{"id":589849,"date":"2026-04-06T21:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/589849\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:03:16","slug":"from-broadcast-to-betting-where-australian-football-sits-in-a-417-billion-sports-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/589849\/","title":{"rendered":"From Broadcast to Betting: Where Australian Football Sits in a $417 Billion Sports Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunbury United<\/a> stands as a cornerstone of the local community in Melbourne\u2019s outer northwest. But for all the hard work given by local families and volunteers, the lack of funding continues to prohibit a level of growth which matches both ambition and potential.<\/p>\n

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Consolidating growth across the club<\/p>\n

Soccerscene recently spoke to Club President, Sherridan Long, about the club\u2019s ambitions going forward, the family-oriented culture, and the challenges of operating at grassroots level in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gone really well in retention of players from 2025, [and] recruiting some players who have been really keen to come to the club and are really contending over just a small handful of spots,\u201d explained Long.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s been really rewarding to see the popularity of our programme and what the team is trying to develop in terms of culture and performance, to be somewhere that people want to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Sunbury United\u2019s reputation in the community continues to inspire waves of prospective junior players, who are lining up for squad vacancies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got waitlists for almost every age group,\u201d Long continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a growth in interest coming into the club and girls wanting to play football, but also lots of families wanting to move to Sunbury and join our club, or move from other clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunbury United is ensuring that its culture and matchday atmosphere remains a safe, welcoming place for those who matter most in grassroots football: families, players and volunteers who sustain it every week.<\/p>\n

Planning for success on and off the pitch<\/p>\n

Despite solidifying a successful culture off the pitch, Sunbury United are refusing to slow down. From the senior men\u2019s team to junior age groups, high-performance remains a key objective.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is trying to win leagues \u2013 this is something we\u2019ve been working towards for a few years,\u201d said Long.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach little milestone across the year means we\u2019re getting closer to a senior men\u2019s promotion or championship \u2013 it\u2019s been over ten years since a promotion or championship at the club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although several years have passed since Sunbury United saw success in the form of silverware, the club\u2019s progress in recent seasons may yet lead to a trophy in the very near future.<\/p>\n

But reaching this goal requires not only a cohesive effort from players and coaches, but from all stakeholders and participants within the club space. To this end, Sunbury United underwent a strategic plan set-up to align their operations with the ambitions and thoughts of everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe undertook some survey and stakeholder analysis through our members to understand what it is they love about Sunbury United, why they participate, where they see the club going and how they can be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice to hear exactly what they wanted, what they thought of and what they felt by being part of United. So that shaped our strategic plan in terms of performance, community and working together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it is this balance of performance, teamwork and trust in the community which can set clubs up for success. Whether at grassroots or professional level, if everyone involved operates under shared values and vision, the silverware becomes a question of when, not if.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Challenges of the grassroots game<\/p>\n

As with any club or organisation in sport, progress inevitably encounters barriers, hiccups and challenges along the way. Facility access, infrastructure quality and investment are common issues not just for Sunbury, but for all in the grassroots space.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost places share winter and summer sports so you can only use your space a certain amount of months a year before it turns to the summer sport,\u201d Long outlined.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that there\u2019s no space for juniors to conduct a proper pre-season, so they\u2019re doing it at other reserves in Hume Council and not actually at our home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, we have seen already the lack of investment directed towards the football community. Soccerscene recently looked into The City of Hume\u2019s current budget, which revealed a 10:1 funding imbalance between AFL and the beautiful game<\/a>. For Sunbury United, and many other clubs, the impact is undeniable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t fill the second or third women\u2019s team because there\u2019s no infrastructure to facilitate changing between boys and girls changing room on the flick of a dime. You\u2019re not only balancing access between two squads and gendered safe spaces, but also junior and senior spaces,\u201d Long explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re limited by aspirations being within the lines and being within the physical building that we have. Investment in football infrastructure would be a game-changer.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a common theme in Australia\u2019s grassroots landscape. Clubs with loyal supporters, interested players and a desire to develop, continue to be restricted by the boundaries of their facilities.<\/p>\n

It is not about demand. It\u2019s about necessity. If clubs like Sunbury United are to continue working towards player development and squad expansion, external investment is a must-have.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fighting for the future<\/p>\n

As Sunbury United continues to strengthen bonds with the surrounding community and within the club, the foundations are ready for the seasons to come. From youth teams to seniors, the club continues to emphasise connection as a fundamental principle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sit under one umbrella. We\u2019re not two separate committees or two clubs,\u201d Long revealed, expressing the idea behind a connected senior\u2019s and junior\u2019s set-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to the long-term sustainability and longevity of our club, not just to the performance side, that everyone\u2019s invested and feels a part of something, and that they can be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

One club, one philosophy and one family. Grassroots football will continue to throw its challenges for years to come, but Sunbury are, and will be, more united than ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunbury United stands as a cornerstone of the local community in Melbourne\u2019s outer northwest. But for all the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":589850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[54181,211604,64,63,288131,596,44964,85,288132],"class_list":{"0":"post-589849","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-afc","9":"tag-afc-womens-asian-cup","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-betting-data","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-matildas","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-sports-economy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}