New Football West charity headed by former Perth Glory owner

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Nick Tana

Football West has announced the launch of its new charity, the Football Futures Foundation.

Arriving during a game-changing period for football in Western Australia, the charity will support, mentor and invest in people from diverse and priority backgrounds through football. These people include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and those disadvantaged through economic, cultural, social, health or educational factors.

Leading the charity is former Perth Glory owner and experienced businessman Nick Tana, who has been appointed by Football West as the Foundation’s inaugural chair.

It will be Tana’s first official involvement in anything football-related since he relinquished his Perth Glory licence to Football Australia in 2006, following 11 hugely successful years at the helm of the two-times national champions.

“I am genuinely excited to be the chairman of Football Futures Foundation, a charity which will have a positive impact in the most in-need areas of society in Western Australia,” Tana said.

“My time at Perth Glory was special and it was great to share that adventure with so many people. But leading Football Futures Foundation is an even more exciting opportunity.

“It is a fantastic privilege to know you can help change people’s lives for the better. Which is why I am calling on leaders in business and Government to get involved with Football Futures Foundation so together we can make a difference.”

Football West Chairman Sherif Andrawes was delighted to announce Tana as the Foundation’s Chairman.

“It is an honour to have Nick on board to lead the Foundation from day one,” he said.

“He is a person who helped change the landscape of WA football, so it is only fitting that he is at the forefront of a venture of this magnitude.

“There has never been a better time to be involved in football in Western Australia. We have worked hard to secure the State Football Centre and the Women’s World Cup in Perth in 2023. And with the establishment of the Football Futures Foundation, we are creating a legacy for Western Australian football.

“It is about making a difference and ensuring people get the chance to improve their physical and mental health, or are not left behind in terms of education or miss out on job opportunities simply because of who they are or where they are from.”

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Coles MiniRoos Program Opens Football Pathway for Children aged 4 to 11 across Australia

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Football Australia’s Coles MiniRoos program is welcoming new participants across the country, offering children aged 4 to 11 a structured and inclusive introduction to football through local clubs and schools.

Now one of Australia’s largest grassroots sporting initiatives, MiniRoos operates across two streams designed to meet children at different stages of their footballing journey. Coles MiniRoos Kick-Off, available to children aged 4 to 11, provides a non-competitive, skills-based entry point for those new to the game, using short game-based sessions of 45 to 60 minutes to build confidence and basic technique. Coles MiniRoos Club Team, open to children aged 5 to 11, moves into small-sided club football- formats of 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9- designed to maximise touches, involvement and opportunity for developing players.

Both programs run for between four and twelve weeks and are delivered by local clubs and schools, keeping participation embedded in the communities where children already live and learn.

The program’s structure reflects a broader shift in how junior sport is being designed. Small-sided formats give younger players more contact with the ball and more meaningful involvement in each session, addressing one of the most common reasons children disengage from team sport early: the experience of spending more time watching than playing.

The timing carries particular significance. With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup currently underway and women’s football participation in Australia at record levels, the pipeline that will sustain that growth over the next decade is being built now, in programs like this one, in communities across the country.

Coles MiniRoos is approved by Football Australia and open to children of all abilities. Registrations are open now through local clubs and schools.

Filopoulos: Football Must Move Beyond Campaigns to Win Fans for Good

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Image Credit: Perth Glory

Global marketing and advisory firm Bastion has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Peter Filopoulos as Managing Director, Experience. This decision brings one of Australian football’s most influential administrators into a new phase of the sports business landscape.

Filopoulos, who has held senior roles across Football Australia, Football Victoria and Perth Glory, will lead Bastion’s experiential and partnerships division, applying a football-informed lens to brand engagement.

Drawing on his time in the game, Filopoulos emphasised the importance of cohesion in building meaningful fan connections.

“For me, the biggest lesson is that fans don’t see brand, content and experience as individual silos, they experience it all as one connected ecosystem,” he said.

“At Football Australia, the work resonated most when everything was aligned; the team, the narrative, the partners and the matchday experience all working together to feel cohesive and authentic. That’s when engagement moves beyond interaction and becomes something far more meaningful.”

He added that too many organisations still treat fan engagement as short-term.

“Where a lot of organisations fall short is treating fan engagement as a campaign. It’s not, it’s an always-on system.”

Filopoulos’ move reflects a broader shift within football, where commercial growth is increasingly driven by experience-led strategy.

“At Bastion, we put experience at the centre—because it’s where the brand comes to life, where partners integrate in a way that adds real value and where fans genuinely connect,” he said.

“Our focus is on building platforms that bring fans closer to the brand… Get that right, and you’re creating something people actively want to be part of.”

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