Football Coaches Australia presents ‘The Football Coaching Life Podcast’ S2 Ep 8 with Gary Cole interviewing Jeff Hopkins

Matthew Badrov10/09/2021 11:51 am12/10/2021

Jeff Hopkins is currently the W-League Championship winning Head Coach of Melbourne Victory.

Jeff was born in Wales and played over 400 games for both club and country. He started in Fulham’s Academy before playing over 200 games in the first team before heading to Crystal Palace and Reading. Jeff also played for Wales at U21 and Senior level.

His coaching career began by working with young players in the UK, where he started his coaching licences before heading to Gippsland Falcons as a player and then for a year as Head Coach.

As a former professional player Jeff, like so many of us, thought he had a good grasp of football until he began his coaching journey and learned he didn’t know, what he didn’t know!

With over 20 years’ experience as coach at youth, assistant and head coach level Jeff is very aware of the changes he has made to his coaching over the journey. He has a number of premierships and championships to his name with Queensland and Brisbane Roar Women and both a Premiership and Championship with Melbourne Victory, which he is very proud of, but he also finds a great deal of satisfaction in seeing his players and teams grow and develop.

Jeff was honest and open discussing his journey and believes that finding a mentor in the beginning would have helped him make fewer mistakes on his journey. In fact, in answering the ‘one piece of wisdom’ question he had two pieces for developing coaches! Firstly, find a mentor early on in your coaching career and secondly keep growing and learning as a coach and create a learning environment for your players.

Please join Gary Cole in sharing Jeff Hopkins’ Football Coaching Life.

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Sydney FC targets B2B growth with new corporate network

Lorcan Marelich26/09/2026 12:45 pm26/09/2026

Image Credit: Getty Images

Sydney FC is looking to turn its existing corporate relationships into a broader business development platform with the launch of The Collective, a new membership network built around connections between businesses.

The initiative, launched ahead of the 2026/27 A-League season, will combine corporate events, matchday experiences and behind-the-scenes access with opportunities for members to engage directly with Sydney FC’s wider commercial network.

Rather than positioning the offering solely around hospitality, the club is placing business development at the centre of the proposition. Members identify the organisations and individuals they want to connect with, and Sydney FC and The Collective work together to facilitate those introductions

Sydney FC Executive Vice Chairman Sebastian Gray said the club’s already diverse corporate network will only benefit from this initiative.

“Football is a fantastic vehicle for bringing people together, but we want The Collective to go beyond matchday,” Gray said. “It will be about creating connections, opening doors and providing experiences that our members genuinely value throughout the year.”

The club has partnered with Andrew Towner, founder of The Corporate Collective, to develop the network. Towner has previously built a business community around the NRL and will bring that experience into the Sydney FC platform.

The Collective will be offered through Premium and Standard membership packages, giving businesses different levels of access to events, experiences and the club’s corporate network.

For Sydney FC, the model adds another layer to its commercial partnership strategy, moving beyond individual sponsorship assets to create a recurring platform for B2B engagement.

It also gives the club another way to demonstrate commercial value to its business partners, with networking and potential new business opportunities becoming part of the proposition alongside traditional brand exposure and hospitality.

Auckland FC partners with FreshChoice to expand local presence

Lorcan Marelich26/09/2026 11:30 am26/09/2026

Image Credit: A-Leagues

Auckland FC is taking its latest commercial partnership into supermarkets and local communities, with FreshChoice joining the club as its official supermarket sponsor ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The agreement gives FreshChoice a visible presence across Auckland FC’s training apparel, while also creating opportunities for the club to engage supporters away from Go Media Stadium.

FreshChoice stores will host Auckland FC player appearances, giveaways and other activations throughout the partnership, creating physical touchpoints between the team, its supporters and the retailer’s customer base.

The partnership will also extend into grassroots football, with a local club set to have the opportunity to win a private training session with Auckland FC players.

FreshChoice Executive General Manager Tim Cartwright said the partnership provided an opportunity to connect the retailer’s existing local focus with the growing fanbase of Auckland FC.

“Everything we do at FreshChoice starts with our local communities. This partnership is really about showing up for the local people who support our stores every day,” Cartwright said.

For Auckland FC, the deal adds a large retail network to its commercial portfolio and provides another channel through which the club can reach supporters outside its regular matchday environment.

Auckland FC Chief Executive Officer Nick Becker said that the partnership would be a great opportunity to grow the game within the local community.

“What better way to support a growing community than partnering with an organisation that knows a thing or two about serving the local community,” Becker said.

The partnership takes effect immediately, with activations planned across FreshChoice’s North Island stores and online channels, while further activities are scheduled to take place at Auckland FC home fixtures during the season.