Premier League teams set to avoid betting sponsor ban for shirts

Matthew Badrov01/07/2022 5:55 am30/06/2022

According to The Times, the UK government is dropping proposals to ban English Premier League sides from having betting firms as shirt sponsors.

Speculation over the long-term viability of gambling sponsors in the game has been mounting after the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched a review of the Gambling Act in December 2020. At the time, multiple UK media outlets reported that shirt sponsorships could be outlawed by 2023.

At the end of March, The Telegraph reported that 20 English Football League (EFL) and non-league clubs had called on the government to push ahead with banning gambling sponsorship on shirts.

The letter from the clubs, coordinated by the Gambling With Lives campaign group, was the latest effort from betting harm awareness campaigners reportedly fearful the government was having second thoughts over radical reforms.

In April, the UK’s Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) announced plans to ban betting adverts from featuring sports stars and social media influencers. Betting firms will also be prevented from including teams’ official kits and stadiums in any potential campaigns, as well as showing video game content.

The measures, which kick in from October 1, were part of a wide-ranging list of new regulations intended to reduce the appeal of gambling industry marketing to those aged under 18.

In May, the BBC reported a proposal to outlaw shirt sponsorship deals with betting brands had been included in a government draft whitepaper. In the same month, The Times reported that ministers were expected to water down those plans after a backlash from the gambling industry

Now, according to The Times, the proposal to stop gambling companies from sponsoring club shirts have been ditched. This includes the top-tier Premier League, though the government is reportedly hoping to reach a voluntary agreement with clubs and is keeping the option of legislation in reserve.

Plans for a mandatory levy on the gambling industry to fund research and treatment of addiction, based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle, have also purportedly been rejected.

The government has said it will publish the white paper as part of its review of gambling legislation in the coming weeks.

Previous ArticleFootball NSW announce Broadlex as Official Partner of NAIDOC Cup teamsNext ArticleFootball Victoria announce partnership extension with Senol

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

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

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

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.