Geelong regional soccer centre a step closer to reality

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The City of Greater Geelong has committed $50,000 of its budget towards a feasibility and business plan for the development of a new regional soccer centre, with hopes that funding from federal and state governments could make the multi-million dollar facility a reality.

Councillor Kylie Grzybek said that while other regional areas like Shepparton and Ballarat have regional soccer centres, Geelong is missing out on opportunities without one of their own.

“We’ve been missing out in Geelong, and want to have the opportunity to host all types of soccer events, even rugby events, country championships, Croatian Cups, A-League and W-League. For example, when the World Cup comes we could host a team. We feel we have been missing out,” she said.

Grzybek explains this is a continuation of the council’s support for the world game, and the new facility was a part of her election campaign.

“It shows a dedication to the fastest growing sport in the country. Council has over the past 4 years invested heavily in soccer across the region, we are talking from female-friendly change rooms, lighting projects, to new pitches and clubs, trying to support the game generally,” she added.

Councillor Eddy Kontelj revealed that the idea for a regional soccer centre of Geelong has been in the pipeline since 2010, and the focus on soccer-specific infrastructure could make it a reality.

“It’s taken a while to get the level where we could seriously consider it, in the past decade there hasn’t been a lot of infrastructure work and investment at the local level, because the Geelong area has not had as much focus on soccer-specific facilities until now,” he said.

Cr Grzybek is hopeful that by the end of her current term, which is due to end in 3 years, work will have begun on the new facility.

“In my view, we will do the business case, and be out there spruiking it in time for the state and federal elections. You can get these types of funding or you don’t,” she said.

“I think the council will be looking to work out this financial year how much the council can contribute. It’s a facility that is probably anywhere between $10 million and $20 million, which is a lot of money. How can we stage it, how we can set aside the land for this type of facility.”

The City of Greater Geelong Council may be able to tap into the World Game Facilities Fund, or the Community Sports Infrastructure Program, which has helped fund other projects in the state of Victoria.

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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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