Future of Football Review Report released by Northern NSW Football

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NNSWF
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Northern NSW Football have officially unveiled their Sports Business Partners’ Future of Football Review Final Report and Recommendations for 2022 and beyond.

The final report reflects 10 months of comprehensive consultation with member zones, standing committees, clubs, volunteers, coaches, referees, players and staff.

Member zones, standing committee chairs and elected representatives of NNSWF Northern Inland have all received the final report for response.

The final report has also been distributed to peak sporting bodies including Football Australia, Sport Australia and NSW Office of Sport.

“Today is an important milestone and one step closer to a future with more tangible support for clubs, volunteers, coaches, referees and players,” Northern NSW Football CEO David Eland said in a statement via NNSWF.

“This implementation plan positions clubs as the agents of change. The speed at which reform occurs will ultimately be determined by clubs. NNSWF is committed to investing in the plan and building the trust and credibility required to drive change which benefits all stakeholders.”

In October 2021 NNSWF commenced a comprehensive review into the effectiveness and efficiency of the governance and administration structures which underpin the game in our region.

The review responds to Northern NSW Football’s strategic priority to lead change and improve governance throughout football to gain efficiencies which make the game better and more accessible.

The process aligns to Principle VII of Football Australia’s XI Principles for the Future of Australian Football.

Principle VII identifies transitioning towards a modern, fit for purpose governance framework for football in line with global standards and best-practice sports governance in Australia as one of the key challenges facing the game.

NNSWF’s board of directors have endorsed the final report and its recommendations, with the report to remain with members for response over the next two weeks before being released to clubs and other stakeholders.

Northern NSW Football Chair Helene O’Neill believes the recommendations will be a much-needed boost for community clubs and volunteers.

“This process has been about listening to the concerns, needs and wants of a wide range of stakeholders across our member federation,” O’Neill said via NNSWF.

“We know there are opportunities to do things better and we want to do this together with clubs and colleagues in member zones. This report is the blueprint to do it.”

Members will have two weeks to consider the recommendations and provide a response.

Following this, the final report and recommendations will be released to clubs including invitations to attend club information sessions.

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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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