Sydney FC and Cancer Council Unite for 20th anniversary alliance

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Sydney FC is excited to unveil a new partnership with Cancer Council, Australia’s leading cancer charity, in celebration of their 20th anniversary season.

The collaboration between both organisations is a powerful tool for reaching countless Australians by spreading awareness and donating money to life-saving cancer research. 

With one of the largest fan bases in the A-League, the cancer council’s partnership with Sydney FC builds community support and reaches many eyes. 

Cancer Council NSW Chief Executive Officer Sarah Hosking spoke on the exciting partnership with Sydney FC. 

“Partnering with Sydney FC will provide us the opportunity to connect with the Greater Sydney community, empowering Aussies to prevent cancer and support world-class research, reducing the impact of this deadly disease,” she said in a press release.

The cancer statistics for Australians are alarming, by the first kick-off of every A-League season, 51,000 Australians would have lost their life in the past year. Almost 1 in 2 Australians are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85. 

Cancer survival rates have increased to 70% for Australians, partnering with a community-based club, donations will continue to drive up higher survival rights.

The collaboration targets the male demographic, who typically lack in getting health checks and keeping on top of health management. Males in Australia are less likely than females to seek out healthcare services and have a shorter life expectancy for these reasons.

Sydney FC Chief Executive Officer Mark Aubrey called on the Sydney FC community to support the initiative.

“Together with Cancer Council, we’re inviting our fans and the wider community to stand together against cancer, to make a lasting impact that will save lives and build a healthier future for all,” he said in a press release.

Sydney FC player Harrison Devenish-Meares shared a personal story of his mother, Rossanna, being diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a cancerous tumour that formed on the kidney back in 2021. Rossanna found out the diagnosis through an unrelated health issue. 

Harrison began to plan a return to Australian football to be closer to his mother and struggled to play overseas while she underwent treatment. The treatment for Harrison’s mother was successful, and her new lease on life has inspired her to raise $4,000 for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea. 

Harrison reflected on his family’s experience with cancer and what his takeaway was from the ordeal.

“When it hits close to home, it hits different. Mum was lucky that her cancer was detected early, and her prognosis was excellent. I take inspiration from the fact she’s used it as a springboard to live a more fulfilling life,” he said in a press release.

The objectives are to spread awareness of these alarming statistics, reach a demographic of Australians neglecting their health, communicate how Australians can help donate and build community support across the Greater Sydney community. 

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Football NSW releases $600,000 towards Grassroots Grants to meet Participation Pressure

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The Victorian State Government has announced new grants and funding for 11 new community infrastructure projects for local football clubs, totalling $3.8 million.
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Sixty-five football clubs across New South Wales have secured a combined total of nearly $600,000 in funding through the NSW Office of Sport’s Local Sports Grant Program. It follows as a result of Football NSW’s scale of demand for community sport support and the growing pressure on clubs struggling to keep pace with surging participation.

The grants, covering 69 individual projects across the Football NSW footprint, will fund facility upgrades, equipment purchases, participation programs and accessibility improvements: the unglamorous but essential infrastructure that determines whether community clubs can function at the level their members require.

The Local Sports Grant Program made up to $4.65 million available statewide in 2025, with $50,000 allocated to each electoral district and individual grants capped at $20,000. Football’s share of nearly $600,000 reflects the sport’s status as the largest participation code in NSW, and the degree to which that status has not always been matched by corresponding investment in the facilities and resources required to sustain it.

Volunteers carrying an unsustainable load

The announcement arrives against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the volunteer workforce that keeps community football operational. Across NSW, thousands of volunteers dedicate significant unpaid time each week to administration, ground preparation, canteen operation and the logistical demands of running competitive junior and senior programs. As participation numbers climb, driven in part by the sustained visibility of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the legacy of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, those demands have intensified without a corresponding increase in the resources available to meet them.

“As the largest participation sport in NSW it is pleasing to see almost $600,000 will be reinvested back into supporting our players, coaches, referees and volunteers to improve the football experience across our community clubs,” said Helen Armson, Football NSW’s Group Head of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Affairs.

The equity dimension

The distribution of the grants across 65 clubs and 69 projects also speaks to the geographic breadth of football’s footprint in NSW, and to the uneven distribution of resources that has historically characterised community sport in this country. Clubs in outer metropolitan and regional areas tend to operate with smaller budgets, older facilities and thinner volunteer bases than their inner-city counterparts. Grant programs structured around electoral allocation, rather than club size or existing resource base, provide a degree of equity that market-driven funding cannot.

The kinds of projects funded under this program disproportionately benefit clubs serving communities where the barriers to participation are highest. A club that cannot offer adequate facilities or equipment is a club that turns players away, often without intending to.

Football NSW has used the announcement to call on the NSW Government to maintain and extend its investment in the sport. “We urge the government to continue to invest in football,” Armson said, in the midst for a nation-wide push for a $343 million decade-long infrastructure fund to address the facilities gap across the state.

The nearly $600,000 secured through this round is meaningful. Against the scale of what is needed, it is also a measure of how far the investment still has to go.

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

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.

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