Rangers FC Confirms Majority Stake Acquisition

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Image Credit: Rangers FC website

Rangers Football Club has announced the purchase of a majority stake in the club by a consortium of investors, led by Andrew Cavanagh and 49ers Enterprises.

The consortium is setting a fresh strategic direction for the club, focusing on improving performance on the pitch while ensuring long-term financial stability.

As part of this new chapter, the leadership group has pledged a £20 million ($41.85 million AUD) investment in the club, pending approval from shareholders at the General Meeting scheduled for 23 June 2025.

Cavenagh, a seasoned business and healthcare executive, will take on the role of Chairman of the Board.

He’ll work alongside Paraag Marathe, who joins as Vice Chairman.

Marathe is also President of 49ers Enterprises, the sports investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers, led by CEO Jed York. Together, Cavenagh and Marathe bring decades of experience leading successful businesses and elite sports organisations.

As members of the Board, they’ll play a key role in guiding the club through this next phase.

This isn’t the first time 49ers Enterprises have acquired a stake in a British club, having assumed full ownership of newly promoted Premier League side Leeds United earlier this year, building upon a long-standing partnership that started in 2018.

Cavenagh expressed gratitude for the trust shown in the new leadership and emphasised a clear focus on improving performance and delivering results to restore Rangers to the top.

“We are deeply grateful for the trust placed in us by the Rangers Board, shareholders, staff, and supporters,” Cavenagh said in a press release

“This club’s history and traditions speak for themselves, but history doesn’t win matches. We know that the true way to honour the club’s heritage will be to drive performance.

“Our focus is simple: elevate performance, deliver results, and bring Rangers back to where it belongs – at the top.”

Marathe highlighted 49ers Enterprises’ commitment to both sporting success and community connection, expressing excitement about helping lead Rangers into a new era that fans can be proud of.

“At 49ers Enterprises, we have built a track record of sporting and business success, but our driving motivation is our deep connection to the clubs and communities we serve,” Marathe said in a press release.

“We are excited to join Andrew and our other consortium of investors in a new era for this iconic club, and we are determined to build something that supporters can be proud of for years to come.”

The takeover has been granted approval from the Scottish Football Association.

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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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