Western United renews with Tapedesign to continue collaboration

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Image credit: Western United website

Western United Football Club and Tapedesign Australia have renewed their partnership for a fourth consecutive season.

Tapedesign has played a key role in boosting the performance of the club’s A-League Men and Women players by providing grip socks for both training and matchdays.

As part of the ongoing collaboration, Tapedesign will continue to sponsor A-Leagues goalkeepers Chloe Lincoln and Tom Heward-Belle, alongside providing matchday signage. Western United fans will also benefit from a 25% discount on Tapedesign Australia products.

A new initiative for this season is the joint effort between Tapedesign and Western United to promote World Mental Health Day on October 10. On this day, players will wear green Tapedesign socks during training, with green symbolising mental health awareness.

The partnership has grown significantly over the years, with Tapedesign Australia Director Blerton Belica also joining the A-League Women coaching staff. Both organisations are committed to supporting the players and the community, and they look forward to continuing this successful collaboration.

Western United Commercial Partnerships Executive, Nathan Perrone explained the great relationship both parties have as a result of this collaboration.

“It is fantastic to extend our partnership with Tapedesign Australia for a fourth season. It has become a special relationship in the past couple of seasons with Director Blerton Belica becoming part of the A-League Women coaching staff as well,” Perrone said in a club statement.

“We are grateful for the support Blerton and the broader organisation continue to provide our players.”

Tapedesign Australia Director, Blerton Belica spoke on the amazing initiative taking place as a result of this partnership.

“We’re incredibly proud and grateful to continue our partnership with Western United for a fourth season,” Belica said in a statement.

“Being involved with a club that shares our values and commitment to excellence has been truly rewarding. Seeing our grip socks enhance player performance and now joining forces for initiatives like World Mental Health Day makes this partnership even more meaningful.

“We’re honoured to support the club’s ongoing success on the field and in the community.”

This is great news for Western United and for the local community who benefit from discounts and a fantastic mental health initiative that has a great impact off the pitch.

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Eastern Suburbs Football Association Announces First All-Female Referee Course and Expanded Women’s Competition

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Image Credit: Football NSW

The Eastern Suburbs Football Association has opened its 2026 season with three structural investments that reflect the growing ambition of community football associations to address participation, representation and development gaps simultaneously, beginning with the delivery of its first all-female Football Match Official Course.

The course, held at Matraville Sports High School and led by female liaison committee member Michelle Hilton and 2025 Referee of the Year Ariella Richards, brought 25 new female referees into the association ahead of Round 1. The initiative targets one of the most persistent imbalances in community sport, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in officiating roles at every level of the game, by creating a dedicated entry point separate from the mixed course environment that many women find unwelcoming.

The Women’s Premier League has also expanded, now featuring eleven teams and introducing a WPL1 and WPL2 structure following the first ten rounds of the season. The tiered format creates more competition opportunities for clubs across the region while providing a clearer development pathway for teams at different stages of growth. Returning clubs Randwick City, Glebe Wanderers, Easts FC and Sydney University join established sides in what the association describes as one of its most competitive women’s seasons. ESFA clubs have continued to perform strongly in state-wide competitions including the Football NSW Sapphire Cup, State Cup and Champion of Champions.

Building the next generation

The season opened with an inaugural Development League Gala Day for Under-9 to Under-12 boys and girls, bringing eight clubs together in a structured development environment ahead of Round 1. Sydney FC A-League Women’s players attended the event and engaged directly with young participants, a deliberate effort to connect grassroots players with visible examples of where the pathway leads.

“We are committed to creating more opportunities for clubs, players, coaches and referees to thrive, with a strong focus on participation opportunities to suit participants of all abilities and aspirations,” said ESFA CEO John Boulous.

The three initiatives, a new referee entry point for women, an expanded women’s competition structure, and a development-focused junior gala day with elite role models present, together reflect an association responding to the participation pressures the AFC Women’s Asian Cup has brought into sharp relief across Australian football.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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