LaLiga and SportBoost drive sports industry forward

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LaLiga and SportBoost have teamed up to enhance the sports industry by creating opportunities for athletes and ex-athletes, as well as technology start-ups dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges facing the sector.

This partnership will unite and benefit both athletes and technology start-ups through providing employment opportunities beyond competitive sport for the athletes and generating greater visibility, exposure and funding for the technology companies.

The presentation of the project, held at LaLiga headquarters, was attended by Javier Tebas and former goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Tebas, the President of LaLiga, declared:

“Teaming up with Iker [Casillas] and SportBoost means continuing our commitment to technology and innovation in LaLiga. One of our goals is to boost the sports industry in general, not just that of football, and with this kind of partnership we are making sure that this is the case.”

SportBoost founder Iker Casillas stated:

“This is a very important agreement for SportBoost because with this partnership we are able to provide athletes with the possibility of finding opportunities after retirement, a moment that can cause anxiety. In addition, start-ups can reach out to these athletes and benefit from everything they have to offer.”

The key to this project lies in the Player Entrepreneur Office (P.E.O.), a body that will manage and promote this relationship between athletes and ex-athletes, and startups, with the former being able to support the companies in five different ways:

  • Mentoring
  • Sponsorship
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Employment opportunities
  • Investment

The P.E.O. programme, initially planned for the next four years, will analyse innovative projects from national and international start-ups. Entities such as the ADESP (Spanish Sports Association), the AFE (The Spanish Footballers’ Association) and the CSD (High Council for Sports) through its PROAD (care to sportspeople) programme will be involved in the selection process. Once selected, they will be able to invest, mentor and receive training, through the P.E.O. It will also be able to offer the athlete’s services to startups that are searching for a professional who fits their profile in order to develop their working life beyond competitive sport.

The project will be announced to LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank players through the Players App, the application that directly connects the LaLiga Player’s Office with the players themselves.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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