Samantha Farrow becomes the new CEO of Capital Football

Avatar
Image via Capital Football website

Capital Football have confirmed that Samantha Farrow is the new Chief Executive Officer, effective from Monday, February 12.

Samantha arrives in Canberra with nearly 10 years’ experience as CEO at Surf Life Saving NT, previously, Samantha held key talent identification positions at the Australian Sports Commission in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Despite her lesser involvement in football, Farrow has experience in sports administration and community engagement as well as working closely with key stakeholders to build significant growth and improvements to the organisations she has worked for.

Samantha Farrow explained that she has a huge role to play in the potential growth of football in the capital.

“I would describe myself as an open approachable person, with a strong belief in community who loves to pursue a challenge. I know the task ahead is one that holds a great deal of interest to so many participants and supporters of the game here in ACT. I look forward to making a positive contribution to all involved,” she said in a Capital Football statement.

Capital Football chair, Angelo Konstantinou expressed his excitement at the new appointment and fresh start for Capital Football.

“We are delighted to have Samantha leading the office into the next exciting chapter. There’s so much going on, and so much to look forward too.” he added in a statement.

“We can’t wait to work alongside Samantha as the game continues to grow in the region. The Board would like to thank David Palywoda and the Capital Football staff who continued to remain committed to the running the office and all our functions under difficult circumstances over the past few months, we are grateful to them all.”

A huge task for Farrow will be the completion of the Home of Football in Throsby. On the 22nd of July, 2023, the Estate Development Plan for the $33.5 million Throsby Home of Football project was approved. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024 and the delays it has experienced so far since its initial plan in 2019 has been a big issue for Canberra United’s recruitment and the state’s football development.

Canberra United, who currently sit last in the A-League Women’s competition, are the only professional football team in the state and they currently play their home games in McKellar Park before they eventually move into Throsby.

Farrow will also have to weigh up the prospect of putting in another bid for a capital expansion team in the A-League Men’s competition after Auckland edged them out of the latest spot last November.

This appointment could certainly prove to be a substantial one and the federation has opted to go with Farrow’s experience to steer the ship and help football significantly grow in the state on all levels.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Avatar
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

Avatar
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.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend