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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Peter Kokotis: South Melbourne Was Never Built to Finish Second

Staff Writer

South Melbourne football director, Peter Kokotis, has just one complaint following the club’s historic Australia Cup triumph last Saturday: that the team he has played a primary role in building may not have had due time to take it all in.

As those players – just a week on from becoming the first semi-professionals to win the national Cup – headed to Sydney for their next assignment, Kokotis took a rare moment to himself. Remaining in Melbourne, he reflected on what the achievement meant to the club he started supporting as an eight-year old in 1979, his uncle earlier a signatory to their 1959 establishment.

‘As was common with a lot of young Greek boys, our fathers were of a different generation. My father was in the hospitality industry, always working nights. So that two, three hours with him every second Sunday was gold to me. It was my time with dad,’ Kokotis told Soccerscene Unfiltered.

‘Once we dropped to the State League in 2005 some of us stayed, but a lot left or didn’t come at all, or went off to Melbourne Victory. We went from an NSL powerhouse to a club struggling to compete.

‘The last seven days [as we spoke] haven’t been normal. It’s been an incredible outpouring of emotion, gratitude from all over the community with people reaching out. It’s been really refreshing and lovely to listen to people’s stories of how it’s impacted them.’

From the gloom, South Melbourne now finds itself in its strongest position of the post-NSL era. Once a FIFA-licensed player agent, Kokotis has served as South’s general manager, a board member, and the past two seasons as senior football director – an immense task, given the relentless schedule the club is undertaking.

Off-field, they’re banging at the gates for an A-League license, a status they’ve been denied numerous times over the past 20 years. This time does feel different; with the A-League stagnating and South packing the stands on Cup final night, their top-flight exclusion looks ever-more incongruous with the broader health of the game.

While their preparedness to step up can’t just hinge on a result here or there, Kokotis is aware their on-field showings do supplement their attractiveness as a proposition – significantly.

‘We are evolving as a club, and there are many things we do outside of the senior team that are about cultural connection, the wider community. We’re not just a team that cares about trophies and silverware,’ he says.

‘But South is not a club built on coming second… and [winning] is my area. I feel the responsibility, the legacy and the history of the club, and all the success and great people that have come before us.

‘I feel obligated to maintain the machine and keep it going. This time is unique with what’s going on in the football landscape, and success now is very important.’

Catch the full chat with Peter Kokotis on Soccerscene Unfiltered: from helping Brazilian flair reach Australia and backing the unfancied Sinisa Cohadzic, to the top-down versus bottom-up growth debate, and plenty more…

Shepparton Cup – Victoria’s biggest junior football tournament – set for 2026 edition

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Image Credits: Shepparton Cup

Victoria’s largest junior football tournament is set to kick off in style as the Shepparton Cup returns for 2026. With age groups from under-sevens through to under-17s, the Shepparton Cup welcomes players of all genders and abilities as the perfect way to end the 2026 club season.

The tournament kicks off on the 23rd of October with an Olympic-style opening ceremony. The 2025 edition saw 385 teams and 4,600 players take to the pitch across both Liga and Copa Divisions. The Liga Division is for grassroots teams of all abilities who want a fun competitive experience; the Liga Division is for NPL and state league teams who will compete in a competitive carnival.

Rolando Navas, Managing Director of Sports Group Melbourne, says the tournament is not only beneficial for young players but also for the community of Shepparton.

“The Shepparton Cup is a great opportunity for families and the wider Shepparton community to embrace the regional community and provide a platform for young players to participate and experience a competitive and fun three day festival of football.”

The 2026 Shepparton Cup will be held from 23rd to 25th October 2026 at Shepparton Sports City. For more information about the Shepparton Cup, click the link here.

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