Grassroots sport given new lease of life in Frankston

The Frankston City Council have been provided $2.9 million in funding, part of projects that the Victorian Government has been involved with.

The Frankston City Council have been provided $2.9 million in funding, in a move that forms part of the ongoing community sport and recreation infrastructure projects that the Victorian Government has been involved with since 2014 – exceeding the amount of $1 billion.

Ballam Park, home to the Peninsula Strikers Junior Football (Soccer) Club, were granted $300,000 as an investment towards a new pavilion and an installation of new lighting for two pitches to allow further utilisation of the pitches for training and games.

The club consists of around 300 registered players and a rebuilt facility will ensure that it is inclusive for female participants. This is a boost and reassurance of female participation throughout all age groups.

Players and coaches will be delighted to find that the new pavilion created by the grants will include eight new female-friendly changerooms, kitchen, kiosk, social space, referee changerooms, storage, first-aid accessibility and public toilets. On top of this, there will be new parking facilities with street lighting upgrades for patron safety.

In addition to the Victorian Government’s financial contribution to Frankston City Council’s grassroot clubs, RF Miles Recreation Reserve, home to the Seaford Tigers Football (Aussie Rules), Netball and Cricket Clubs, will receive a new pavilion too.

Following consistent growth of participation numbers for the clubs of the three different codes, they will be treated to a brand new two-storey pavilion to cater for them. This will also include female-friendly changerooms and amenities, social and meeting rooms, first-aid room and umpire changerooms.

The oval at RF Miles Recreation Reserve will consist of a reconfigured larger oval with lighting that will meet to AFL standards. Along with this a new scoreboard, a coach’s box, cricket nets and brand-new netball courts.

All was made possible through the government’s Local Sports Grants initiative. The timing of the announcement and delivery conveniently falls in line with the lifestyle recovery post-covid. As such projects will inherently create much needed stimulating and restoration of the local economies, creating new jobs and bringing communities closer together.

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LaLiga and CANAL+ strengthen anti-piracy alliance across nearly 50 countries

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LaLiga and CANAL+ have strengthened their partnership with a new anti-piracy agreement covering almost 50 countries. The deal spans Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. It brings together the league’s anti-piracy capabilities with CANAL+’s technology, intelligence and enforcement resources. The move reflects a growing commercial priority for sports rights holders. Protecting live content has become essential to protecting the value of broadcasting deals.

LaLiga and CANAL+ will share intelligence and coordinate their response to illegal distribution networks. They will also work on joint investigations and enforcement activity. The partnership builds on an existing relationship between the two organisations. CANAL+ distributes LaLiga content across multiple international markets. The new agreement now takes their relationship beyond broadcasting.

The partnership creates a joint focus on protecting the underlying value of the rights being sold. While broadcasters invest heavily in football rights, illegal streaming undermines revenue and weakens the commercial proposition of legitimate broadcasters.

LaLiga’s latest figures highlight the importance of audiovisual income to professional clubs. Broadcast revenue across Spanish professional football fell 5.2% to $2.3 billion (1.43 billion Euros) in the 2024/25 season. Commercial revenue reached $2.4 billion (1.58 billion Euros) and became the largest revenue source.

Piracy therefore represents a direct business risk. Illegal access can reduce the value broadcasters place on future rights packages, ultimately affecting the money flowing back into clubs and competitions.

LaLiga and CANAL+ are responding by pooling resources. For CANAL+, the agreement also protects its investment in international sports rights. The broadcaster operates in nearly 70 countries and has expanded its relationship with LaLiga alongside its international growth. For LaLiga, stronger enforcement can help protect the value of its global media proposition.

The partnership also carries implications for the wider sports industry. Rights holders increasingly need technology, legal expertise and cross-border cooperation to tackle illegal distribution. The message is clear. Winning a rights deal is only part of the commercial battle. Sports organisations and broadcasters must also protect the content once it reaches the market.

LaLiga and CANAL+ are betting that closer cooperation can make that protection more effective. This agreement may provide a model for other leagues and broadcasters facing the same challenge.

Bordeaux face uncertain future after American investor withdrawal

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Girondins de Bordeaux face their biggest crisis yet after their exclusion from France’s national competitions was upheld and proposed investor Park Bench walked away from a takeover. The club is on the brink of liquidation after poor financial management and failed ownership takeovers. The Paris Administrative Court rejected Bordeaux’s appeal in August. The court backed the decision that prevents the club from playing in national competitions for the 2026-27 season. Bordeaux will therefore this season remain in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football.

The ruling followed a financial dispute with French football’s financial regulator, the DNCG. Bordeaux had presented additional financial guarantees after its previous hearing. The court ruled that those commitments could not be considered as part of that procedure.

The decision has now had a major impact on the club’s ownership plans. Park Bench, the US investment group working with Sparta Capital, has withdrawn from its proposed takeover. The group said its offer depended on Bordeaux remaining in the national championships. With that condition no longer possible, Park Bench decided not to proceed.

The withdrawal leaves Bordeaux in a difficult position. The club had hoped new investment would provide financial stability and help rebuild its sporting operation. Instead, the failure of the takeover leaves the future of the six-time French champions uncertain. Bordeaux has already endured several years of financial problems. The club lost its professional status in 2024 after bankruptcy proceedings and a previous administrative relegation. It then rebuilt its senior team in the second and third tiers of French football.

The latest exclusion represents another major setback. Bordeaux now needs to find a way to keep the club operating outside the national leagues. That means securing funding, meeting its financial obligations and establishing a sustainable ownership structure. The threat of judicial liquidation now hangs over the club.

In a statement issued in late August, Bordeaux said it would explore every remaining legal option after the administrative court ruling. But with Park Bench no longer backing the proposed takeover, the club has fewer options available.

The next priority will be survival. Bordeaux must find new financial backing or another solution to protect the club from liquidation. For one of France’s most historic and successful clubs, the immediate target is no longer a return to Ligue 1. It is simply making sure there is a club left to climb back.

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