Anthony Di Pietro retires as Melbourne Victory Chairman

Staff Writer
Image credit: Olav Dias

Anthony Di Pietro has announced that he is retiring as the Chairman of Melbourne Victory FC, following the completion of the 2022/23 season.

Di Pietro has spent 18 years as a Director and 13 seasons in the position of Chairman for Melbourne Victory, as will now step away from official Club duties.

Di Pietro advised the Board and staff on Thursday morning that due to upcoming business commitments and confidence in Victory’s platform for growth, they were the deciding factors for his decision.

Di Pietro – who will still remain a major shareholder – thanked the Club, its staff, players, members, fans, partners, sponsors and fellow shareholders for their support since inception.

“Since joining our Board in 2006, we have enjoyed many highs and battled many challenges along the journey,” Di Pietro stated via press release.

“Whilst this season’s on-field performances did not yield trophies, or come close to our expectations, we are standing on a strong platform for the future.

“Melbourne Victory is now part of an international strategic partnership through 777 Partners with our Men’s and Women’s pathway programs linked from the grassroots to an international level.

“Our ability to recruit players, coaches and support staff is in the best position it has ever been and our community programs are the most comprehensive we have seen, with a focus to live our vision of leading, uniting, connecting and inspiring through football.

“Most importantly we continue to herald inclusion and diversity in football, which can be seen through our support and investment in the Afghan Women’s Team – which is something every member of the Melbourne Victory family should be proud of.

“Like families, we all have great times and challenging periods, but when we all stick together as proud Victory people, we know we will come out the other side bigger and better.

“This is a unique Club and I have met and worked with some fantastic people, all of whom have shaped Melbourne Victory and I’ll forever be grateful for the privilege of being a part of the Club’s journey.

“Melbourne Victory has been integral to my family and my life for 18 years and my family and I will continue to be dedicated members and fans. I will always be a strong supporter of the Board, management and Club.”.

Victory’s Managing Director Caroline Carnegie thanked Di Pietro for his leadership, investment and drive.

“As a Club, Melbourne Victory could not be more thankful for the dedication, service and commitment that the Chairman has provided to us all over the course of the past 18 seasons,” Carnegie added via press release.

“The amount of work and time, let alone passion, which goes into being the Chair of a Club like Victory cannot be underestimated and there will be no other Anthony Di Pietro.

“The Chairman, along with his family, have had an amazing journey and shaped and moulded this Club into the powerhouse we know and love.

“We are grateful that the Chairman will continue to be part of our boys and girls in blue as a major shareholder, albeit stepping away from his official Club duties.”

Under Di Pietro’s leadership, the Club has achieved:

  • Two A-League Men’s Championships
  • One A-League Men’s Premiership
  • Two Australia Cups (formerly FFA Cup)
  • A history making treble
  • Three A-League Women’s Championships (including back-to-back Championships in 2021 and 2022)
  • An A-League Women’s Premiership
  • Hosted international heavyweights including Liverpool, Manchester United and Juventus
  • Developed one of the strongest and most prolific community departments of any sports Club in Australia
  • Introduced the Afghan Women’s Team to the Club’s football structure
  • Returned the Club to its home at AAMI Park
  • Secured the future of Melbourne Victory through an historic sports investment partnership with the 777 Group.

John Dovaston has been appointed as the new Club Chair, replacing Di Pietro effective immediately.

Dovaston is the Current Director and has been an independent board member for eight years – he will be Melbourne Victory’s first independent, non-shareholder, Chairperson.

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‘Wunderbar’ – FC Bayern turns to enterprise AI with Wonderful partnership

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Image Credit: FC Bayern Munich

FC Bayern Munich is taking another step into the world of artificial intelligence after agreeing to a three-year global partnership with enterprise AI company Wonderful. The deal makes Wonderful the German club’s Official Enterprise AI Partner until 2029. The partnership will focus on putting AI into real-world use across Bayern’s operations, rather than limiting it to experiments or demonstrations.

