Football Victoria’s first leading female refferee to join A-League panel

Liam Watson

One of Football Victoria’s leading female referee has had the opportunity to join the A-League Referees Panel for the upcoming season.

In an announcement by Football Federation Australia (FFA), the addition of Kate Jacewicz to the panel will inspire fellow female referees to strive towards the highest level.

For the first time in a history-making change, a female will occupy one of the spots on the panel. Alongside Jacewicz, Ben Abraham will join her as first-timers.

Jacewicz’s promotion to the referees panel has come off the back of exceptional career achievements that have seen her become one of the leading officials not just from Victoria, but from the entire country.

She has been the Westfield W-League Referee of the Year a record eight times, refereed two matches at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and was the fourth official for the third place play-off between England and Sweden.

With the landmark achievement by Jacewicz, it should pave the way for more female referees to make the step up.

It has been confirmed that she will contribute for another season as a referee for both the A-League and W-League competitions, demonstrating her importance at the FFA for the upcoming and future seasons.

Feature image credit: https://www.a-league.com.au/news/kate-jacewicz-and-ben-abraham-appointed-hyundai-a-league-referee-panel-first-time

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Glen Park Upgrade Boosts Equality at Boomers FC

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Image Credit : Boomers FC

The Boomers Football Club from the Albury Wodonga Football Association (AWFA) have presented new upgraded facilities at their home of Glen Park. This marks a major milestone in the inclusivity at the club, with the new space highlighting the club’s commitment and responsibility to encouraging change and equality. 

Over the past five years, the girls program at the club has skyrocketed, with now more than 100 girls and women registered to play at the club. Outside of the on-field progress, off the field, the club now invites female coaches, referees and volunteers. 

Before the recent upgrade, the facilities at the club were not up to standard, as the club lacked female amenities, and held on to outdated club rooms. With the new renovations, the club now has two new change rooms, with specific male and female toilets and showers, as well as three publicly accessible toilets. 

Boomers Football Club Vice President, Anna Griffith spoke about the club’s contribution to equality in development of their kids.

“Equal participation in our club goes beyond having women’s and girls’ teams,” Griffith said in a press release. 

“Our club is equally invested in the development of boys and girls, equally invested in coaching for men and women and helping our whole club community enjoy the game.” 

The upgrade was something that Griffith said strongly reflected the culture and values that the club had been working to build for years. 

Infrastructure and Club Development Coordinator for Football NSW, Lachlan Mainwaring believes that the Glen Park project is an insight into how investment in regional clubs can help to grow women’s and girls’ football.

“Boomers FC have shown what’s possible when a club leads with equality at the centre of its culture.” said Mainwaring in a press release.  

The Boomers Football Club is a leading example of how positive change and development can be in a football club, as it is likely the club will grow even further from now on.

Ligue 1+ Smashes One Million Subscribers in Groundbreaking Streaming Success

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Image Credit: katatonia82 / Shutterstock.com

More than one million subscribers have already signed up to the French Professional Football League’s (LFP) new Ligue 1+ direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming platform in its first month of operation.

The service launched with a bang, attracting over 600,000 subscribers during its opening weekend, eclipsing the total number DAZN managed across the entire 2024/25 season, when it held the bulk of Ligue 1 rights.

Nearly three-quarters of current users (72 per cent) have committed for the full 2025/26 campaign, allowing the league to hit its first-year target inside a matter of weeks.

The LFP credits the strong start to wide distribution across France’s leading pay-TV and streaming providers, including DAZN, Orange, Free and Amazon Prime Video, as well as an expanded editorial line-up.

Ligue 1+ offers eight live matches each week, plus the Trophée des Champions, relegation play-offs and the final two rounds of the season. Subscribers also get magazine shows, behind-the-scenes documentaries and planned children’s programming.

Competitive pricing has been central to the uptake. Standard monthly access is set at AUD $26.60 with a promotional $17.70 rate for the first three months.

Viewers under 26 can lock in a permanent $17.70 plan, while a flexible month-to-month option is available at $35.50.

The league reportedly invested AUD $117m to establish the platform and is targeting between 2.2 million and 2.5 million subscribers within four years.

Talks are ongoing for a carriage deal with Canal+, France’s most influential pay-TV network, to further boost reach.

Ligue 1’s bold streaming gamble pays off in record time

Ligue 1’s decision to launch its own DTC service followed a string of failed broadcast arrangements, including the collapse of an AUD $5.77 billion deal with Mediapro in 2020.

For a long time, the league was unattainable in France without multiple expensive subscriptions, leaving fans in a tough spot between spending more money across multiple platforms or simply not accessing some of their biggest domestic matches.

By bringing domestic broadcasting fully in-house, it became the first of Europe’s “big five” leagues to distribute its matches on its own platform, an experiment that the global sports industry is watching closely.

With Bundesliga hunting for a more ‘content creators’ approach with its Mark Goldbridge partnership and French football leaning towards owning its streaming service, we are starting to see a big positive shift in how consumers are treated.

The early numbers show why the gamble was the best call they could make. Wide distribution, sharp pricing and strong support from clubs have driven rapid adoption and given the LFP a direct relationship with fans.

While clubs must adapt to more variable revenue and low entry prices mean profits will take time, Ligue 1 has seized control of its media future. The success of Ligue 1+ proves that owning the pipeline to supporters can deliver both reach and long-term financial security, setting a precedent other major leagues may soon follow.

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