Football Victoria Begins New Era under Unified Structure

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Image credit: Rachel Bach/By The White Line

Following an announcement made on Tuesday by Football Victoria, seven former Associations will now be brought under a new model aimed at uniting clubs across the state. 

The move comes after engaging with regional clubs and volunteers in the 2023-24 Regional Football Review, the results of which helped to form a new model aimed at improving support for clubs, streamlining administration, and making Victorian football more connected going forward.

Who Will be Affected? 

Seven regions will now be brought under the umbrella of Football Victoria, including: 

  • FV Greater Ballarat (formerly Ballarat District Soccer Association)
  • FV Greater Bendigo (formerly Bendigo Amateur Soccer League)
  • FV Gippsland (formerly Gippsland Soccer League) 
  • FV Latrobe Valley (formerly Latrobe Valley Soccer League)
  • FV Shepparton (newly formed) 
  • FV South West (formerly South West Victoria Football Association)
  • FV Sunraysia (formerly Football Federation Sunraysia)

These seven former Associations will join FV Geelong, who has been a part of the FV family since 2010. 

Why Has the New Model Been Introduced? 

By bringing the majority of clubs in Victoria under a united model, players and volunteers alike will benefit hugely from streamlined administrative support and improved pathways. 

Although these regions will now become a part of the Football Victoria banner, they will nevertheless be granted the ability to maintain their community identity. To ensure that this objective is realised effectively, Regional Advisory Panels will collaborate with Football Victoria, alongside the help of a Regional Football Team who will help to carry out a smooth transition for the regions involved in the change.

FV CEO, Dan Birrell, has expressed his excitement for the developments and the positive impact they will have on the future of Victorian football. 

“Our regions have always played a wonderful and defining role in shaping football in Victoria. We are excited to honour that legacy while working side-by-side to build the next chapter – one that strengthens connections and creates a more unified and sustainable future for football across the state,” he said via press release.

How Does the Model Align with the 2023/24 Regional Football Review?

The review aimed to analyse previous reports, the current operating model, feedback from stakeholders and best practice governance models in sports to form recommendations which would be most beneficial to the future administration, development and overall experience of Victorian football. 

The ten fundamental recommendations found within the Regional Football Review were: 

  1. Professionalising the regional development workforce 
  2. Committing to the long-term service delivery to regional football 
  3. Re-aligning resources to ensure effective administration and advocacy 
  4. Consolidating the core functions of the Associations 
  5. Protecting the assets and history of the Associations 
  6. Standardising competition delivery 
  7. Aligning disciplinary processes 
  8. Increasing youth engagement through school programs 
  9. Improving access to play, coach and referee pathways 
  10. Delivering the annual Country Championships 

Therefore, bringing the former Associations under the banner of Football Victoria is the first essential step towards a more streamlined, professionalised and unified football structure designed to distribute resources fairly across clubs in the state of Victoria. Behind the model is not only the desire to improve efficiency off the pitch, but to ensure that players, coaches and referees have a future in the long-term development of Victorian football. 

Playing for the Future

The new model represents an exciting new era for Football Victoria, as well as for fans, players and staff associated with the changes due to come into effect in 2026. Ballarat Regional Advisory Panel Chair, Lucy Brennan, has backed the move as immensely positive for the region’s footballing future. 

“As a past player and coach, I could not be more excited to help provide these opportunities for the Ballarat Football Region and look forward to the support, input and discussion to ensure we are setting our region up for success now and in the future,” she said via press release. 

As Australia looks to develop football across the country, laying secure foundations within the state for current and future participants is an important first step. With an aligned and sustainable footballing structure, fans and clubs can remain optimistic about nurturing the next generation of Victorian talent and providing accessible pathways for all to achieve their sporting ambitions.

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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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