Melissa Barbieri celebrates 25-year professional milestone

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Australian footballing legend Melissa Barbieri celebrated 25 years of football over the weekend.

Having captained Australia to their 2010 AFC Asian Cup win, and been a part of four Women’s World Cups with the Matildas, Barbieri has experienced an incredible footballing career that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. She is continuing to shine for A-League Women’s side Melbourne City, who currently sit in second place on the table.

“I want girls to play for longer. I want every girl to be able to say, ‘I can play the game that I love for as many years as ‘Bubs’ did’,” Barbieri told Network Ten following City’s A-League Women win over Western Sydney.

“I continue to play because we have got a start, with a good CBA and girls can actually play the sport that they love for a good wage, a decent wage, but we’re not where we can be.

“I want to be able to say to all those little girls out there that want to play soccer for Australia: you can play anywhere in the world, not just for Australia.

“That’s the hope for me. 2023 is going to open up a lot of doors for a lot of people, not just in the game where you’re playing it with the ball at your feet but in administration, in leadership roles, in so many positions.

“Women just need to put their hand up and want to be a part of it and I can’t wait to see where this game grows in the future.”

The occasion marked 25 years since Barbieri first lined up for Victoria Vision against Canberra in the Women’s National Soccer League on February 7, 1997. Since then, she has earned 93 caps for the Matildas and has enjoyed a spectacular career in the domestic competition where she is the oldest player in the A-League Women’s at 41 years old.

It is especially remarkable considering Barbieri began her career as a midfielder, before transitioning to life as a goalkeeper in 2000. And after sitting out 2016-17, Barbieri came out of retirement, and has gone on to become a crucial cog in the City Women’s A-League side this season.

“It’s amazing – you can’t explain how important she is for everyone in the dressing room. Every time someone has debuted for our team, she brings flowers to the girl the next morning. She’s not just a player, she’s not just a mentor, she’s a mother as well,” coach Rado Vidosic said.

“To have her with us, I hope she’s going to stay when I’m 70, so another 10 years and she can be part of this. It’s really remarkable what she has achieved.”

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Netflix’s Women’s World Cup deal puts IMG’s technology in the spotlight

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Netflix’s first exclusive football deal will see the next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup at the centre of it’s live-sport strategy. The US-streaming service company has appointed IMG as its production partner for all 64 matches in Brazil, as well as more than 100 hours of live studio programming. The deal includes English and Spanish coverage for viewers within the US, and English and French-language coverage for those in Canada. IMG will also support Netflix’s coverage of the tournament’s draw in December.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup runs from June 24 to July 25 across eight host cities, and will be the first edition to feature 32 teams. The scale of the tournament makes it an ambitious first foray into sports broadcasting for Netflix – which means IMG’s involvement will be of great significance.

IMG’s production engine

IMG has built its reputation on producing and distributing live sport at scale. It’s Stockley Park, London facility includes broadcast studios, production galleries, edit suites and facilities for radio, podcasting, dubbing and visual effects. The company has worked across major properties including the Premier League, Major League Soccer and other international sporting events.

For a World Cup, this infrastructure provides more than a place to make television; it creates a central point where production teams can manage feeds, graphics, replays, commentary, editing and distribution while events are taking place thousands of kilometres away.

Remote production is the key

The most important technology for a tournament spread across eight Brazilian cities is connectivity. IMG has invested in remote-production workflows that allow production teams to work across locations, rather than putting every specialist inside each stadium. Its wider production operation has used fibre, satellite, cloud and IP-based connectivity to move live signals between venues and production centres.

That model can reduce the amount of equipment and specialist staff required at every venue while allowing senior producers, directors, replay operators and graphics teams to work from centralised facilities. IMG has also demonstrated long-distance IP production, including a 20,000-kilometre link between Tokyo and London that carried uncompressed, low-latency video. For Netflix, those capabilities are particularly relevant. The platform is building a single viewing experience for audiences in two markets, but the raw ingredients will come from stadiums spread across Brazil. A resilient network becomes just as important as the cameras themselves.

From stadium to stream

The technology chain does not end when the pictures leave the venue. A modern sports production operation has to manage ingest, replay, media asset management, graphics, audio, quality control, archiving and transmission. IMG’s facilities have been built around those workflows, with master control and transmission capabilities alongside post-production and archive operations.

That infrastructure also gives IMG the ability to turn the live tournament into a wider stream of content. A goal can become a replay, a highlight, a social clip or part of a studio package without waiting for the match to finish. For Netflix, that fits a platform built around on-demand discovery as much as live viewing.

A new test for Netflix

Netflix has already made a significant investment in football through documentaries and other programming. The 2027 Women’s World Cup takes it up a level. FIFA describes the agreement as the first competition Netflix has acquired in full, making the tournament a major test of its live sports operation. IMG therefore has a job that goes beyond producing 64 matches; it must help Netflix build the technical backbone for a month-long, multi-venue broadcast, while maintaining consistent production standards across languages and locations.

The viewer may simply press play and see a World Cup match appear instantly. Behind that button will be a complex network of cameras, connectivity, control rooms, production systems, people and data. That is the real significance of Netflix’s IMG deal: the streamer is bringing the tournament to its platform, but IMG is providing much of the machinery that can make a global football event feel seamless.

Oz Shipping Containers expands Newcastle Jets partnership with front-of-shirt move

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Image Credit: Newcastle Jets

Newcastle Jets have upgraded their relationship with Oz Shipping Containers, with the Newcastle-based business becoming Principal Partner of the A-League Men’s team for the 2026/27 season.

The agreement represents a significant increase in the company’s involvement with the club, moving from a sleeve sponsorship last season to the front of the Jets’ men’s playing shirts.

Oz Shipping Containers will feature on the club’s home, away and goalkeeper kits throughout the campaign, giving the business a substantially larger presence across matchday, broadcast and club content.

The partnership also provides another example of the Jets developing commercial relationships with locally based businesses and increasing their investment over time.

Oz Shipping Containers specialises in the supply and modification of shipping containers, serving customers across residential, commercial and industrial markets.

Newcastle Jets Executive Chairman Maurice Bisetto said the club was excited to build on the existing partnership.

“It is great to continue our close association with a successful local business operating on a global stage,” Bisetto said.

The expanded partnership comes as the Jets prepare for a season that will include both A-League Men’s football and AFC Champions League Elite competition, increasing the club’s exposure across domestic and Asian markets.

For Oz Shipping Containers, the front-of-shirt position provides a much broader platform than its previous sleeve placement, putting the brand at the centre of the Jets’ visual identity throughout the season.

With the Jets entering a new campaign as defending Australia Cup champions and competing in Asia, Oz Shipping Containers will now have a significantly larger platform through which to build its association with the club.

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