Optus Sport expands with acquisition of German Cups

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DFB-Pokal
Image provided by Optus Sport

Optus Sport has continued the expansion of its football coverage after securing the exclusive Australian rights to the DFB-Pokal and DFB-Pokal Frauen for the next three seasons.

The DFB-Pokal is Germany’s biggest and most prestigious cup competition, held annually by the German Football Association (DFB) and running from August through to June. 64 teams participate in the German Cup, including all clubs from the Bundesliga.

The likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig will be available for football fans to watch, bringing with them superstars like Sadio Mane, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Kimmich, Marco Reus, Jude Bellingham, Christopher Nkunku and Dani Olmo.

Optus Sport has also secured the rights for the Women’s German Cup, DFB-Pokal Frauen, which is the main national women’s football cup competition and includes some of the women’s game’s top sides, led by eight-time defending champs VfL Wolfsburg and nine-time winners Eintracht Frankfurt. The competition was established in its current format in 1991, has 49 teams and runs alongside the men’s competition through to May.

“We know our football fans will be happy with the addition of the DFB-Pokal and DFB-Pokal Frauen, as Optus Sport continues to deliver the world’s best football to our customers,” Optus VP TV, Content and Product Development, Clive Dickens, said in a statement.

Dr. Holger Blask, Managing Director of the DFB GmbH & Co. KG, said via press release:

“We have seen the continued growth of Optus Sport and its world-class approach to streaming top-class football. Germany’s premium Club Cup competitions will definitely be in good hands and Optus Sport will reliably provide Australia’s fans of German football with the best live matches, in-depth analysis and insightful support programs around the DFB Cup.

“We are very excited about this multi-year agreement covering both the men’s and women’s competitions, a fact we are particularly proud of and one that will take the DFB Cup to a new level in Australia.”

Optus Sport has recently added LaLiga from this season and holds the Australian rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the J.League and UEFA National football including the UEFA Nations League, all UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers, all UEFA European qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, plus a range of international friendlies, all available to Optus Sport subscribers.

The DFB-Pokal Frauen gets underway first on Optus Sport, with Ingolstadt taking on Bayern Munich on Wednesday (September 13 AEST) morning. This will come off the back of a massive weekend of women’s football as the FA Women’s Super League 2022/23 season commences on Saturday September 10.

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Football Australia Expands Mental Skills Program for Match Officials Amid Sustained Focus on Referee Retention

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football Australia has confirmed a second national webinar for match officials, led by sports psychologist Dr Liam Slack, extending a referee development series introduced after strong engagement with an initial session on managing match-day pressure.

The upcoming session, themed “parking with purpose,” will focus on decision-making strategies designed to help referees process on-field calls and reset attention quickly across a match that can present hundreds of individual decisions. Dr Slack, who also consults with The Football Association and the AFC Referee Academy and previously spent over a decade as a performance psychologist with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited in England, brings substantial elite-level experience to a program open to officials at every level, from grassroots to professional.

The theme builds on work Dr Slack has already delivered within Australian officiating. He recently led a session with Football Australia’s National Referee Academy on the same concept, framing the ability to consciously park a decision and refocus on the next phase of play as a trainable skill rather than an innate trait, one that separates officials who reset quickly under pressure from those who don’t. He has also addressed more than 100 Football Australia elite match officials and staff on developing a stronger match-day mentality, an indication of how embedded this psychological framework has become across the officiating pathway rather than remaining a one-off intervention.

The expansion of the webinar series reflects a broader shift in how football administrators are approaching referee attrition. Rather than treating retention purely as a recruitment or pay problem, the program signals an institutional acknowledgment that the psychological demands of officiating, particularly the compounding pressure of split-second decisions under public scrutiny, are a material factor in whether officials remain in the game.

It rests alongside other measures adopted across Australian football in recent years, including visible identification programs for junior referees and structural reviews of referee departments at state federation level, all aimed at the same underlying issue: a shrinking pool of match officials relative to demand.

Football Australia has not detailed metrics for assessing the program’s impact on referee numbers, though the recurring engagement of an internationally credentialed specialist across multiple tiers of the officiating pathway suggests sustained institutional investment in the approach.

Football Victoria elevates fan enjoyment with Streets partnership

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Image credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com

Football Victoria (FV) revealed last week a new partnership with ice cream giants, Streets. The brand will become an exclusive ice cream partner for the next three years.

 

An iconic brand for joyful experiences

As a well-known and popular ice cream brand with people all around the nation, Streets will now look to support the fan experience in Victoria through its products.

It reflects FV’s commitment to delivering a family-friendly and memorable experience for spectators. Both on and off the pitch, the organisation is striving to elevate the experience for fans and families alike.

“Football Victoria is always looking for ways to elevate the experience at The Home of The Matildas, and this partnership does exactly that,” explained FV Executive Manager of Commercial and Facilities, Chris Speldewinde.

“It’s a fantastic fit for our community and we’re looking forward to what the next three years will bring.”

Furthermore, Senior Brand Manager at Streets, Ryan Katz, emphasised the brand’s role in community sport and in creating memories beyond the action on the pitch.

“Streets is proud to join Football Victoria as its exclusive ice cream partner,” Katz said.

“There’s nothing better than enjoying a great game with a classic ice cream in-hand, and we’re excited to be part of those moments across the state.”

 

Understanding community football

Community football is all about these moments. Sunny days, the family together, and a sweet treat in-hand while supporting a local team alongside friends and neighbours.

This is why a partnership between FV and Streets is particularly important.

Not for its commercial value, but for what it tells us about both parties’ understanding of what matters to fans. From young fans to experienced matchday-goers, everyone wants to find enjoyment while watching the game.

And while the 90 minutes of action is the focus, the experience of a local matchday is truly defined by interactions with fellow supporters and smaller – but no less significant – moments of happiness during the day.

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