South Australian football to be broadcast free-to-air for the first time in 37 years

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Football SA
Image provided by Football South Australia

Football South Australia has announced that both the RAANPLSA and WNPLSA Grand Finals will be broadcast live free-to-air on Channel 44 Adelaide.

The RAA NPLSA Grand Final, presented by ServiceFM, will be played as a standalone fixture on Friday September 9 at 7.30pm, while the WNPLSA Grand Final will be at ServiceFM Stadium on Friday September 23, with a kick off time to be confirmed. Both games will also be streamed as usual to the NPL.TV platform.

In addition, fans can also enjoy a full replay of the match on Wednesday night on Channel 44 from 8.30pm from this week.

Football SA CEO Michael Carter was thrilled with the partnership which will see football in the state broadcast free-to-air for the first time in 37 years.

“We’re continuing to create ways to connect the games corporate partners to the local community and have our players showcased on the national stage,” Carter said in a statement.

“Over 150,000 people watch Channel 44 each month in the Adelaide metropolitan area and we are absolutely delighted with this partnership.

“This is going to be great for the local game and we look forward to seeing the results. There’s a lot of great things planned for 2023 onwards and we’re delighted to start with this announcement.

Channel 44 Adelaide General Manager Lauren Hillman further welcomed local football back to free-to-air.

“We are absolutely thrilled that we are going to be broadcasting these Grand Finals for the first time in a very long time,” she said via Football SA.

“With the buzz around the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year, we know there is a real desire to engage with local sport, which is what we do best at community tv. We just know that our audiences are going to be really excited to be able to watch the NPLSA on Channel 44.”

Football SA welcome players from both Premiership winning sides as part of the announcement.

Adelaide City Men’s player Aladin Irabona said via Football SA:

“This is a massive opportunity for both the Men’s and Women’s game as well and I think it’s fantastic. The more people and fans you can have watching the game, the more you want to perform and play well.”

West Adelaide’s and former Adelaide United A League Women’s player Meleri Mullan believes this to be a big moment for the women’s game in South Australia.

“It’s absolutely fantastic to have the WNPLSA Grand Final on free-to-air tv ahead of the Women’s World Cup here next year, it’s great that we are able to showcase the talent we have here in South Australia.” he added via Football SA.

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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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