On behalf of everyone at Melbourne Victory, welcome to the 2025/26 A-Leagues season.
With our A-League Men’s team getting underway against Auckland FC at AAMI Park this weekend, and the Women’s A-League team kicking off their campaign on the road against Brisbane Roar on 1 November, this is an exciting period full of anticipation across the whole Club.
As we emerge from a busy off-season and into the cut and thrust of our 21st season, we are firmly focussed on producing top quality, exciting football with results that will entertain, engage and make proud the entire Victory family!
This time of the year also provides a final opportunity to reflect on the progress made across 2024/25, where tremendous efforts culminated in two Grand Final appearances. Now, fuelled by these near misses and built upon our existing foundations, our ambition is to take the next step – and with more than 20,000 members and counting behind us, we know we can achieve this together.
The buzz around Melbourne Victory was there for all to see at the Fans’ Season Launch event held at AAMI Park last weekend, and the continued investment in our work was evidenced by the depth of interest and enthusiasm displayed by members at our fifth annual Member Forum hosted last Thursday.
Men’s and Women’s First Teams
A collective recruitment effort has seen Victory welcome 14 talented new players to each of our Men’s and Women’s squads, as the Club and the League continue to operate and remain adaptable within the dynamic climate of Australia’s footballing landscape.
While we know and understand that sometimes this landscape sees us say goodbye to players we know and love, we also take great pride in watching breakout stars continue their careers in new environments and continue to develop to the height of their careers while playing internationally, as they also strive, particularly in a World Cup year, to target a place on the national team. In doing so, we welcome and develop the next wave of talent, which also allows us to strengthen in new ways.
While it’s difficult to call out just a few of the new names and the familiar faces we are looking forward to seeing in action this season, there are a few efforts the whole Club should be extremely proud of, including:
- Holly Furphy, Alana Jančevski, and Sofia Sakalis, who were all part of the Australia U23s team that won the ASEAN Women’s Championship, and will continue to play as Girls in Blue this season; and
- Sebastian Esposito, Daniel Graskoski and Josh Inserra, who represented the Young Socceroos at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.
We know the Victory family is excited to welcome back fan favourite, Jason Davidson, and on the subject of the global game, to also welcome international pedigree and silverware to our Men’s ranks, through the signing of one of football’s most decorated performers globally, Juan Mata.
Juan’s game knowledge and ability to demonstrate the highest standards, both on and off the pitch, will be invaluable at a time when we have seen former players like Bruno Fornaroli and Mitch Langerak transition into new and exciting off-field roles within the Club.
Earlier in the off-season, we welcomed Andrew Durante to our A-League Men’s coaching staff in the position of Assistant Coach. Andrew brings a huge body of work to the table and will aid Arthur Diles in his first full season as Head Coach, along with Goalkeeper Coach, Davide Del Giovine.
And in support of Jeff Hopkins, targeting a third Championship in five years in his landmark 10th season as Women’s Head Coach with Melbourne Victory, Assistant Coaches Johnathan Clemente and Santi Escudero will work closely with Jeff to elevate our Women’s program, which will include the establishment of our NPLW senior and U20s teams from 2026.
We know that you will join us in giving both Arthur and Jeff and their respective teams your unwavering support in the weeks and months ahead.
Off the pitch
The Club was delighted to welcome Paul Barber OBE to Melbourne this week for the first time since he accepted a role on the Board of Directors at the Club in September.
Paul is a wonderful acquisition to our Board, following the Club’s ability to secure Tony Bloom’s investment in Melbourne Victory in March 2025 and brings both a wealth of expertise and resources to help bolster the strengths of the Club.
Paul’s first in-person visit kicked off a great start to our relationship with Tony, Paul and Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club and delivered everything you would expect from such a proven operator.
During his interactions with staff and at Melbourne Victory’s Community programs, he displayed an infectious personality that you cannot help but be inspired by and gave everyone a taste of the drive and creativity that has made him such a game-changer in the intersection of business and sport.
Thank you – let’s do this together
Finally, to our members and fans, a huge thank you.
We appreciate that the off-season is long, but we have seen that the appetite for Victory, whether at pre-season fixtures or through your follows, likes and comments on social media, does not diminish during this period.
The passion and the fervour that took us so close last season will play an immeasurable role once more – and the dialogue with stakeholders to ensure you are all best represented in your support for the Club remains of the utmost importance.
It is, therefore, appropriate that today, we will also publish our new Fan Engagement Strategy. We welcome your feedback as we move forward and chase success together.
Go Victory!
John Dovaston
Chairman
Caroline Carnegie
Managing Director
