The serious waves Series Futsal have made and what it means for the sport

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Image credit: Koonsiri Boonnak via Shutterstock

Football within Victoria in a broad sense is difficult to unpack from multiple angles. What is clear is the passion displayed by fanatics.

Although not a traditional form of football, it’s cousin futsal has slowly emerged as a popular indoor sport that has abundance of opportunity within Australia’s major futsal organisation, Futsal Oz.

Futsal Oz has been the manifestation of the football extraordinaire Peter Parthimos, who founded the entity in 2006. When discussing with Peter in regards to why he created Futsal Oz, he discussed how he wished to unify people, provide competitive competitions to those who played the sport, all the while providing opportunity to those who want to play on a leisurely level all the way to a professional level.

Despite having a turbulent tenure throughout the global pandemic in 2020. Futsal Oz came out of Covid-19 with a newly furbished Futsal court fit for its most talented players. The court resides in their Thomastown location. Series Futsal is currently the highest level of futsal across the country and features abundance of Australia’s most coveted football players.

Melbourne-owned Sport Recreational Wear manufacturer AKU is a proud partner, with many women’s and men’s series sides opting to use AKU as a kit sponsor. The company also designed and created kits which were featured in the monthly major event in Thomastown, combining the best players across the Series Futsal competition to represent their respective ethnicities. The event was broadcasted on FireTv, a subsidiary to American-Bulgarian Company TrillerTv, who specialise in combat and European Sport streaming. Melbourne born Commentator Michael Schiavello spearheaded the broadcast acting as executive producer.

Each Wednesday and Friday the competitions are streamed live via YouTube and its independently ran application “Wefroth”, allowing its humble yet passionate fanatics to watch each round of Series Futsal unfold.

Through the running of competitions and the opportunities it sets through broadcast, futsal is in a healthy position.

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Football West and Persebaya Surabaya FC sign three-year MoU

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Football West and Persebaya Surabaya FC have formalised their partnership by signing a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a significant step in their collaboration.

The agreement was signed by Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell and Persebaya Surabaya CEO Azrul Ananda in the presence of Western Australia’s Minister for Sport and Recreation, David Templeman.

This MoU sets the foundation for a talent development and exchange program between Football West, the governing body of football in Western Australia, and Persebaya Surabaya FC, one of Indonesia’s top-tier football clubs.

As part of the agreement, plans are already in motion for Persebaya’s senior team to visit Western Australia next year. The club, currently leading Liga 1, Indonesia’s top football league, will participate in various football-related activities.

Football West’s relationship with Persebaya Surabaya dates back to 2018 when the Indonesian club’s youth team visited Perth for a three-match tour. The following year, Football West reciprocated by sending an Under 19 State team to Surabaya, where the visit was also a success.

Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell spoke in length on the importance of this partnership and their connection to Indonesia.

“Football West is delighted to renew our relationship with Persebaya Surabaya and we look forward to creating sporting and cultural opportunities through our shared love of football,” he said in a press release.

“Indonesia is a natural sporting partner for WA. Football is the No1 sport in Indonesia and we know from when we took our team to Surabaya in 2019 that they love Australian football.

“It has been a pleasure to host Azrul and his team this week, showing them several venues including the Sam Kerr Football Centre. We have had strong discussions about what we can achieve and it is very exciting.

“Football West’s Asian Engagement Strategy is a pillar of our Strategic Plan and this Memorandum of Understanding shows how committed we are in this area. We would like to thank Minister Templeman and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries for their ongoing support for Football West in developing these relations,” he concluded.

Azrul Ananda, President of Persebaya Surabaya shared the same sentiment  about the extension of the partnership.

“We are happy to finally be able to continue our collaboration with Football West,” he said in a press release.

“During several days in Perth, the Persebaya management team has received much information regarding a visit from the Persebaya senior team in July 2025 for mini training camps and other cultural activities.

“Thank you to Jamie Harnwell and friends at Football West, Western Australia Sport and Recreation Minister Mr David Templeman, and Consulate General of Indonesia Mrs Listiana Operananta for their big support.

“We believe that the agreement between Persebaya and Football West over the next three years will strengthen people-to-people relationships between the people of East Java and Western Australia.”

This MoU signifies a deepening relationship between football organisations in Western Australia and Indonesia.

It creates an official platform for talent sharing and the development of players, coaches, and officials through exchange programs.

By facilitating visits and collaborative activities, the partnership also promotes cultural understanding between the two regions.

This deal is very important for Western Australian football and its attempt to expand their Asian representation.

Bank of America confirmed as Official Partner of Club World Cup

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FIFA has confirmed Bank of America as the newest Official Partner of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The agreement builds off of a deal from earlier this year, when Bank of America was confirmed as the Official Bank Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The declaration of partnership was made ahead of the official draw for the Club World Cup in Miami later this week.

The Club World Cup will welcome 32 of the best clubs from every confederation to the United States for the most expansive club tournament in history.

Club World Cup matches will be hosted across 11 American stadiums, allowing for Bank of America and FIFA to create positive influential economic and social impact to local communities.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino professed excitement for the upcoming collaboration.

“We are thrilled to have Bank of America on board for the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup,” he said via press release.

“In recent months we’ve enjoyed detailed discussions with Bank of America’s leadership about FIFA’s mission both on and off the pitch, so we’re delighted that they’ve joined us on our journey to redefine global club football in addition to working side-by-side with us for FIFA World Cup 2026.

“As a global organisation with operations around the world and in every tournament host city, Bank of America is a perfect partner for this ground-breaking tournament.”

Bank of America’s Chair and CEO, Brian Moynihan, detailed the successful outcomes of the partnership. 

“This partnership with FIFA, for both World Cup 2026 and now Club World Cup 2025, sharpens our focus on deepening client relationships through the most iconic sporting events in the world, and generating lasting economic impact, globally and locally,” he said in a press release.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will kick off on in Miami June 15, and run until July 13, 2025, in New York New Jersey.

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