Football Queensland reveals Future of Football 2020+ Recommendations Paper  

At least seven Queensland football clubs are going to benefit from a share in over $1.5 million in fresh infrastructure funding as a result of commitments made prior to the recent Queensland state election.

Football Queensland have released a Future of Football 2020+ Recommendations Paper, which offers the state’s 183,000 participants a modern, effective vision for the game to unite behind.

“As described in the XI Principles, Football Australia is leading the transition to a holistic ‘One Football’ model that facilitates this essential change. Our game has not undergone reform in 20 years and while everything around it has altered, it is time now for the game to evolve too,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“The Future of Football 2020+ journey began with a vision to develop a new governance model and a streamlined administration model that will allow football in Queensland to flourish; one that enables affordability and consistency in the way the game is delivered across the state, with unified and connected competitions and pathways, ensuring protection and development support for those who participate in it, from players, to coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers.”

“The Recommendations Paper is built on the back of twelve months of extensive analysis and consultation with our game’s stakeholders. A number of independent reports produced by governance expert DHW Simpson framed the basis of 20 recommendations that were proposed and adopted by the FQ Board,” FQ President Ben Richardson said.

“Throughout the Future of Football 2020+ journey, the Queensland football community has clearly stated that the game needs to evolve and adapt to meet the changing landscape of sport and the growing needs of its participants.

“This is what our game deserves. Importantly, as the Future of Football 2020+ journey has so clearly confirmed, it is what the community demands of us. As the game’s temporary custodians, we must listen, we must unite, and we must move forward.”

“‘Football in Queensland United’ is more than a vision statement for Football Queensland. It is, above all else, a reflection of our drive to finally bind the entire game around a common future, with a common purpose and in common effort,” FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci said.

“It will inspire a shift away from costly, complex, restrictive and divisive administrative and governance practices and deliver a modern, responsive, efficient and effective framework through which football can truly flourish.

Following the release of the paper, Football Queensland will now conduct a series of consultations across the state with clubs, zones and stakeholders. The governing body will discuss the suggested implementations from the listed recommendations, detailing to interested parties the process of how they will transform the game’s governance, affordability, administration and competitions.

“We’re confident that by working in collaboration with the football community to implement these reforms, we can build a brighter future for football in Queensland and for all who are part of our game,” Cavallucci said.

“It is incumbent upon us all as stakeholders to be committed partners in progress, to align our efforts and to adopt the best-practice approaches that drive affordability and unlock new opportunities.”

The Future of Football 2020+ Recommendations Paper can be viewed here.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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

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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