Off the Pitch Podcast: Shah Ali Rajput on Tradex Co football apparel

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Image credit: Tradex Co

In episode six of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, Tradex Co. founding member Shah Ali Rajput joins the show to talk about the ins and outs of football apparel, the companies growth in the Victorian and South Australian local football scene, and the quality of materials used to create their new football range.

Tradex Co., founded in Melbourne in 2020, is a wholesale sportswear brand that’s changing the game for sports clubs and local organisations.

The company is focused on breaking the mould by giving teams more control over their gear — from design to fit.

With a strong emphasis on innovative fabrics and smart design, Tradex Co. aims to deliver apparel that not only looks great but performs even better.

The company began by working with just two clubs but has since expanded its reach to 30 clubs.

To set itself apart from the competition, Rajput explained that Tradex Co focuses on strong customer service by maintaining a direct, hands-on relationship with clubs and their members.

“The point of difference for our company as compared to everyone else in the market, or a few in the market, would be our customer service,” he said on the podcast.

“A direct relationship between the consumer, the customer, the club, the club member, and myself, as being their own account manager for the majority of these clubs.

“So it’s a very direct relationship that is one of the major differences, and immediate feedback is taken on board.

“And accordingly, whatever is required, whatever is needed to be done is actioned within a certain amount of time, and feedback against the feedback is given back to the end user.”

Tradex Co is currently partnering with clubs in Victoria and South Australia, but the long-term goal is to expand and work with teams right across Australia.

However, Rajput emphasised that currently, while Tradex Co is open to working with clubs from other states, their focus remains on gradual, quality-driven growth rather than rapid expansion.

“We’re not going to be reaching out ourselves in the next 12 to 16 months to other states, but if a club would like to work with us, we’re more than happy to discuss,” Rajput continued.

“But we want to make sure the quality stays phenomenal.

“We don’t want quantity over quality, we want quality over quantity, we want to work with a certain amount of clubs, and that’s how we look at this business.

“Yes, we want to grow, but we don’t want to grow too quick, too soon, we want to grow gradually.”

To learn more about Tradex Co., listen to the full interview with Shah Ali Rajput on episode six of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting apps.

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Football South Australia renews partnership with Datacord as Community Football Commitment Deepens

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Image Credit: Football SA

Football South Australia has announced the renewal of its partnership with Datacord, continuing a relationship that has grown steadily since the South Australian print and document solutions provider first entered the football community as naming rights sponsor of the Collegiate Soccer League Division 1.

That initial agreement, which saw Datacord align with one of Adelaide’s most historic amateur competitions, marked the beginning of what has since developed into a broader commitment to South Australian football at every level. The renewed partnership extends Datacord’s involvement beyond the CSL and into the wider Football SA ecosystem, with clubs across the state now able to access exclusive offers and preferred pricing on photocopying, managed print services and tailored business solutions.

The practical value of that access should not be understated. Community football clubs operate on tight margins, relying heavily on volunteer administrators managing everything from registration paperwork to grant applications. Cost-effective print and document solutions reduce the operational burden on those volunteers, a small but meaningful contribution to the sustainability of clubs that form the backbone of the game in South Australia.

“George is a great supporter of sport in South Australia and we are delighted to have Datacord as a supporter of football,” said Football SA CEO Michael Carter. “Service is second to none and we highly recommend their services to the business community within the Football Family.”

For Datacord Managing Director George Koutsoubis, the renewal reflects a genuine investment in the community rather than a transactional commercial arrangement. “It is important to support the local community, and Football South Australia is the perfect place to start spreading the word about Datacord and what we do for the South Australian community,” he said. “We are locally owned and operated, and I think it is a great partnership to be part of.”

Football NSW releases $600,000 towards Grassroots Grants to meet Participation Pressure

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The Victorian State Government has announced new grants and funding for 11 new community infrastructure projects for local football clubs, totalling $3.8 million.
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Sixty-five football clubs across New South Wales have secured a combined total of nearly $600,000 in funding through the NSW Office of Sport’s Local Sports Grant Program. It follows as a result of Football NSW’s scale of demand for community sport support and the growing pressure on clubs struggling to keep pace with surging participation.

The grants, covering 69 individual projects across the Football NSW footprint, will fund facility upgrades, equipment purchases, participation programs and accessibility improvements: the unglamorous but essential infrastructure that determines whether community clubs can function at the level their members require.

The Local Sports Grant Program made up to $4.65 million available statewide in 2025, with $50,000 allocated to each electoral district and individual grants capped at $20,000. Football’s share of nearly $600,000 reflects the sport’s status as the largest participation code in NSW, and the degree to which that status has not always been matched by corresponding investment in the facilities and resources required to sustain it.

Volunteers carrying an unsustainable load

The announcement arrives against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the volunteer workforce that keeps community football operational. Across NSW, thousands of volunteers dedicate significant unpaid time each week to administration, ground preparation, canteen operation and the logistical demands of running competitive junior and senior programs. As participation numbers climb, driven in part by the sustained visibility of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the legacy of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, those demands have intensified without a corresponding increase in the resources available to meet them.

“As the largest participation sport in NSW it is pleasing to see almost $600,000 will be reinvested back into supporting our players, coaches, referees and volunteers to improve the football experience across our community clubs,” said Helen Armson, Football NSW’s Group Head of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Affairs.

The equity dimension

The distribution of the grants across 65 clubs and 69 projects also speaks to the geographic breadth of football’s footprint in NSW, and to the uneven distribution of resources that has historically characterised community sport in this country. Clubs in outer metropolitan and regional areas tend to operate with smaller budgets, older facilities and thinner volunteer bases than their inner-city counterparts. Grant programs structured around electoral allocation, rather than club size or existing resource base, provide a degree of equity that market-driven funding cannot.

The kinds of projects funded under this program disproportionately benefit clubs serving communities where the barriers to participation are highest. A club that cannot offer adequate facilities or equipment is a club that turns players away, often without intending to.

Football NSW has used the announcement to call on the NSW Government to maintain and extend its investment in the sport. “We urge the government to continue to invest in football,” Armson said, in the midst for a nation-wide push for a $343 million decade-long infrastructure fund to address the facilities gap across the state.

The nearly $600,000 secured through this round is meaningful. Against the scale of what is needed, it is also a measure of how far the investment still has to go.

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