Football Victoria celebrates International Day of People with Disability

Liam Watson

Football Victoria has joined the global football community in celebrating International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), as well as several updates from FV’s All Abilities football programs.

IDPwD is held yearly on December 3, a United Nations day that’s observed internationally. It helps to increase awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with an impairment and recognise their contributions to society.

“We are proud to be an inclusive sport supporting people with an impairment to play football,” Football Victoria said.

“Despite not being able to host our usual programs this year, we are more than determined to ensure our players with impairments will have the best football season in 2021 – aligning with the international theme for IDPwD 2020: “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”.

“We are excited to share some updates across our All Abilities football programs.”

A new FV Blind Football Project Coordinator has been appointed, with Amir Abdi to commence from 2021. He will work closely with Football Victoria’s Inclusion team related to programs for blind or partially sighted Victorians.

At Fitzroy City SC, the second session of their pilot Autism Football Program for children with the condition will take place, with costs of the program going towards the KS Foundation where it ensures kids with autism can play and watch football in a safe environment.

The Disability Sport and Recreation Online Festival will be an online platform this year to make sure anyone can still attend and participate. Football Victoria has given support to the festival that will run from Friday 11th December – Saturday 12th December 2020.

Football Victoria are also looking to launch their GO Sevens All Abilities Competitions on January 9th 2021, at Darebin International Sports Centre. It will involve a six week, 7-a-side social competition for people who have impairments (intellectual or physical) for ages 15 years and over.

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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.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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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.

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