PFA and La Trobe University offer women’s football scholarship

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The Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and La Trobe University have confirmed a partnership that will see the University open up an amazing opportunity for students to take part in a course regarding the development of women’s football domestically.

It will be awarded to an exceptional applicant with an interest in the development and success of female footballers in Australia.

Applicants should have a passion for skill development, women’s sports, and a desire to understand the factors contributing to success in sports. The research will add value to the player members of Professional Footballers Australia.

PFA released a statement on social media about this offer:

“The unique PhD opportunity will focus on advancing the development and professionalisation of women’s football in Australia and will be based near the Home of the Matildas.”

Here are the details of the course: La Trobe Industry Research Scholarship (LTIRS): The Development and Professionalisation of Women’s Football in Australia.

Scholarship Amount: $34,000 per annum, for three and a half years. Additional fee relief included.

Opening Date: 25/09/2024

Closing Date: 21/10/2024

Who is Eligible: Future PhD candidates, Australian citizens, International students, Permanent residents and New Zealand citizens.

Location: Melbourne Campus

Payment Method: Fortnightly stipend

To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must:

  • Meet the entrance requirements for the proposed PhD course.
  • Not be receiving another scholarship worth more than 75% of the stipend rate for the same purpose.
  • Have an academic background relevant to the project, such as sport science or performance psychology.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Have experience working in professional or organised sports.
  • Are familiar with relevant research methods, including qualitative approaches such as interviews, focus groups, and concept mapping.
  • Will be enrolled full-time and conducting research at a La Trobe University campus.
  • Have completed a Masters by Research or have a significant body of research, such as an honours research thesis or lead authorship of a peer-reviewed publication, assessed at a La Trobe Masters by research standard of 75 or above.

Important Notes:

  • The supervisors for this project are A/Prof Clare MacMahon (LTU), Dr. Luke Wilkins (LTU), and Brett Taylor (PFA).
  • Applicants must submit a 1-page cover letter outlining their interest and suitability for the project, along with a brief CV.
  • A Working With Children Check is required before commencing the position (the applicant is responsible for the cost).

Selection Process:

  • Applications will be reviewed carefully by the University.
  • Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview with representatives from La Trobe University and Professional Footballers Australia.
  • Final decisions will be based on the application and interview.
  • Successful candidates will be notified in December 2024 with an offer for both candidature and scholarship.

Conclusion:

The PFA Matildas report released after the 2023 Women’s World Cup suggested that the PFA were going to aggressively push for professionalisation in the Ninja A-League following damning numbers showing most of the league is required to work a second job whilst also committing themselves to almost 30 weeks a year of training and matches.

Every single Matildas player in that World Cup squad started their career at the A-League and the lack of funding and help has led the league to be so far behind its international counterparts, with almost all top Australian talents choosing to move abroad.

This PhD course is a big first step in understanding what steps are required to take the domestic women’s first division to a suitable standard and will do so by involving more young, intelligent minds outside of the PFA to gain an outside perspective.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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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.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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