, and we encourage any match official interested in broadening their skillset to register for an upcoming Futsal Referee Course.”

The next Futsal Convention Course will be held in Brisbane in February 2021, with a Futsal Referee Course to be held on the same weekend.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

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

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

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.