Soaring to new heights: Melbourne Victory name new sponsor from 2024/25 season

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory have announced their latest primary sponsor for the upcoming three seasons, with both parties unveiling the newly found agreement at AAMI Park.

Turkish Airlines, to be the Principal Partner and on the front of men’s, women’s and academy shirts, are considered as one of the best flight carriers across the globe, and have garnered a reputation within the Sporting World. Their major sponsors vary across multiple sports, sharing agreements with three different codes involving basketball, golf and football.

The airline has quite the portfolio within their football sponsorships. Their most significant sponsorship is undeniably their primary agreement with the UEFA Champions League, arguably one of the most coveted prizes within the Sport. Within Turkiye, the Airline are major sponsors of five Turkish clubs, including the likes of Galatasaray, and also sponsor the Turkish National Football Team.

This follows on from the airline’s venture outside of Europe, with the airline flying directly from Australia to Turkey as of February 2024.

The partnership between both enterprises showcases a universal understanding, surrounding the importance of being competitive. Melbourne Victory are arguably one of the best clubs within Australia. 2 Australian Cups, 3 Premierships and 4 Championships across 19 years of operation, the winning mentality surrounding the club made the prosperity of a partnership more lucrative for the Turkish Outfit.

The passion intertwined with the club and their fan base, although controversial, is undeniable. Acknowledging the current rivalry shared between Sydney and Melbourne off the field. It has been combatted with a rich history of Football Australia figures having debarcles with Melbourne based footballing figures within Australian football. A prime example rolls back the years to when Socceroo manager, now current Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou, who throughout his time as Australian National Team manager was under constant scrutiny within the media.

The largest Melbourne-based club somewhat amplifies that personification.

In a way, the grit, determination and club message Melbourne Victory live and breathe, has swayed the interest of a company in whom immerse themselves with athletic achievement. Can the new merger be the catalyst in perhaps, the renaissance of more success, at the Melbourne-based club?

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Premier League backs grassroots football in Singapore

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Image credit: Premier League

The NEXTGEN coach programme saw past legends and current coaches unite to deliver an activity intent on supporting grassroots football through high quality and inclusive coaching.

 

Creating new leaders

To reach the top in elite football requires tactical education, personal guidance and consistent support throughout the development journey.

Coaches therefore take on a great deal of responsibility for players seeking a top-flight dream.

Yet even for those who never make it to the top, there is always one coach who stands out. Not necessarily for the silverware achieved or results on the pitch, but for the way they helped build a person off the pitch to play better on it.

The Premier League’s NEXTGEN Coach programme in Singapore aims to equip coaches with the skills and knowledge to do exactly that: creating welcoming environments which nurture confidence and a love for the game.

“This will hugely benefit local coaches, providing them with expert training and skills that will cascade into the communities they coach in,” said Premier League Director of Community, Nick Perchard, via media release.

“After opening the League’s first international office in Singapore more than seven years ago, we are now building on our commitment to the country with a structured coach development programme.”

 

What does the programme include?

The programme initially saw Premier League coaches deliver training sessions to coaches from StarHub – the League’s broadcast partner in Singapore who engage with local community football.

Furthermore, the training was consolidated through stakeholder engagement events and talks from 150 students at the Institute of Technical Education about their careers in the game.

In total, the programme saw 30 coaches take part – all from diverse backgrounds selected by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to maximise community reach and positively impact as many young individuals as possible.

“Youth development is a key priority for FAS, and it starts at the grassroots level,” explained FAS General Secretary, Badri Ghent via media release.

“Coaches play a central role in shaping not just how young players learn the game, but how they experience it, building confidence, character and a lifelong connection to football.”

Through high quality programmes like NEXTGEN, grassroots football can grow to ensure future coaches and players are confident in themselves and their future roles in the game.

1200 players to descend on Geelong for Football Victoria Country Championships as Regional Football Enters New Era

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

More than 1,200 junior footballers from across regional Victoria will converge on Geelong this weekend for the 2026 Football Victoria Country Championships, with players representing eight regions competing across the King’s Birthday long weekend at Stead Park and Myers Reserve.

The tournament, which has been running since 1978 and has grown into one of the largest junior football events in the country, takes on additional significance this year. It marks the first Country Championships since Football Victoria announced a restructured regional football model in December 2025, making this edition an early measure of how that new framework translates into competitive outcomes at the representative level.

Sixty-seven teams will compete across Under-11 to Under-16 age groups for both boys and girls, with finals day scheduled for Monday. All fixtures and results will be available through the DRIBL app.

More than silverware

FV Regional Development Manager Lauren Stevens said the tournament represented something beyond the competitive results it produces.

“The Country Championships are an exciting opportunity for players from across regional Victoria to come together, represent their region and create lasting memories both on and off the pitch,” Stevens said. “This tournament has a rich history and continues to play an important role in bringing regional football communities together while providing players with the chance to experience a high-level representative environment and talent identification opportunity.”

That dual function is central to what makes the Country Championships structurally significant. For many players travelling to Geelong this weekend, a regional representative tournament is the highest level of football they have experienced. For some, it will be the environment in which they first come to the attention of Football Victoria’s technical staff and pathway programs.

The talent identification dimension carries particular weight at a moment when Football Victoria’s participation numbers are at record levels and the pipeline from community football to elite competition has never been more closely scrutinised. The 2025 Annual Report documented a 14 percent overall participation increase, with junior football among the fastest-growing segments. Tournaments like the Country Championships are where that growth begins to translate into representative opportunity for players who live outside metropolitan Melbourne.

Regional football in transition

The timing of this year’s Championships against the backdrop of Football Victoria’s regional restructure adds a layer of context that will be watched closely by administrators and clubs. The December 2025 announcement of the new regional model represented the most significant structural change to regional football governance in the state in some years, and the process of transitioning Life Members from regional associations into the Football Victoria honour roll at last month’s AGM reflected the scale of that change.

How the eight regions perform this weekend will offer an early indication of whether the restructured model is serving regional communities effectively.

The Corrie Koppen Fair Play Award, introduced last year to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Cornelius Koppen, adds a dimension to the competition that sits alongside the on-field results. The award is given to the region judged to have played and conducted itself in the spirit of the game, a recognition that how communities behave at a junior tournament is as meaningful as what they win.

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