The AFC launches ‘Rehabilitation Through Football’ programme

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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Vision and Mission to leverage on the beautiful game to strengthen communities through the AFC Dream Asia Foundation continued its game-changing impact with the launch of the “Prison Football, Rehabilitation Through Football” programme, in partnership with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and Shelter Ashraya Nepal (SAN).

Aimed at rehabilitating past offenders and reducing reoffending, the year-long project is spread across two phases and supported by the nation’s Home Ministry and the Prison Department of Nepal.

The capacity building initiative will offer different skill-based courses, namely, coaching, referee, and football training. The skill course offered to the inmates will depend on their age, interest and serving period.

Upon completion of their respective courses, coaches will receive a D licence while those training in refereeing will earn a Category IV certificate.

The ANFA and the SAN will provide participation certificates for those undergoing football training and will also assist them in securing opportunities to be employed in the local football ecosystem upon completion of their time served, paving the way for them to be reintegrated into the community as rehabilitated and respectable citizens.

Inmates who have less remaining time to serve will be given preference to ensure they are provided with the best conditions to benefit from the programme at the time of their release.

The ANFA is spear-heading this project with the aid of various local bodies such as the non-profit organisation SAN. They will work closely with the government while choosing the prison that will be the site for the pilot edition.

Giving ex-offenders a chance to engage in physical activities and team sports is integral to their overall physical and mental well-being.

Therefore, for those offenders who are not eligible to be part of the enterprise, a parallel “Football for Fun” project has been proposed by which the inmates can still be included through football matches and counselling sessions, among other activities.

The latest initiative further underlines the long-standing and meaningful impact of the partnership between the AFC, ANFA and SAN following the successful launch of the ‘Feed the Hungry’ programme in 2021 during the height of the pandemic.

The ‘Prison Football, Rehabilitation Through Football’ represents another excellent model that upholds the AFC’s belief that football truly belongs to everyone and anyone can develop lifelong values through the sport.

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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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