Football Victoria’s Community in Business event returns with star-studded lineup

Football Victoria’s Community in Business event on Friday May 21 was headlined by two star-studded panels, featuring former footballers, personalities, and A-league CEOs.

The event, held at the San Remo Ballroom in Carlton, was hosted by ABC journalist Catherine Murphy and featured a keynote speech by FV CEO Kimon Taliadoros.

Taliadoros commented on the recent funding of community projects through the World Game Facilities Fund and the new home of the Matildas in Bundoora. He said equality of opportunities between men and women is an important goal for Football Victoria.

“This is a significant turning point for our sport in Victoria. You’ve all been around to understand what a battle it has been for us to secure funding on any level, let alone in a meaningful way,” he said.

“We aren’t going to be invisible anymore, this sport has a home and hope. We have an incredible platform to build the awareness and focus for women and girls, and football, in this state. That is a tremendous achievement.”

Michael Zappone hosted a panel made up of former Socceroos legend Mark Bresciano, comedian Santo Cilauro and his father – former Victorian Soccer Federation Chairman and Football Australia of fame inductee, Vito Cilauro.

Bresciano, who is on the Football Australia board, said that a second division would bring a level of excitement to revitalise the game.

“it is very important. It will bring that extra excitement, and hopefully, down the track, we can get to a promotion and relegation situation,” he said.

“I only just realised how much work went into football in Australia now that I am on the board. You don’t realise the hard work that goes into the game, whether it’s a national top-level or grassroots.”

Another panel featuring the CEO’s and chairman of the three Victorian A-league teams was hosted by Murphy, with the theme ‘leadership through adversity’. 

Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro, Western United FC CEO Chris Pehlivanis, and Melbourne City CEO Brad Rowse discussed the challenges of running a football club during a pandemic and the future of the Australian professional league. 

When asked what the biggest challenge his club has faced Di Pietro made light of Melbourne Victory’s struggles this season. 

“Someone has flipped the table upside down,” he said.

Pehlivanis appealed to the football community to show a united front, and all three agreed that the clubs were in survival mode during the pandemic.

The event created networking opportunities for those who support the footballing community within Victoria, while celebrating the hard work of those who ensure the continuing expansion of the sport.

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Football Victoria roll out PlayFootball 2.0 for 2025

Football Victoria and Cleaning Melbourne

Football Victoria has launched PlayFootball v2.0, delivering a comprehensive upgrade to its national registration platform for clubs, players and referees nationwide in 2025.

The modernised system introduces significant improvements, headlined by a complete interface overhaul prioritising accessibility and efficiency for all stakeholders.

The platform’s user-centric design promises to streamline administrative processes across all levels of the sport.

Key enhancements to PlayFootball 2.0 will allow for a modern player and official identification system that will include a sophisticated reporting module.

A notable addition is the integrated Working with Children Check workflow, reinforcing Football Australia’s commitment to child safety protocols.

Football Victoria is spearheading the transition by offering comprehensive training programmes, with both face-to-face and virtual sessions available to club administrators and association officials.

These sessions have been specifically designed to ensure optimal utilisation of the platform’s enhanced capabilities.

Football Victoria Chief Executive Officer Chris Pehlivanis has spoken on this new update and how they see it as crucial for enhancing the footballing experience for participants and clubs.

“We are looking forward to participants having a streamlined registration process while simplifying administration for our Clubs from 2025. FV will work closely with Clubs to ensure they are well supported through the transition and familiar with the benefits of the new system,” he said via press release.

A crucial update to the registration process will require participants to settle both Football Australia and Football Victoria Governing Body Regulation Fees at the point of registration through PlayFootball v2.0.

To help participants adjust to the change, however, PlayFootball is offering 4 different payment models:

  • All Fees Upfront: Club and Regulation fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Regulation Fees Upfront: FA and FV fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Scheduled Payment: FA, FV, Association and the first portion (¼) of the club fee is paid online at the point of registration
  • Subsidised Payment: Club subsidises payment and pays for Governing Body fees on the participant’s behalf at the point of registration

Player eligibility is rewarded upon the successful payment of these governing body fees.

This new program was tested by inviting four Associations, including 34 Clubs and 4,839 players to attend feedback sessions with FV and FA and beta test the new platform.

The invitation for Clubs to explore the What’s Changing Playbook has opened and for further information on all the changes coming to PlayFootball v2.0.

The platform’s updated rollout represents a significant milestone in Football Australia’s ongoing digitalisation strategy, aimed at reducing administrative burden whilst improving service delivery across the football community.

Melbourne Victory joins forces with RUBIX

Melbourne Victory has confirmed RUBIX will continue to operate as the club’s official data partner for the 2024/25 season. The collaboration follows a prosperous first year between the club and RUBIX.

RUBIX is a prominent Melbourne based data company, with offices across Australia and the US. The company has worked for high profile clients such as the Victorian State Government, Australia Post, Telstra and more.

RUBIX has successfully delivered over 350 projects for leading Top 50 companies, rapidly expanding FinTech and software firms.

The company was also a back-to-back SmartCompany award winner in 2022 and 2021 and earned a CRN Fast50 award in 2020.

RUBIX will aide Melbourne Victory’s growth and fan engagement strategies using the company’s knowledge in statistics, data technology, analysis, and artificial intelligence.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, warmly welcomed RUBIX via press release.

“We’re thrilled to have RUBIX on board as the Club’s Official Data Partner for a second season,” she said.

“Their world-leading solutions have already offered incredible insights across our operations, and we’re excited to leverage their tools further to help Melbourne Victory grow and engage more deeply with our fans and community.”

Head of Marketing and Brand at RUBIX, Kathryn Smith, also expressed her eagerness for the collaboration.

“This partnership with Melbourne Victory continues to be a fantastic opportunity for us to support one of Melbourne’s most iconic sporting teams with data-driven insights and technology,” she said via press release.

“We look forward to using our innovative solutions to help the Club drive growth, enhance fan engagement, and deliver a richer experience for supporters.”

Together, Melbourne Victory and RUBIX will continue to analyse and adopt new initiatives to improve experiences for fans and drive the club further then ever before.

Through the collaboration, Melbourne Victory will hope to build off of a successful 2023/2024 season, which saw the club reach the A-League Men’s Grand Final.

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