PFA to maintain its connection with Beyond Bank as sponsor

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Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA) has extended its ongoing community connection with Beyond Bank Australia as Official Banking and Community Partner.

Beyond Bank will remain the Naming Rights Sponsor of the PFA Community Medal and continue its support for the PFA’s charity, the Footballers’ Trust.

Established in 2017, the PFA Community Medal celebrates the exceptional efforts of PFA members making a meaningful difference in their communities, highlighting the PFA’s dedication to make sure football is a force for positive social change.

Past recipients of the award include Rebekah Stott (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre), Robbie Cornthwaite (Beards of Hope), Nigel Boogaard (Hunter Life Education’s Ocsober campaign), Luke Brattan (Leukemia Foundation), Aivi Luik (Mark Hughes Foundation), and Alex Chidiac (OneBall).

In support of this initiative, Beyond Bank will contribute $2,500 to the charity chosen by the recipient of the 2025 PFA Beyond Bank Community Medal.

PFA Chief Executive, Beau Busch, acknowledged the continued involvement of Beyond Bank, highlighting the strength of the relationship and its shared commitment to community impact and player wellbeing.

“We’re proud to extend our partnership with Beyond Bank, who have become a valued community partner of the PFA and a key supporter of the Footballers’ Trust and the Beyond Bank Community Medal,” he said via PFA’s statement.

“Their commitment to social impact and financial wellbeing aligns with our mission to support players on and off the pitch, and they have helped to elevate the outstanding community work undertaken by our members and community initiatives supported by the Trust.”

Beyond Bank’s Head of Community, Marlaina McPhillips, emphasised the organisation’s focus on community-driven outcomes and praised the ongoing relationship with the PFA.

“As a customer-owned bank, supporting local communities to make a positive difference is at the heart of everything we do. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Professional Footballers Australia,” she said via press release.

“The work that the PFA does in supporting its players allows them to use sport to make a positive impact on their community.

“This relationship is a great example of how coming together we can all work on achieving these positive outcomes for our communities.”

Since 2019, the Footballers’ Trust has directed $500,000 in donations to 24 organisations focused on human rights, inclusion, football, and community development across Australia.

Follow this link to explore the Footballers’ Trust Report.

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FCA to Host Exclusive Two-Part Goalscoring Workshop Series with Dr Ron Smith

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One of Australian football’s most respected coaching minds shares decades of research ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Football Coaches Australia (FCA) has announced an exclusive two-part coach education series featuring renowned coach educator and football analyst Dr Ron Smith, offering coaches a rare opportunity to explore the evolving science of goalscoring through the lens of one of Australia’s most influential football thinkers.

The online workshops, scheduled for June 1 and June 8, will examine the historical development, modern trends and future direction of goalscoring in football, drawing on extensive research that formed the foundation of Dr Smith’s doctoral studies.

For FCA, the sessions represent the culmination of more than a year of planning and provide a timely opportunity for coaches to deepen their understanding of attacking play ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

“Ron’s work on goalscoring has been years in the making and continues to evolve,” FCA President Ian Greener said.

“We felt there was no better time to bring this knowledge to the coaching community than in the lead-up to the World Cup, when coaches around the world will be analysing the game’s best teams and players.”

Across the two sessions, Dr Smith will present findings from his extensive research into goalscoring patterns and trends, examining how the game has changed over time and what coaches can learn from football’s biggest tournaments.

Topics covered throughout the series will include:

  • Historical analysis of goalscoring trends
  • How goalscoring has evolved in the modern game
  • Key patterns identified through Dr Smith’s research
  • Scoring trends across the last six FIFA Men’s World Cups
  • Comparisons between men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments
  • The role of pressing, transition moments and direct play in creating goals
  • Practical coaching implications for improving attacking performance

The two-part structure has been intentionally designed to build upon itself. Session One will focus on the evidence, data and research underpinning Dr Smith’s findings, while Session Two will explore the practical applications and coaching interventions that can emerge from that analysis.

Football Australia has accredited both workshops with one Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hour each, allowing coaches to earn two CPD hours by attending both sessions.

Dr Smith’s coaching and coach education credentials span decades. He has worked extensively with Football Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Socceroos, while also holding coaching roles internationally in Iceland and Malaysia, as well as within the A-League.

His contributions to coach development have helped shape generations of Australian coaches, making this series a valuable opportunity for coaches across all levels of the game.

Event Details

History and Future of Goalscoring – Session One
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026
Time: 7:30pm AEST
Format: Online
CPD: 1 Football Australia-accredited CPD hour

Following the completion of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, FCA is also planning a special panel discussion featuring leading Australian and international coaching voices to analyse the key tactical developments, trends and lessons emerging from the tournament.

Further details regarding that event are expected to be released later this year.

FCA members can attend the workshops free of charge, while guest registrations are available through Eventbrite.

Football NSW calls on clubs to Make It Red for Heart Health Round

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Football NSW is calling on clubs and associations across the state to register for the 2026 Make It Red campaign, joining a national awareness movement aimed at reducing heart-related deaths on sporting grounds ahead of Heart Health Round on the weekend of June 5 to 7.

The campaign, developed by the Heartbeat of Football Foundation, asks sporting clubs to wear red, raise funds and build awareness around heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest, which is the leading single cause of disease burden and death in Australia for both men and women, and one that health authorities say is largely preventable through modifiable risk factors.

The call to action comes as the Foundation continues its work to map and register Automated External Defibrillators across NSW sporting facilities, a project that has already engaged twelve football associations and fed data into both the NSW Ambulance GoodSAM registry and NSW Health’s public AED map. The availability of a functioning, registered AED on site is among the most significant determinants of survival following sudden cardiac arrest, with survival rates declining sharply for every minute without defibrillation.

Football NSW is encouraging clubs to engage with the campaign across three areas. Clubs can register for the Make It Red campaign to help fund research, education and prevention programs. Participants, particularly those aged over 35, are encouraged to seek a free heart health screening test from their local GP or enquire about hosting a Heartbeat of Football testing day. Clubs are also urged to ensure their grounds have active, accessible AEDs in place, with guidance available through Football NSW’s Rescue Ready Guide.

The Make It Red campaign runs from June 5 to July 12, with Heart Health Round taking place across the opening weekend. Clubs can register and access participation resources at makeitred.org.

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