Wellington Phoenix men and women backed by premium partner

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Budget Car Rental
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Budget New Zealand has become a premium partner of Wellington Phoenix, in a deal that supports both the men’s and women’s teams.

A prominent car rental company, Budget New Zealand is an multi award-winning car rental company that has 40 locations in the country. They pride themselves on having a reputation for excellent service and the best value for money in the car rental market.

The partnership began with immediate effect from December last year and is expected to last three years at a minimum.

There are many mutual benefits of this partnership for both Budget New Zealand and Wellington Phoenix. For example, the A-League Men’s competition is available for viewing in 173 countries, which means that Budget New Zealand now have a greater opportunity at being seen by more people around the world. These people could be potential future tourists to New Zealand, which can attract more business for Budget New Zealand.

Budget New Zealand General Manager Lee Marshall was delighted with the recent partnership, who believes that the partnership between Budget New Zealand and the Wellington Phoenix will be highly successful and beneficial for both parties.

“When it comes to New Zealand sports teams, the Phoenix men and women are two of the best,” Marshall said via press release.

“They demonstrate determination, teamwork and high performance, many of the beliefs and values that also drive us.”

This partnership gives the Wellington Phoenix another crucial big company sponsor. It is well-known that the COVID pandemic financially harmed all the clubs across the A-League. However, the Wellington Phoenix were arguably the most negatively impacted club from the COVID pandemic. The Phoenix were unable to play an A-League game on home soil for over 300 days during the pandemic. This resulted on the club missing out on the crucial matchday revenue that home games bring to the club. The club also had to relocate to Australia in order to continue to play A-League games, which means they would have had to spend money on hotel accommodation for players and staff. Critically, the partnership between the Phoenix and Budget New Zealand brings another source of income to the club as they try and recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic.

On the field, the agreement will see Budget New Zealand now feature on the back of both the men’s and women’s matchday playing shorts for the Phoenix, and on the back of the playing shirt for the Phoenix men’s team.

Both teams will next compete in a home double header, with the women against Canberra United, followed by the men facing Central Coast Mariners on Sunday, January 22.

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Football Victoria recognised in Pride in Sport Index 2026

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The Silver Status shows Football Victoria‘s commitment to providing Victorians with a safe, inclusive landscape for all to enjoy the beautiful game.

Everyone’s game

Earlier this month, the Australian Pride in Sport Awards recognised several organisations and individuals across the nation who continue to champion inclusive spaces in the world of sport.

Among the nominees was Football Victoria, who received the Silver Status. FV Executive Manager Equity, Programs and Government Relations, Karen Pearce, expressed her pride at the achievement.

“Achieving Silver Status in the Pride in Sport Index is an important reflection of the work being done across Football Victoria to ensure LGBTQ+ people feel safe, welcomed and included in our game,” Pearce said via official press release.

“We remain committed to embedding inclusive practices across all levels of football, and continuing to create environments where everyone can belong, participate and thrive.”

 

Inclusion matters

While recognition is always a positive reflection of successful work behind the scenes, it is important to remember what the work intends to achieve.

Football – and sport in general – is a unique opportunity to bring diverse communities together, and to compete, spectate and enjoy the game on an equal playing field.

Furthermore, as custodians of ‘the world’s game’, governing bodies, fans and players around the world all share the responsibility to empower marginalised groups to feel included.

Two months ago, The Premier League introduced their own initiative – Premier League With Pride – reflecting their own commitment to ensuring football grounds, schools and academies remain welcoming.

 

Final thoughts

There is no place for hate or abuse in football, whether on a grassroots field or professional stadium.

Football Victoria will continue its journey and commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community – at all levels of the game – for many seasons to come.

Football Queensland to celebrate Female Football Week with statewide events, awards and coaching programs

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Brighton women's football motion
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Football Queensland will mark the 2026 Female Football Week with a program of statewide events, competitions and professional development opportunities running from May 8-17, as the governing body continues to push for broader access and representation across all levels of the women’s game in Queensland.

The nationwide initiative, now a fixture on the Australian football calendar, provides a concentrated period of visibility for female participation across playing, coaching, officiating and administration: areas where structural underrepresentation has historically limited both the growth of the game and the opportunities available to women and girls within it.

“Female Football Week provides us with a valuable opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women and girls across our game while continuing to increase the accessibility of football in Queensland,” said Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci. “We encourage our clubs to host their own Female Football Week events and activations for female participants.”

 

Elite Competition Meets Community Access

The centrepiece of Football Queensland’s program is the return of the NPL Women’s Magic Round to Nudgee Recreation Reserve on May 8 and 9, featuring five NPL Women’s Round 13 clashes alongside a Girls United Junior Carnival and family-friendly activations. Each Magic Round game will feature an all-female refereeing panel, a deliberate and visible commitment to developing the next generation of female match officials at a moment when referee shortages are among the most pressing structural challenges facing the game nationally.

A Women in Football networking event will be held on the opening night of Magic Round, bringing together coaches, match officials and administrators. The inclusion of that event alongside elite competition is significant because it positions professional development and community building not as supplementary activities but as core components of what Female Football Week is for.

The Central Coast region will host its own Magic Round on May 16, featuring a Youth Girls game and three FQPL Central Coast Women’s matches, while a Darling Downs Junior Girls Day will take place at Captain Cook Park on the same day, extending the reach of the week’s programming beyond the southeast corner of the state into regional Queensland.

 

Coaching access as a structural priority

Football Queensland will deliver a series of female-only coaching courses around Female Football Week, with clubs also able to express interest in hosting their own. The initiative addresses one of the most persistent barriers to female representation in football administration- its coaching pipeline.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented at all levels of the game in Australia, and the barriers to accreditation, including cost, availability and the cultural environment of mixed coaching courses, compound one another in ways that individual ambition alone cannot overcome. Female-only courses create environments where women can develop without those barriers, and their delivery during Female Football Week signals that the commitment extends beyond celebration into structural change.

The Girls United Carnivals, running in both Metro and Far North and Gulf regions alongside the Q-League Schools program at Meakin Park, extend that access to players at the earliest stages of their football journey.

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