Northern NSW Football welcomes $50 million funding boost for women’s sport

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Northern NSW Football have welcomed a $50 million funding announcement from the State Government, which will see sporting facilities across regional NSW benefit from new and improved women’s change rooms and amenities.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee yesterday announced the funding will come out of the government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund.

Northern NSW Football CEO David Eland explained the funding would be extremely beneficial for the world game.

“The NSW Government’s announcement that up to $50 million from the Stronger Country Communities Fund has been reserved to specifically improve women’s sporting facilities in regional NSW is a huge boost for the state’s largest club-based sport,” he said.

“Community facilities throughout northern NSW are bursting at the seams and we have been and continue to be focused on building capacity for the game, particularly in the area of women’s facilities.

“Northern NSW Football teamed up with Football NSW to develop a comprehensive State Infrastructure Strategy which identified and supported the acute need to increase the number of facilities for women to use.

“We’ve identified this need for many years with the ever-increasing registrations of females in the game, which is why we addressed the need in our 2021-2023 Strategic Plan.”

Mr Barilaro said a lack of adequate facilities for women in sport was a significant barrier in developing the next generation of female sporting stars.

“Women have been flying the flag for Australian sport with our international teams achieving incredible status on the world platform and many of these athletes come from regional communities,” he said.

“Too many women participating in local soccer, AFL, rugby or cricket matches in rural and regional locations don’t have access to suitable changing facilities so the NSW government has committed this funding to level the playing field.

“Access to designated female change rooms will be of huge benefit to our future Matildas, Opals, Hockeyroos, Jillaroos and Wallaroos, as well as local athletes.”

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Football Victoria Teams Up with New Balance and Belgravia Apparel

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Image credit: Football Victoria

Football Victoria (FV) has confirmed a four-year collaboration with global athletic brand New Balance, with Belgravia Apparel joining as FV’s Official Technical Apparel Partner.

Since 1906, New Balance has been an independent brand known for inspiring individuals through sport and quality craftsmanship, while driving positive change globally.

Under the new collaboration, New Balance will provide uniforms and playing kits for FV’s staff, Academy programs, and representative teams starting in 2026.

Belgravia Apparel, New Balance’s elite teamwear partner in Australasia, provides supporter and performance gear to a wide range of professional and amateur sporting organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Through this deal, FV Academy and State/Regional representative players will wear high-performance kits engineered for reduced drag, greater mobility, and all-90-minute comfort, featuring Quick-Dry technology.

Building on their footprint in Victorian football, New Balance will also take on naming rights for the Dockerty Cup, the state’s most historic and prestigious men’s football competition.

Football Victoria CEO, Dan Birrell highlighted the significance of the agreement and the impact it will have across the state’s football community.

“Belgravia Apparel has long supported football in Victoria and we’re excited to see our staff, Academy teams and representative squads wearing New Balance from 2026,” he said via FV media release.

“New Balance has a strong global football connection and we’re pleased to be a new chapter in that story, here in Victoria.”

New Balance Australia Regional General Manager, Dean Howard emphasised the brand’s commitment to supporting athletes at all levels.

“At New Balance, our job is to aid athletes in their pursuit of excellence, whether that means helping professional athletes win medals, or propelling the community to live a healthy and active lifestyle,” he said via press release.

“In partnership with Belgravia Apparel, we are proud to partner with Football Victoria and look forward to seeing the partnership come to life over the next four years.”

New Balance will contribute to the FV community by sponsoring a $1,000 voucher for the Community Person of the Year award at the 2026 FV Gala.

The AI platform protecting footballers in Oceania from online abuse

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Image credit: Yalcin Sonat / Shutterstock.com

The Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) has now adopted the use of AI platform, Respondology, following FIFA’s decision to make the platform free for all Member Associations. 

The move is a significant step towards protecting players’ wellbeing in Oceania, and helps to keep the online football community a protected place for all. 

What is Respondology?

Respondology is an AI platform designed to prevent harmful or abusive comments on social media. After seeing hateful comments aimed towards Serena Williams during the 2019 US Open, its founders felt that technology should be used to protect everyone in the online space. 

The platform detects harmful language, discrimination or harassment across multiple online platforms and automatically removes them. Respondology scans comments as soon as they are posted, acting as a protective shield before any abuse can reach public visibility. 

Co-Founder and CEO, Erik Swain made it clear that combating online hate isn’t just a feature, it’s a responsibility.

“If the technology now exists to mute racism, anti-LGBTQ slurs and generally hateful abuse online, then we have a responsibility to do just that,” he said via Official website.

Respondology in Sport 

European footballing giants Manchester United, Arsenal and Ajax all use Respondology. With a huge online presence and mass following, clubs such as these utilise the platform to protect players and fans who engage with social media.

In America, NFL teams like the Denver Broncos have also collaborated with Respondology, leading to 26,000 comments being moderated per day and nearly half arriving at night and on weekends. As an AI-driven tool, Respondology ensures comments can be moderated during these crucial off-peak hours.

Protecting Oceania Footballers

The Oceania Footballer’s Confederation (OFC) has recently increased its operations to monitor comments during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. 

Thanks to Respondology’s diligence and commitment, 6% of comments posted during the tournament’s first round were automatically hidden. Respondology also helped to save 3 hours of manual review time, highlighting the AI-powered platform’s efficiency and speed. 

Comments detected by the platform have been sorted into four different categories: hate speech, offensive content, general toxicity, and spam, with the latter being the most commonly encountered.

With hate speech as the second-most prevalent category, it is clear that Respondology is an absolute necessity if organisers want to continue protecting players from emotional distress as the tournament proceeds. 

Final Thoughts

For football organisations and governing bodies around the world seeking to protect online communities from hate and abuse, platforms like Respondology offer a lifeline. 

Through innovative technology supported by dedicated professionals, Respondology can help online spaces become welcoming and safe for all fans across the world.

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