WA Government unveils world-class State Football Centre for Women’s World Cup

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WA State Football Centre
Image credit: Football West/FotoEnzo

Perth is gearing up for a momentous occasion as it proudly revealed its State Football Centre in Queens Park. The stunning facility, unveiled by WA Premier Roger Cook, will take centre stage as one of the training venues for the much-anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The State Football Centre is a 16-hectare complex with world-class amenities. It has a two-story grandstand, two competition and training pitches, plenty of on-site parking, and three five-a-side playing fields. Teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti, and Morocco will use its elite facilities to prepare for the intense competition.

Post-Women’s World Cup, the State Football Centre will act as the administrative headquarters for Football West, marking a watershed moment for football in Western Australia.

The $46 million investment in this project was made possible through collaborative support from the State and Commonwealth governments, with the Cook Government contributing a significant $29.71 million.

Roger Cook expressed his delight on the matter, saying via press release:

“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and opening this facility in time for the first match ensures it will leave a lasting legacy for football in Western Australia,” he said.

“My Government is proud to have jointly funded and delivered a world-class facility that will not only help players train and perform at their peak during the upcoming World Cup, but provide the same opportunities to local teams and young players working towards scoring their own taste of international football glory someday.

Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell added via press release:

“It is a special day for our sport in Western Australia to finally have a place to call home after more than 120 years, and the facilities at the State Football Centre are state of the art.

“This will be a place where our elite youngsters will train, but it will also serve as a base for our grassroots game, including coaches and referees, as well as Football West’s charitable partner, the Football Futures Foundation, which serves the needs of diverse and priority communities through football here in WA.

“It will also be a place where overseas teams can come to train, as we have seen this week with Denmark and as will continue during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

“Football West would like to thank both the Federal and State governments for their support, and we look forward to working closely with them in the future as we develop the centre.”

Perth will host five matches as part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the facility to also leave a strong ever-lasting effect.

VenuesWest and Football West will be working together to manage the venue’s day-to-day operations going forward.

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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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