Wellington Phoenix unite with Entelar Group as principal partner

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Image credit: Wellington Phoenix Instagram

Wellington Phoenix have confirmed Entelar Group has joined the club as one of its principal partners for the upcoming season.

As ‘New Zealand’s total connection company,’ Entelar Group will be featured alongside OPPO as the Phoenix’s front-of-shirt partners for the 2024-25 A-Leagues.

OPPO, the global smart device brand, has renewed its commitment for a fourth season as a principal partner and will be prominently displayed on the men’s home and women’s away shirts this season. Entelar Group will take the spotlight on the women’s home and men’s away jerseys.

Additionally, Entelar Group has pledged its support to the club’s award-winning Football For All programme, which helps eliminate barriers for thousands of Tamariki and Rangatahi to participate in futsal or football in Aotearoa.

Phoenix general manager David Dome mentioned the great support of OPPO over the last three seasons and his enthusiasm for the new partnership.

“We’re delighted to have Entelar Group join OPPO as our principal partners for the upcoming A-League season,” Phoenix general manager David Dome said in a club statement.

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in football and Entelar Group is an exciting New Zealand company that are ambitious, like us.

“By getting behind our Football For All programme New Zealand’s total connection company is not only giving back to the game but connecting communities.

“OPPO New Zealand has been one of our biggest supporters for the past three years and our national fan base has played a part in making it the respected and loved brand it is in Aotearoa today.

“We’ve enjoyed working with the OPPO New Zealand team and look forward to taking our partnership with them to a new level this season.”

Entelar Group CEO Rajesh Singh shared his excitement about joining the Wellington Phoenix whānau.

“The timing couldn’t be better with the increasing popularity of football in Aotearoa,” Singh said in a statement.

“So many of our people all over the country, as well as our customers, suppliers, and partners are all big fans of the Phoenix, making this relationship even more special to show our commitment to building connections with New Zealand businesses and the wider community.”

OPPO New Zealand managing director Morgan Halim spoke about the fantastic connection they have created with the Wellington Phoenix.

“This partnership has been a game-changer for OPPO in New Zealand, allowing us to connect with fans nationwide,” Halim said in a statement.

“We’re excited to welcome Entelar Group on board and look forward to making this season the most memorable one yet for our supporters.”

The OPPO logo has been iconic on the Phoenix shirt over the past few seasons and the club have done fantastically to grow their business portfolio with another big New Zealand company in Entelar Group.

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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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