Revolutionary new partnership provides sports focused young people with credit towards bachelor’s degree

ACPE

In a landmark partnership between Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE), Football Coaches Australia (FCA) and XVenture, young people can now access and gain a credit towards a selection of ACPE Undergraduate Bachelors’ Degrees with the completion of a unique and immersive new virtual reality based program.

The FCA XV Essential Skills Program is made up of five modules covering Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Communication, Culture and Resilience. The program is delivered in a self-paced online-based virtual world campus, with over 100 subjects brought to life as videos, podcasts, articles, websites and interactive e-books. The modules cover universal themes and seamlessly integrate classic and contemporary models and thinking with each subject coloured with examples and cases from football, sport and business globally.

Successful completion of the FCA/ XVenture College Essential Skills Program will provide future ACPE students for specific credit of:

(1) an ACPE (Professional Communication) unit, within their Bachelor of Sports Coaching (Management),  Bachelor of Sports Coaching (Strength and Conditioning), or Bachelor of Health Promotion courses

(2) an ACPE (Leadership in Sports Business) unit within their Bachelor of Sports Business (Leadership)course.

Under the partnership (articulation) agreement, students who complete the FCAXV Essential Skills program are eligible for consideration into the outlined ACPE courses.

The program was created by XVenture Founder and CEO Mike Conway. XVenture are experts and innovators in the team, leadership and personal development space. Mike’s clinical training and expertise in all areas of emotional intelligence, resilience and leadership have seen him take the role of emotional agility and mind coach for a number of elite sporting athletes and teams. Most recently Mike worked with the Australian National Football team, Sydney FC, Perth Glory, WBBL Sixers, WBBL Thunder and Olympians. In the FCA XV Essential Skills Program, Mike also draws on his current and past experience as a leader and advisor for organisations such as EY, Deloitte, Standards Australia and The Wiggles.

This new arrangement is an extension of FCA’s partnership with ACPE which also provides internship opportunities for ACPE students to fulfil their ‘Work Integrated Learning’ requirements.

ACPE CEO, Debbie Le Roux stated: “This exciting partnership between like-minded organisations aligns with our strategic aspirations to have an impact on the social and educational wellbeing of the sporting community and to provide appropriate pathways into higher education for coaches, athletes, administrators and anyone who has a passion for sport and learning.  ACPE is home to many who are passionate about sport and who are at different stages of life or learning.  We are thrilled to be partnered with FCA and XVenture to facilitate an industry relevant, contemporary and high-quality pathway into higher education.”

Glenn Warry, CEO, Football Coaches Australia stated: “… A key strategy of FCA is to implement world leading benchmarks, programs and partnerships to enhance the best practice and high-performance capabilities of current and future Australian coaches. FCA is proud to partner with ACPE in supporting young students in this challenging world with learning environments and FCA XVenture ‘essential’ skills’ highly relevant to modern coaching. Aligning and integrating Australian football coach education and tertiary education pathways for coaches, players, administrators and other sport professionals, makes total sense.”

XVenture Founder and CEO, Mike Conway stated: “Having the opportunity to partner with an educational institution who is committed to providing young people with access to contemporary learning through collaboration [with industry] is a breath of fresh air. My team and I are passionate about developing accelerated experiential learning programs and utilizing the best and latest in technology to deliver these essential skills, which until recently have been seen as ‘soft’. In an ever-changing world, these skills are more critical than ever.”

About – ACPE, Football Coaches Australia and XVenture

Australian College of Physical Education

The Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) is a leading provider of specialist bachelor degrees and graduate diplomas in the related disciplines of sport, applied fitness, health science, community health, business, physical education and dance. Established in 1917, ACPE aims to connect motivated and well-equipped students with fulfilling careers in their chosen field. ACPE aspires to maintain an impeccable reputation as a knowledge hub that serves the industry and broader community through scholarly activity, innovation and education.  Recognised as an Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) by Sport Australia, ACPE is proud to support student athletes who strive for academic and sporting excellence – we provide the highest level of service to elite athletes.

Football Coaches Australia

For Coaches, By Coaches … promoting and strengthening the reputation of football in Australia, and the reputation of Australian football on the world stage. Founded in November, 2017 as an association, FCA provides a collective voice for Australian professional and community football coaches.

FCA aims to provide a holistic support model for coaches, with key pillars of Advocacy, Professional Development, Wellbeing and Gender Equity and Diversity.

XVenture

Founded by Mike Conway, XVenture are experts and innovators in the team, leadership and personal development space, with a track record that has taken them around the globe. They create and deliver accelerated experiential learning, recruitment and onboarding solutions combining cutting edge technology (including virtual reality), with learning and leadership expertise.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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