Oakleigh Cannons confirm Jack Edwards Reserve redevelopment

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Image credit: City of Monash website

Oakleigh Cannons FC and the Monash City Council confirm that the redevelopment project at Jack Edwards Reserve has officially kicked off.

The key features of this mega project include:

– Construction of a safe 500 seat grandstand

– Instalment of 500 lux sports lighting for the main pitch

– Fencing & Pathways

– New pavilion and changing rooms

The budget for the project is $14.73 million which is broken down through $4 million from State Government, $2 million from the Federal Government, $530,000 from the Oakleigh Cannons Football Club and $8.2 million from Council.

The design for the development propose a new pavilion on the western boundary with 500 undercover grandstand seats, a 200m2 multi-purpose space for community use, and compliant amenities. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

This would accommodate an increase in football participation, particularly by female teams, and to meet National Premier League standards.

The lighting placed on the main pitch would also be designed to Australian football standards and help with the purpose of midweek training sessions and hosting night matches for both the men’s and women’s teams.

As per the Monash City council, the new pavilion and grandstand supports the club’s goals to:

– continue competing in the NPL

– cater for a female team

– host men’s and women’s double-headers

The project includes a multi-purpose space that would be managed by Council so the football club’s needs would be met on training and match days, and broader community groups would benefit at other times from the use of this space.

Oakleigh Cannons FC Chairman Kon Kavalakis mentioned the club’s excitement at this game-changing project for the NPL Victoria club and the Oakleigh community.

“I am thrilled to announce that the start of work has brought us one step closer to constructing and operating this magnificent project,” Kavalakis said in a press release.

“On behalf of the board at Oakleigh Cannons FC, we would like to extend our public appreciation to Hon Clare O’Neil, Federal Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, Steve Dimopoulos, Victoria Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and Minister for Outdoor Recreation and Mr. Paul Kilsaris from Monash City Council for their valuable contributions to the project.

“Without their assistance, we would not have been able to officially begin the work on this monumental project.”

With a current capacity of 4,000 and outdated buildings, the historic Jack Edwards Reserve was due a big upgrade and funding to take this facility to the next level as the Oakleigh Cannons continue their success both on and off the field.

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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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