FQ CQUniversity partnership: Enhancing football and education

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FQU CQUniversity
Image Credit: Football Queensland website

Football Queensland (FQ) and CQUniversity (CQU) have trumpeted a groundbreaking new partnership which will link the two organisations for the next three years.

As a part of the deal, CQU will become FQ’s Official University Partner and enjoy a pivotal role in delivering physiotherapy, chiropractic and podiatry education at carnivals and festivals, in player development sessions and to FQ Academy teams.

Additionally, FQ has opened placement spots specifically for CQU sports science students within the FQ Academy, providing students with firsthand experience in a professional sporting environment and delivering personalised supports to upcoming athletes.

Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci detailed how transformative the collaboration with CQU would be for FQ and its Academy.

“We are thrilled to partner with CQUniversity as we integrate cutting-edge education and research into our high-performance pathways, ensuring we remain dynamic in our approach and consistently implement new best practices that benefit all our participants,” he said in a press release.

“This partnership will provide FQ Academy and Queensland State Team players with access to expert physiotherapy, chiropractic, and podiatry services, while also offering CQU sports science students the opportunity to work closely with our emerging athletes, supporting training programs and player welfare, and gaining invaluable experience in an elite environment that contributes to the development of the next generation of sports science professionals.  

“We’re also excited to collaborate with CQU on future research projects aimed at advancing player development and injury prevention while opening up more opportunities for higher education pathways for FQ participants and members.”  

CQUniversity Director of Sport Strategy Professor Fabio Serpiello expressed the university’s enthusiasm for the partnership.

“CQU is proud that our unique sport science, rehabilitation and community sport expertise is supporting the important work and growth of Football Queensland, across high performance, grassroots engagement, and leadership development,” he said via press release.

Dean of the School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Professor Andy Stewart explained how CQU would be able to connect with all footballers across Queensland.

“Whether it’s city or region or remote town, everywhere CQU operates in Queensland, football is a key sport in that community,” Prof Stewart said in a press release. 

“CQU’s community-connected, inclusive approach is a perfect fit to meaningfully support the growth of accessible, empowering physical activity and competition, especially for girls and women, and people of all abilities.” 

For more information on CQUniversity, click HERE.

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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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