Townsville’s Home of Football gets fresh naming rights

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Townsville Home of Football
Image credit: Townsville City Council

Football Queensland have bolstered the growth of football in the Northern Region, announcing a partnership renewal with Paradise Outdoor Advertising.

The decision will instigate several significant investments in the game, and see the company become the official rights partner for Brolga Park in Townsville, the region’s home of football, as the facility is set to be renamed Paradise Park.

Paradise Outdoor Advertising (or POA) was founded in 1983 in Airlie Beach in Queensland’s Whitsunday region. Four decades on, it has since grown to become Australia’s largest regional outdoor advertising company. Now based in Townsville, the main business hub for Northern Queensland, the company continues to be a family operated business. POA’s billboard locations span across the state, from the coast to its innermost regions, in over 1400 locations and seen by more than 11 million sets of eyes every day.

POA are among the few outdoor advertising companies that complete all their work “in-house”, from graphic design to construction, to the maintenance of the advertisement sites themselves. The company’s strategic focus centres on building long-term relationships with stakeholders, continuous improvement of their processes and systems and adding value to their customers and clients. Most recently, POA has become a pioneer in the digital advertising space, developing advertising signs that work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at Queensland’s regional airports and shopping precincts.

Football Queensland General Manager for the Northern Region, Declan Carnes, said via press release:

“We look forward to seeing the continued growth of football in Northern Queensland, particularly in the women and girls’ space whilst we prepare for a huge year of football with the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. With over 4000 registered participants in the region, we see this partnership as an amazing opportunity for our game.”

CEO of Paradise Outdoor Advertising, Mitch James, added via press release:

“POA is celebrating its 40th year of business. We’re a local Townsville family business, and we’re delighted to continue our community involvement with this partnership with Football Queensland. Junior Sport is dear to us, and its great to be involved at a grass-roots level. Paradise Park is an expression of our support of Townsville and its strong engagement with football.”

As Townsville’s Home of Football, Paradise Park will play a key role in participation leading into the Women’s World Cup. Home to other sporting codes, such as basketball, cricket and hockey to name a few, it is a great hub for people to train and play competitively.

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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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