Mitre confirmed as Official Match Ball Partner for the A-Leagues

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Image supplied by Australian Professional Leagues

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has announced Mitre as the A-Leagues’ new Official Match Ball Partner for the next three seasons, switching over from Nike. 

Mitre, an English sports equipment manufacturer based in Wakefield, has a leading brand with a storied history dating back to 1817. With over 200 years of experience in the game, Mitre has continually delivered high-performance footballs to major leagues and tournaments around the world.

The brand has served as the official ball supplier for many competitions including the English Football Association, the FA Cup, the Australia Cup, and the Australia National Soccer League. 

The new partnership will see Mitre and the A-Leagues launch the official design of the match ball for the 2024/25 season, along with special edition match balls planned for the season. Also, there will be an A-League Final series match ball for both the A-League Men’s and Women’s competitions.

For this upcoming season, Mitre will introduce the Ultimax Pro as the official match ball of the A-Leagues. The Ultimax Pro is an iconic and much-loved Mitre football, that utilises contemporary modern styling with cutting-edge football technology to deliver exceptional performance.

A-Leagues Chief Commercial Officer Ned Negus commented on Mitre being welcomed as Official Match Ball Partner:

“Mitre is such a historic brand with strong football credibility, so they’re the perfect partner to deliver our official Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Liberty A-League Women match balls,” he said in a media statement on the A-Leagues website. 

“At a time when A-Leagues is putting football and fans first, Mitre is best placed to deliver a uniquely designed range of Ultimax Pro official match balls and a broad retail range offering more fans the opportunity to engage with A-Leagues and football.”

Mitre Brand Director, Simon Rowe, expressed his excitement about the three-year partnership and Mitre’s contribution to the A-Leagues:

“We’re thrilled to kick off our partnership with the Australian Professional Leagues. Our top-level Mitre Ultimax Pro is the perfect ball for the A-League, built for elite players and delivering ultimate power, accuracy, and on-pitch performance,” he added via A-Leagues website. 

“Globally, Mitre continues to lead the way in ball development and technology. We are excited to partner with the pinnacle of professional football in Australia and New Zealand. Core to our brand values is providing balls for all levels of the game so we’re delighted to offer the supporting replica and training range so all fans and players can play like pros.” 

Mitre Australia’s Gerrard Woods, added about the new partnership:

“We are delighted to support the A-Leagues as they embark on their new season. Our footballs have been tested at the highest levels of the game, and we are confident that they will contribute to the dynamic and engaging football that the A-Leagues are known for,” he said in a statement via the A-Leagues website. 

Mitre will also offer four replica variations inspired by the Ultimax Pro, catering to different skill levels and price points, making footballs accessible for all.

These variations will be launched in late August and will be available at leading sporting retailers around Australia, which will enable fans and players to experience the look and feel of the new ball designs for this upcoming A-Leagues season.

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

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The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Referee Omar Artan appointed to UEFA Super Cup Final

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Image credit: BBC

The Somali referee will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in August between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

 

World Cup controversy to Super Cup support

As 2025’s CAF Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan stands as one of the world’s leading match officials.

His expertise and skill allowed him to enter FIFA’s international list in 2018, and has since proved an outstanding ability as a referee, culminating in the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award last year.

Despite Artan’s capabilities and reputation, his dream of officiating this summer’s World Cup tournament met a premature ending. The referee couldn’t enter into the US after arriving on a diplomatic passport and single entry visa, and was subsequently forced to return home to Somalia.

But Artan’s journey as a referee on the global stage is far from over, as UEFA and CAF confirmed that Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners, PSG, and Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in Salzburg this August.

 

Upholding the partnership

In April of this year, UEFA and CAF signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which promised to utilise mutual support to encourage development, inclusion and wellbeing in football.

The MoU aligns unity, cohesion and partnership between two powerhouse continents of world football.

And now, the alignment is stronger and clearer than ever. In the midst of a major blow to Artan’s personal and professional dreams, UEFA and CAF’s partnership provided an opportunity.

“Omar is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

Furthermore, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, outlined why the initiative perfectly embodies the nature of a partnership between UEFA and CAF.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

 

Final thoughts

Out of bitter disappointment and controversy comes a far more positive reflection of football’s influence and impact. It also proves that an MoU is more than just signatures, but a genuine promise to support the game and all within it.

A partnership like this has the power to help millions at once.

But sometimes, helping just one person is all it takes to prove its worth.

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