Football Queensland secures $3.5M pledge for Endeavour Park

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Image credit: Football Queensland website

Football Queensland has welcomed the confirmation from Michael Healy, Member for Cairns and Minister for Tourism and Sport, of a $3.5 million funding pledge to upgrade Endeavour Park, contingent on Labor’s re-election in November.

The planned upgrades at Endeavour Park, the heart of football in Far North Queensland, would address key elements of Football Queensland’s Endeavour Park Master Plan.

The plan aims to enhance the football experience, support multi-use functionality, and generate economic benefits for the region.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci thanked Minister Healy for support and discussed improving participation in the Far North region.

“Football Queensland continues to advocate for infrastructure funding through our statewide #EQUALISER initiative to support the rapid growth of our game as the state’s largest participation sport, and we thank Minister Healy for his support of football in the Far North with this significant commitment to upgrade facilities at Endeavour Park,” Cavallucci said in a statement.

“As our home of football in the Far North region, Endeavour Park plays an integral role in the delivery of football competitions and programs for participants at every level while providing a pathway through the FQ Academy program to Australia’s national teams for local footballers with aspirations to be like former Cairns player and much-loved Matilda, Mary Fowler.

“As we continue recording strong year-on-year growth in participation across the region, an upgrade to Endeavour Park is crucial to ensure we can deliver a positive football experience for all who are part of our game.”

FQ General Manager – Northern Region Craig Ramage expressed the same sentiment as Cavallucci about the possible upgrade.

“Football Queensland welcomes the announcement by Minister Healy of a $3.5 million funding commitment to upgrade the home of football in the Far North, Endeavour Park,” Ramage said in a statement.

“The upgrade of Endeavour Park aligns with FQ’s Master Plan for the facility and will deliver incredible benefits to the more than 4,100 members of our football community who attend the venue each week and participate in football as Cairns’ most popular sport.”

Football Queensland’s State Election #EQUALISER Campaign is continuing to make strides in advocating for football, with a focus on community infrastructure and facility investments from candidates in every electorate.

The campaign’s impact is evident, as 16 grassroots clubs across Queensland have secured significant funding, ranging from $150,000 to $3.8 million, from both local councils and the state government.

After the $800k pledge from the LNP for the Mackay Football Park carpark upgrade if they win the election, FQ have covered all bases here and have guaranteed a mega upgrade to one or more of their facilities.

FQ are adamant on aligning with their 2024–2026 Infrastructure Strategy and this is another step in the right direction.

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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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