Bentleigh Greens and Metricon Bring Local Business Community Together Through Networking Initiative

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Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Bentleigh Greens FC has reinforced its commitment to supporting its community beyond football, partnering with Metricon Homes to host a business networking evening designed to strengthen relationships between local businesses, sponsors and club stakeholders.

 

A unique setting for meaningful connections

Held inside one of Metricon’s display homes, the Bentleigh Greens Business Networking Night welcomed around 60 local business owners, club partners and community leaders for an evening focused on connection, collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Rather than a traditional function space, Metricon opened the doors of one of its display homes, creating a unique networking environment that highlighted how the space could be transformed into a premium venue while providing guests with a relaxed setting to build professional relationships.

The event reflects a growing trend across community football, where clubs are increasingly positioning themselves as platforms for business engagement and local economic development, alongside their role in delivering participation opportunities on the pitch.

Guests also heard from strategic futurist Marcus Barber, who delivered a presentation examining the growing influence of artificial intelligence on modern business. His insights encouraged attendees to consider how emerging technologies are reshaping industries and the importance of preparing for future change.

 

Creating value beyond sponsorship

While commercial outcomes were never the primary objective, the evening was designed to create long-term value by fostering meaningful relationships between businesses connected to the Bentleigh Greens community.

Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with several attendees already establishing new contacts and beginning discussions around potential collaborations.

The initiative also highlights Metricon’s broader commitment to supporting local communities beyond residential construction. By partnering with Bentleigh Greens and providing the venue, the company helped facilitate an event that encouraged learning, networking and stronger community connections.

 

Football clubs as community business hubs

For community football clubs, initiatives such as these demonstrate how partnerships can extend beyond traditional sponsorship models. By creating opportunities for local businesses to engage with one another, clubs can strengthen their commercial networks while delivering tangible value to sponsors and the wider community.

As football clubs continue to explore new ways of engaging stakeholders off the field, events like the Bentleigh Greens Business Networking Night illustrate how sport can serve as a catalyst for meaningful business relationships and long-term community growth.

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Football West runs Indigenous pilot program during NAIDOC Week’s 50th anniversary

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Image Credit: Football West

Football West ran a pilot program for Indigenous children at the Sam Kerr Football Centre during NAIDOC Week’s 50th anniversary. Former Socceroo David Williams delivered the session.

This year’s national NAIDOC theme, “50 Years of Deadly,” marks five decades since the movement began. It honours the Elders, artists and communities who built it.

“Having these young indigenous kids here at the Sam Kerr Football Centre was great to see,” Williams said. “The feeling they got running around the same pitch the Socceroos and Matildas have trained on was special for them and me.”

A player turned administrator

Williams retired from professional football in November 2025 after a career-ending ACL injury. As a teenager he trained with Club Brugge and Liverpool, and coach Miron Bleiberg once described him as the “best Australian prospect since Harry Kewell.”

He went on to become the first Indigenous player to represent Melbourne City, scored in the UEFA Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt, and won the Indian Super League with ATK.

Since retiring, Williams has moved into administration at Football West. He also sits on the Indigenous Football Australia Council, which oversees the grassroots initiative John Moriarty Football.

A name with its own history

Football Australia named Williams head coach of the Charles Perkins XI last year, the governing body’s national Indigenous youth team. Football Australia renamed the side in 2025 in honour of Dr Charles Perkins AO, following endorsement from the Perkins family and the National Indigenous Advisory Group.

Perkins, an Arrernte and Kalkadoon man, played for Adelaide Croatia and Pan Hellenic in the 1950s. He went on to become the first Aboriginal Australian to graduate from university and a leader of the 1965 Freedom Rides.

Football Australia has described the renamed team as reflecting a commitment to embedding cultural identity and leadership within its high-performance pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.

What happens next

“After living out my dream as a professional player, to now being able to offer experiences like this and hopefully inspire the next generation of young Indigenous footballers is very rewarding,” Williams said. “There is also a lot of talent that we can tap into.”

He said running the session during NAIDOC Week let Football West mark two things at once. “Creating a fun session for these kids during NAIDOC Week meant we could celebrate culture and sport in one go,” he said.

Williams wants the session to become a regular fixture rather than a single event. “Going forward, I would love to put on more of these programs throughout the year and get more indigenous youngsters playing football,” he said.

Football West has not yet confirmed funding or a schedule for further sessions.

ParaMatilda to headline Frankston Pines’ new cerebral palsy program

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

A ParaMatilda will appear at Frankston Pines Soccer Club on Saturday as the club launches Victoria’s newest cerebral palsy football program during Football Victoria’s first dedicated Para Engagement Round.

The event, part of Round 7 of the All Abilities League Junior & Youth divisions, runs at Monterey Reserve, Monterey Boulevard, Frankston North. Children and young people with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury or stroke-related symptoms can register for come-and-try sessions and meet current para athletes.

The ParaMatildas are the reigning world champions after winning the 2024 IFCPF Women’s World Cup. The victory made them the first Australian national football side to win a World Cup at any level. Goalkeeper and captain Katelyn Smith scored a hat-trick in the 6-2 final win over the United States.

The round coincides with Frankston Pines’ official launch of its new cerebral palsy football program. The club has organised a day including a Beyond the Limits cerebral palsy football showcase, community market stalls, face painting, a colouring competition, a jumping castle, fairy floss and a free sausage sizzle.

The event also raises awareness of Football Victoria’s upcoming Para Pathways Clinics, which will provide children and young people with neurological conditions an opportunity to explore the para football pathway. Further details about the clinics will be released soon.

The engagement round builds on the growth of Victoria’s All Abilities League, which has expanded from a single division in 2017 to 20 teams across four divisions representing 12 clubs this season.

Football Victoria launched its Disability Football Framework in December 2025, a strategic initiative to strengthen the delivery of disability football programs across the state. The Framework sets direction for FV’s work, guiding the development of new resources, guidance and minimum standards that clubs can use in the future.

FV All Abilities & Inclusion Programs Coordinator Selin Arpaci, named Administrator of the Year at the 2025 Victorian Disability Sport & Recreation Awards, said the framework marked a shift from ad hoc delivery to a structured approach.

“We’re no longer doing things just because they’ve always been done that way,” Arpaci said. “Our approach is now intentional, structured, and genuinely supportive for players, clubs and the community”.

Access remains a focus. The 2024-25 Regional All Abilities Participation Grants, funded by the Victorian Government, have supported clubs including Mitchell Rangers, Traralgon Olympians and Phillip Island Soccer Club to establish or expand all abilities programs.

Football Victoria has also partnered with Powerchair Sports Victoria to strengthen pathways for people with disabilities, while monthly women and girls cerebral palsy football sessions now run at The Home of the Matildas.

Frankston Pines has been a regular participant in the All Abilities League, with its inclusive program providing opportunities for people with physical, psychosocial or intellectual disabilities to participate in a supportive environment.

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