Beyond the Pitch: Melbourne Victory and LifeChanger Foundation Drive Youth Mental Health Initiative

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In an announcement made on Wednesday, Melbourne Victory and LifeChanger Foundation revealed this month’s Stand Together Mental Health Round in support of youth mental wellbeing.

Uniting and supporting the community

Ahead of Victory’s Isuzu UTE A-League game against Macarthur FC on Sunday 15 March, the club will host various match-day activations as part of the Stand Together Mental Health Round. These will include giveaways, an obstacle course by Tyrepower (partner of both Victory and LifeChanger) and a LifeChanger Scavenger Hunt.

All such activities will unite the community in the name of promoting youth mental health and wellbeing.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined the club’s pride at joining forces with LifeChanger.

“As a Club, we understand the influence we have on young people across our community. Through our longstanding partnership with LifeChanger, we are committed to supporting young people to build confidence, resilience and a strong sense of self,” Carnegie explained.

“The Stand Together Round brings that commitment to life and helps us live our vision to lead, unite, connect and inspire through football.”

Where football and education cross paths

The partnership closes the distance between sport, education and mental wellbeing. By using football’s popularity and following among young people, Victory and LifeChanger can reach a huge audience to promote unity, community and mental health

Furthermore, CEO and Founder of LifeChanger Foundation, Scott Waters, affirmed the partnership’s value for young people.

“Sport has an incredible ability to bring people together, and that connection can be life-changing. Our partnership with Melbourne Victory allows us to reach young people in powerful and relatable ways,” Waters explained.

“The Stand Together Round is about reinforcing that mental wellbeing matters, and that no young person should feel alone in their challenges.”

Although football is a sport with firece rivalries and competitivity at its core, it can nevertheless unite people, communities and fans of all ages through their shared passion for the game.

How do LifeChanger help?

As part of the Stand Together Round, LifeChanger Foundation will team with Melbourne Victory to deliver interactive workshops to the A-League Men’s team, as well as the U15 and U16 Academy teams. The sessions will seek to inspire new advocates for mental health within the club via open and honest conversations.

LifeChanger Foundation is non-profit organisation striving to empower young people with foundational skills, whether emotional, social or resilience.

Moreover, in 2024, LifeChanger helped more than 140,000 young people across 600+ schools in Australia and New Zealand. The team aims to positively impact over 1 million young people annually.

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More than 220 coaches attend Football South Australia’s second NOVA Youth Club Championship workshop

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Football South Australia drew more than 220 coaches to its second NOVA Youth Club Championship Coaches Workshop in late May, underlining the scale of engagement clubs are generating through the state’s restructured youth competition framework.

The online session was facilitated by Football SA Technical Director Michael Cooper, who also serves as Junior Matildas Head Coach. Cooper shared observations from the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup and Australia’s qualification for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, giving club-level coaches a window into the demands and standards of elite international football.

The presenter line-up extended that international lens further. Lachlan Tosh and Cristiano Dos Santos spoke to their experiences in national tournament environments, while legendary Australian coach Tom Sermanni addressed the fundamentals of youth coaching. Colin Sanctuary from the University of Newcastle examined coaching language and its direct influence on player learning.

Themes running across the session included the primacy of long-term player development over short-term results, with presenters consistently emphasising technique, ball mastery, individual improvement, and decision-making under pressure. Coaches were encouraged to expose players to varied styles of play, facilitate practice outside organised training, and help young players retain possession longer in match conditions.

Post-session feedback pointed to strong practical value, with coaches singling out clear communication, relationship-building, and age-appropriate feedback as key takeaways.

The workshop series sits within the broader transition from the Youth Premier League to the Club Championship model, which ties coaching participation to championship points for clubs and CPD credits toward individual coaching diplomas. Six workshops are scheduled across the season, with four still to come.

Premier League backs grassroots football in Singapore

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The NEXTGEN coach programme saw past legends and current coaches unite to deliver an activity intent on supporting grassroots football through high quality and inclusive coaching.

 

Creating new leaders

To reach the top in elite football requires tactical education, personal guidance and consistent support throughout the development journey.

Coaches therefore take on a great deal of responsibility for players seeking a top-flight dream.

Yet even for those who never make it to the top, there is always one coach who stands out. Not necessarily for the silverware achieved or results on the pitch, but for the way they helped build a person off the pitch to play better on it.

The Premier League’s NEXTGEN Coach programme in Singapore aims to equip coaches with the skills and knowledge to do exactly that: creating welcoming environments which nurture confidence and a love for the game.

“This will hugely benefit local coaches, providing them with expert training and skills that will cascade into the communities they coach in,” said Premier League Director of Community, Nick Perchard, via media release.

“After opening the League’s first international office in Singapore more than seven years ago, we are now building on our commitment to the country with a structured coach development programme.”

 

What does the programme include?

The programme initially saw Premier League coaches deliver training sessions to coaches from StarHub – the League’s broadcast partner in Singapore who engage with local community football.

Furthermore, the training was consolidated through stakeholder engagement events and talks from 150 students at the Institute of Technical Education about their careers in the game.

In total, the programme saw 30 coaches take part – all from diverse backgrounds selected by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to maximise community reach and positively impact as many young individuals as possible.

“Youth development is a key priority for FAS, and it starts at the grassroots level,” explained FAS General Secretary, Badri Ghent via media release.

“Coaches play a central role in shaping not just how young players learn the game, but how they experience it, building confidence, character and a lifelong connection to football.”

Through high quality programmes like NEXTGEN, grassroots football can grow to ensure future coaches and players are confident in themselves and their future roles in the game.

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