Western United and HART Sport strengthen relationship into a fifth season

Jullian Sardana13/08/2024 6:15 am12/08/2024

Image credit: Western United official website

Western United has announced that it will continue its partnership with HART Sport for a fifth season, having been together since October 2020.

HART Sports has played a key role in supplying Western United’s A-Leagues, Academy and Community programs with a multitude of training equipment and sporting goods.

Nathan Perrone, Western United Commercial Partnerships Executive, said regarding the extended partnership:

“We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our partnership with HART Sport. Andrew, Matt and the team have been fantastic supporters of the Club for a long period now, highlighted by their strong presence across our community programs,” he said via a media release on the club’s website.

“The quality and service the team provide has been incredible throughout the partnership and we look forward to this continuing.”

Andrew Mills, HART Sport National Sales Manager, voiced his excitement to continue supporting Western United into the new season:

“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with United in what is an exciting period for the club, as they settle into their new facilities. The decision to continue our support into a fifth season was quite straightforward and we look forward to the 2024/25 season,” he said via a media release on the club’s website.

HART Sport will continue to have a significant presence helping A-Leagues ball kids on matchday and supporting The United Football Program, which aims to support local football clubs in the Western region.

HART Sport has also been a big supporter of the WE ARE WEST community rewards program, which gifts community clubs in the west of Melbourne and Victoria with experiences, surprises and products when they sign up as a member of the club for the upcoming season.

The sports equipment manufacturer has provided $5,000 worth of vouchers for rewards potentially going to junior clubs in the West and will continue to help equip those clubs with the necessary gear for training and match days with this agreed extension.

HART Sport has been a massive contributor to Western United; having provided the essential training equipment and goods for not only their men’s and women’s teams but also their academy and community programs.

For more information about HART Sport, visit their website.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

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

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

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.