Heidelberg United FC launch new initiative honouring corporate partners

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Heidelberg United is honoring their business and corporate partners with H.U.B (Heidelberg United in Business).

Heidelberg United is honouring their business and corporate partners with HUB (Heidelberg United in Business) – creating networking opportunities at events and highlighting their contribution to the club, with larger events planned for the coming months.

The venture aims to celebrate their partners and create opportunities to connect through a mutual love of football. The Victorian National Premier League team honoured the support their corporate and business partners have given the club throughout the years in a launch event that is planned to be the first of many.

The launch of HUB at Heidi’s Café saw a keynote speech from former club great and Melbourne Victory technical director Gary Cole. The launch was attended by over 80 guests, made up of club members and representatives from the club’s partners. Also in attendance were high-profile guests including State Legislative Councillor Lee Tarlamis OAM, and ex-Collingwood premiership-winning AFL player Ben Johnson.

Heidelberg United president Steve Tsalikidis oversaw the implementation of HUB, and says that the launch has been a success for both the club and its corporate partners.

“The concept was created because we want the ability of our partners to network and create opportunities, and also to say thank you to them because without them we couldn’t continue to do what we do,” he said.

Tsalikidis believes clubs within Australia need to engage more with their partners in the future to expand their support.

“One thing clubs need to get better at, generally speaking, is having engagement and respect with our partners. There is an obligation to invest back into the community, and that is what we are doing through Heidelberg United in Business,” he said.

Tsalikidis elaborated that the first event was a success for the club and its sponsors, with future events being open to the public and other prospective sponsors.

“I’m hearing already that they’ve started working together. The next event will be a proper business-to-business event at the Olympic hotel, where people can buy tickets to the event,” he said.

Future HUB events are planned to continue to strengthen the ties between Heidelberg United Football Club and their affiliated partners, while also allowing for their contribution to the team’s success to be promoted to the wider footballing community.

Heidelberg United is assessing how to develop and refine the “HUB” concept to further engage the corporate sector as an integral partner to the club both on and off the field.

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Female Football Week kicks off across Northern NSW

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Female Football Week has officially begun across Northern NSW, with a program of gala days, networking events and awards ceremonies running until Sunday May 17, marking a ten-day celebration that organisers say reflects both the growth of women’s football in the region and the work still required to sustain it.

The national initiative, now a fixture on the football calendar, provides a dedicated period of visibility for female participants across all levels of the game from players, coaches, referees to volunteers, whose contributions have historically received less recognition than their male counterparts.

NNSWF Participation and Women’s Football Officer Serena Carter said the week offered something for everyone connected to women’s football in the region.

“Female Football Week provides a fantastic chance to highlight the dedication and skill of female players, coaches, referees and volunteers across the northern NSW community,” Carter said. “There’s something for everyone to enjoy, from grassroots participants to elite competitors.”

Women’s football in northern NSW spans remote and regional communities where clubs operate on limited resources, alongside more established metropolitan programs with clearer development pathways. Female Football Week creates a moment of shared recognition across that spectrum and acknowledges the role volunteers play, from running the canteen to progressing through the pathway.

Northern NSW Football has recorded some of its strongest participation numbers in women’s and girls’ football in recent seasons, a trend that has placed increasing pressure on clubs and facilities to keep pace. The week’s events offer clubs an opportunity to showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion at a time when that commitment is being tested by growth.

Football NNSW Releases Infrastructure Strategies as Participation Growth Outpaces Facilities

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Northern NSW Football has unveiled bespoke infrastructure strategies for each of its seven member zones, providing an evidence-based roadmap for facility investment across the region as continued participation growth exposes critical gaps in the sporting infrastructure available to support it.

The Member Zone Infrastructure Strategies draw on data across participation rates, population growth and existing facility conditions to map what each zone has, what it needs and where investment will have the greatest impact. Identified gaps include drainage, lighting and inclusive changerooms – the foundational infrastructure that determines whether facilities are functional, safe and accessible year-round.

NNSWF Government Relations Manager Gary Fisher said the strategies represented a significant step toward smarter, more targeted investment across the region.

“By bringing together key data on participation, population growth and existing infrastructure, these strategies give us a stronger understanding of where the needs are greatest and where investment will have the most impact,” Fisher said. “Ultimately we want to create more inclusive and accessible environments for everyone involved in the game while building stronger, more sustainable clubs and communities for the future.”

Northern NSW Football has previously noted that participation across the region is at record levels and still rising, with women’s and girls’ football a significant driver of that growth. Infrastructure that was built for a smaller and less diverse participation base is increasingly unable to meet current demand, let alone accommodate future growth.

The strategies are also designed to strengthen NNSWF’s alignment with government funding priorities, providing the evidence base needed to support grant applications and long-term facility planning across all seven zones.

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