Sydney FC strikes a deal with Stanley 1913

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Image credit: Sydney FC

Sydney FC has welcomed Stanley 1913 to the Sky Blue family, known around the world for their stylish and innovative food and drinkware, Stanley 1913 comes on board as a Major Partner and the club’s Official Hydration Partner for the 2025–26 A-Leagues season, a collaboration that promises to keep players and fans refreshed both on and off the field.

Stanley 1913 is recognised not only for its high-performance products, but also for its strong connection to culture and its dedication to creating a more sustainable, less wasteful world.

This agreement will see Stanley 1913 play a key role in supporting Sydney FC both on and off the pitch, helping players stay at their best with smart hydration solutions, while also backing community programs across every level of the club.

As part of the collaboration, the players will rely solely on Stanley 1913 products for hydration during games, training, and recovery. Fans and Members will also start to see Stanley’s drinkware featured throughout Sky Park, highlighted by the new Stanley 1913 Hydration Room at the club’s elite training base.

Fans and Members will soon be able to get their hands on a special range of co-branded Sydney FC x Stanley 1913 drinkware, available online and at the Allianz Stadium Superstore on match days, an ideal way for showing your Sky Blue pride while staying refreshed.

Sydney FC CEO, Mark Aubrey, welcomed the deal with open arms.

“We’re delighted to welcome Stanley 1913 to the Sky Blue family. They’re a globally respected brand who share our values of innovation, performance and sustainability,” he said via club statement.

“This partnership goes beyond match days — it’s about providing our players, fans and communities with high-quality products and initiatives that support healthy lifestyles and reflect our shared ambitions for a better world.”

Stanley 1913 will play a meaningful role in Sydney FC’s community efforts, helping create special experiences for children doing it tough and joining as a proud supporter of the annual Sydney FC Cup.

Yu-Nien Chang, General Manager of Stanley 1913 Asia Pacific, praised the partnership as a seamless fit for the hydration product.

“Partnering with Sydney FC is a natural fit for the Stanley 1913 brand,” she said via press release.

“This collaboration not only highlights our products’ durability and quality in demanding environments, but also powerfully reinforces our shared commitment to sustainability as we connect with fans and communities across the country.”

Stanley 1913’s presence will be felt throughout Sydney FC, with their branding featured across all areas of the club, from hydration bottles on the sidelines to pint glasses in the Sky Blue Lounge, adding a signature touch to the match day experience.

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Football South Australia renews partnership with Datacord as Community Football Commitment Deepens

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Image Credit: Football SA

Football South Australia has announced the renewal of its partnership with Datacord, continuing a relationship that has grown steadily since the South Australian print and document solutions provider first entered the football community as naming rights sponsor of the Collegiate Soccer League Division 1.

That initial agreement, which saw Datacord align with one of Adelaide’s most historic amateur competitions, marked the beginning of what has since developed into a broader commitment to South Australian football at every level. The renewed partnership extends Datacord’s involvement beyond the CSL and into the wider Football SA ecosystem, with clubs across the state now able to access exclusive offers and preferred pricing on photocopying, managed print services and tailored business solutions.

The practical value of that access should not be understated. Community football clubs operate on tight margins, relying heavily on volunteer administrators managing everything from registration paperwork to grant applications. Cost-effective print and document solutions reduce the operational burden on those volunteers, a small but meaningful contribution to the sustainability of clubs that form the backbone of the game in South Australia.

“George is a great supporter of sport in South Australia and we are delighted to have Datacord as a supporter of football,” said Football SA CEO Michael Carter. “Service is second to none and we highly recommend their services to the business community within the Football Family.”

For Datacord Managing Director George Koutsoubis, the renewal reflects a genuine investment in the community rather than a transactional commercial arrangement. “It is important to support the local community, and Football South Australia is the perfect place to start spreading the word about Datacord and what we do for the South Australian community,” he said. “We are locally owned and operated, and I think it is a great partnership to be part of.”

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.

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