Bentleigh Greens met with Football Victoria’s President and CFO in Ongoing Collaboration

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Image credit: Bentleigh Greens

Interest in football has surged by a phenomenal 43% since 2022. To keep pace with the growing interest, Bentleigh Greens hosted Football Victoria President Dr. Angela Williams, and FV CFO Simon Avenell for a meeting focused on strengthening the future of Victorian Football.

Engaging Clubs for Victoria’s Football Future

The summit brought key voices from the club to engage directly with FV’s leadership on challenges, opportunities, and priorities shaping football locally and at elite levels. The club described the discussion as constructive and timely, noting that growing participation has increased pressure on existing facilities. FV officials acknowledged this and outlined several areas where collaboration will be essential moving forward.

Clubs at the Heart of Decision-Making

“Clubs are at the heart and soul of our sport,” the club posted in a statement. “It was great to hear their commitment to working with clubs.” More broadly, the exchange reflects a continual commitment to ensuring local clubs remain central to decision-making. FV’s CEO, Dan Birrell, echoed a similar sentiment, highlighting the importance of “extensive engagement with clubs.”

The conversation fits into the wider 2025–35 Facility Strategy Roadmap, an initiative that examines and plans infrastructure changes over the coming decade. The roadmap is expected to guide funding priorities and help clubs plan for long-term growth.

Supporting Women’s Football in Victoria

Greater inclusion of women in Victorian football has been a growing priority. As previously reported, the Bentleigh Greens received $2.4 million as part of a grant empowering grassroots women’s football. The grant is allocated to build a new pitch at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. The Bentleigh Greens President said the new pitch will significantly expand opportunities for junior girls and senior women’s teams, many of whom currently face limited training space.

Building an Inclusive, Sustainable Football Ecosystem

As participation continues to rise across Victoria, both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to working closely to build a more inclusive, better-resourced football ecosystem, one that reflects the sport’s growth and positions community clubs at the forefront of its future. The meeting highlights the ongoing importance of inclusive dialogue as football enters a period of unprecedented expansion.

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South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

How Husqvarna Is Helping Stadiums Cut Costs Without Cutting Quality

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Image Credit: Husqvarna

At a time when operational costs are rising across global sport, stadiums and football clubs are being forced to rethink one of their most overlooked expenses: turf maintenance.

From diesel consumption to labour hours, maintaining elite playing surfaces has traditionally been both resource-intensive and environmentally taxing. But new data emerging from venues like CBUS Super Stadium suggests a smarter, more sustainable model is already taking hold.

Leading that shift is Husqvarna, whose autonomous turf technology is quietly reshaping how professional venues manage their playing surfaces. Their product delivers measurable cost savings without compromising quality.

Cutting fuel consumption costs

At CBUS Super Stadium, the introduction of Husqvarna’s CEORA™ robotic mowing system has reduced diesel usage by approximately 20–30 litres per week. Over the course of a season, those savings compound into a significant reduction in both fuel spend and carbon emissions. This is particularly efficient for stadiums hosting regular fixtures and large-scale events.

CBUS Super Stadium General Manager Kristian Blundell said the robotic mower was a game-changer for the venue:

“This technology is not replacing staff but rather giving our grounds team the ability to do what they do best by helping to improve turf management processes, better manage fatigue and decrease our environmental footprint”

But the impact goes beyond fuel.

 

Time efficiency

By automating routine mowing, Husqvarna’s technology enables grounds teams to focus on higher-value maintenance tasks, from pitch recovery to detailed surface management. The result is not only greater operational efficiency but also improved turf consistency, which is an increasingly critical factor in elite football performance.

The benefits are being mirrored beyond stadium environments. At Oatlands Golf Club, Husqvarna’s autonomous mowing has delivered savings of up to 60 litres of fuel per week while freeing up staff for precision work. Quiet, round-the-clock operation also ensures surfaces are maintained without disrupting play—an advantage that translates directly to multi-use stadium settings.

Image Credit: Husqvarna

Importantly, Husqvarna’s lightweight robotic systems reduce the wear and tear typically caused by traditional heavy machinery. This not only protects the integrity of the playing surface but also reduces the need for costly repairs over time.

Football clubs navigating tight budgets at grassroots and semi-professional levels could benefit from such cost savings.

With rising energy prices, increasing sustainability expectations, and limited staffing resources, the ability to cut costs while improving performance is no longer optional. Solutions like Husqvarna’s CEORA™ are positioning clubs to operate more efficiently today, while preparing for a more environmentally accountable future.

As the sports industry continues to evolve, one thing is becoming clear: the next competitive edge may not just come from what happens on the pitch—but how it’s maintained.

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