AI to assists Matchday Fan Services

Wonderful’s first project will target one of the busiest and most varied areas of the club: matchday fan support. Specifically, initial implementation will be an AI agent designed to provide digital ticket support. Matchdays create a huge spike in demand for customer service for all manner of reasons: fans may struggle to access tickets, encounter account problems or need help with time-sensitive issues shortly before kick-off.

Bayern plans to use Wonderful’s technology to handle these requests faster than previously. Instead of each individual case entering a traditional support queue, the AI agent can process requests instantaneously, interacting with the club’s existing systems to hopefully resolve it. The aim is simple: get fans answers in moments, and into their seats!

The system will be integrated into Bayern’s existing technology environment – important as the AI will not operate as a separate chatbot disconnected from the club’s data and systems. It is being designed to work within the infrastructure Bayern already uses.

How Wonderful AI works

Wonderful describes its platform as an ‘enterprise AI system built to create, operate and improve AI agents.’ Those agents can perform tasks rather than simply generate text. They can work with company data, access connected systems and complete multi-step processes. The platform uses a system of reusable “skills”. Each skill can contain the instructions, tools, information and checks needed to complete a particular task. An agent can then use the appropriate skills depending on what a user needs.

For Bayern, that could mean an agent identifying that a fan has a ticket-access problem, retrieving the relevant information from the club’s systems and helping resolve the issue. Wonderful also connects its agents to existing enterprise systems. Its platform is designed to work with data platforms, customer relationship systems and other systems of record. This allows an agent to act on current information instead of relying solely on a static database.

More than a ticketing tool

Bayern and Wonderful have indicated further enterprise AI use cases will be introduced during the partnership. While customer support is an obvious starting point, AI agents could theoretically assist internal teams, automate administrative workflows or help employees find and process information.

Wonderful’s platform is designed to support customer-facing agents as well as internal and back-office workflows. It can operate across channels including chat, email and voice, giving the partnership room to expand beyond the first use case. The company also uses a deployment model built around teams working directly with organisations to put AI into production.

Bayern’s AI Strategy Enters a New Phase

The partnership signals a broader shift in how football clubs can use AI. Rather than focusing solely on analytics, Bayern is looking at AI as part of its everyday operations.

The first test will come through fan service. If the ticketing agent can reliably solve problems during the pressure of matchdays, the club will have a practical foundation for expanding AI into other areas. For the club, the biggest opportunity is therefore not one chatbot, but the creation of AI infrastructure that can support multiple parts of its organisation.

The three-year partnership gives the club and Wonderful time to develop that infrastructure. The first use case is focused and practical. The longer-term ambition is considerably broader. The next phase will be about proving that technology can make the experience better for fans while also making the organisation more efficient behind the scenes.

Football West and Keystart announce three-year grassroots partnership

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Image Credit: Football West

Football West has secured a new three-year naming rights partnership with Keystart, strengthening commercial support for Western Australia’s grassroots football competitions.

From the 2027 season, the men’s State League will become the Keystart State League, with the partnership covering the State League Night Series, Division One and Division Two competitions across First Team, Reserves and Under 18s, as well as the State League Awards.

The partnership will also see Football West rename its annual Junior and Senior Country Week carnivals Keystart Country Week from this year. The event brings regional football associations together in Perth during the September school holidays.

Keystart CEO Mark Tomasz said the partnership would provide the organisation with an opportunity to connect with Western Australians through grassroots football while supporting its broader home-ownership mission.

“We are proud to partner with Football West and support local grassroots football,” Tomasz said.

Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell said the organisation was delighted to secure the three-year commitment, describing the partnership as an important boost for the State League and Country Week.

“These are exciting times for grassroots football in WA,” said Harnwell.

The deal gives Keystart a significant presence across senior and regional football in WA, while providing Football West with longer-term commercial backing for two key areas of the state’s football ecosystem.

Keystart, a WA Government initiative, has supported more than 126,000 Western Australians into home ownership since 1989 through low-deposit and shared-equity home loans.

Partnerships of this kind play an important role in strengthening the grassroots sporting ecosystem, providing organisations with the commercial support needed to deliver strong community participation opportunities. They also give businesses a meaningful way to connect with local communities while contributing to the long-term growth and sustainability of the sport.

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