Cumulo9 enters into a collaboration deal with Auckland FC

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Image credit: Auckland FC Instagram

Auckland FC and Cumulo9 have signed a collaboration that will see the Kiwi digital communications business become an inaugural partner of the club in 2024.

Cumulo9, a leading digital communications company from New Zealand, has become an inaugural partner of Auckland FC, the latest A-League team. This partnership highlights Cumulo9’s commitment to supporting local communities and driving positive change, in line with their mission to improve lives and outcomes.

Cumulo9, a certified B Corp business, is part of a global community of organisations that adhere to high standards of social and environmental impact.

They have achieved B Corp certification by demonstrating the dedication to ethical governance, sustainable business practices, and social responsibility.

They greatly value this recognition and are dedicated to using their innovative technologies to revolutionise how organisations communicate, improve workflows, and manage digital assets sustainably.

In early 2022, Cumulo9 began pursuing B Corp certification and initially consulted with various organizations that had experienced both success and failure in the process.

Fortunately, they started with a strong foundation of well-documented processes and procedures, which enabled them to present their social and environmental credentials to B Lab efficiently. As a result, Cumulo9 achieved a commendable score of 84.1 out of 100.

Cumulo9 CEO Chris Hogg shared his excitement about the deal, stating via press release:

“We are thrilled to support Auckland FC, a team that shares our commitment to community engagement and excellence. Football’s unifying power is something we deeply resonate with.”

Auckland FC’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mike Higgins, added via press release:

“Cumulo9’s support is integral to our vision of growing the game and nurturing young talent. Their values align perfectly with ours, making this partnership a natural fit.”

Cumulo9’s approach to partnerships is central to the company’s values, highlighting the significance of aligning business practices with community engagement and social responsibility.

This strategy is evident in Cumulo9’s dedication to strengthening local communities through its partnerships. By collaborating with Auckland FC, Cumulo9 seeks to enhance community involvement through sports, offering opportunities for local talent to excel and generating a positive impact across the community.

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South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

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