Melbourne welcomes the return of SportNXT in March

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Image credit: SportNXT website

In 2025, the brightest minds in global sports will once again converge in Victoria for SportNXT Melbourne, the state’s premier sports business summit, supported by the Allan Labor Government.

Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for Tourism, Sport, and Major Events, confirmed earlier in the month that the three-day SportNXT event will return to Melbourne next March, featuring prominent speakers from around the globe to explore the latest trends in the sports industry.

Past speakers that have appeared for SportNXT have been Manchester United COO Collete Rochie, Football Australia CEO James Johnson, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Head of Marketing Kim Anderson and Head Coach of Western United John Aloisi.

The SportNXT summit attracts participants from diverse organisations, such as the NFL, The Walt Disney Company, the NBA, and the Australian Sports Commission. The 2024 summit saw nearly 1,000 attendees and featured a program packed with discussions on key issues, including the latest advancements in sports technology.

During the summit, speakers and delegates have the opportunity to explore Melbourne’s world-class sporting infrastructure, which has positioned Victoria as a global leader in attracting major sporting events.

SportNXT will highlight Victoria’s strengths in sports innovation and technology, with 40 percent of Australia’s SportsTech companies located in the state, employing nearly half of the industry’s national workforce.

First held in Melbourne in 2022, SportNXT showcases Victoria’s vibrant events calendar, which contributes approximately $3.3 billion annually to the state’s economy.

The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos, mentioned the importance of this event.

“This three-day event brings global leaders from across the sporting world to Australia’s sporting and major events capital,” he said via press release.

“SportNXT has quickly become a must-do event for sporting heavyweights from around the world – and we’re giving them the chance to see first-hand how well we do major sporting events here in Victoria.”

SportNXT Co-Founder, Bart Campbell, mirrored the same thoughts.

“With the support of the Victorian Government, SportNXT brings together the most influential leaders in sport. It has delivered significant trade outcomes for the industry and is a must attend event for anyone engaged in the business of sport. It’s where senior executives from across the globe gather in Melbourne to connect, inspire and do business,” he said via press release.

Further details about SportNXT 2025, including the line-up of key speakers, will be confirmed in the coming months, for more information 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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