Media Release: On eve of Women’s Asian Cup, Women Onside launches Maria Berry AM coaching scholarship to honour football pioneer

MEDIA RELEASE 

26 February 2026 

On eve of Women’s Asian Cup, Women Onside launches Maria Berry AM coaching scholarship to honour football pioneer 

Women Onside has today announced the establishment of a landmark new coaching scholarship, in honour of Australian football trailblazer the late Maria Berry AM, in partnership with Melbourne Victory and Football Coaches Australia. 

Berry, who passed away last year, dedicated over four decades to football in Australia. She coached numerous Victorian teams over many years and was co-founder and inaugural chair of Women Onside. For her contributions to sport and gender equality, Maria was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women (2020), made a Member of the Order of Australia (2023), and inducted into the Football Victoria Hall of Fame (2024).  

To commemorate Berry’s birthday on 26 February, Women Onside has established the Maria Berry AM coaching scholarship program which aims to provide access to coaching education and development for women and gender diverse people nationally. Each year, Women Onside will offer a major scholarship, and four development scholarships, with at least $7,000 in financial support available annually for women and gender diverse coaches to access coaching courses, conferences and other professional development. 

With the Women’s Asian Cup 2026 set to commence this week, only three teams in the tournament have female head coaches – IR Iran, Uzbekistan and India. In 2023, the Australian Sports Commission found that less than 10% of coaches across Australian government-funded elite sports were women and in 2024 FIFA found that globally only 5% of more than 900,000 registered football coaches were women. 

Maria Berry AM scholars will also be supported with access to substantial in-kind support, including membership and mentoring from Women Onside and Football Coaches Australia. Melbourne Victory will provide a coaching internship for the successful major scholarship candidate. 

Jacki Ford, Maria’s Partner 

“Maria was passionate about addressing the under-representation of women in coaching and coaching team roles at all levels of girls’ and women’s football in Australia. Despite advances in the professionalism of the women’s game and increased participation levels, she observed that women had not as significantly advanced into coaching roles. This was something Maria recorded, called-out and passionately wanted to change. 

“Maria understood the critical role that coaches play and she wanted women to have access to and take up opportunities to influence football as coaches. I am certain Maria would have been delighted with the initiative for this scholarship as a decisive step toward addressing the imbalance that she always had in a spotlight.” 

Kerry Harris, Chair, Women Onside 

“Despite Maria's pioneering work and decades of advocacy, women and gender diverse participants remain dramatically underrepresented in coaching positions across football. Research has consistently revealed the systemic barriers faced by women in coaching: inadequate institutional support, enduring discrimination, an absence of role models, financial barriers and exclusion from networks. 

“Maria understood exactly these challenges. She experienced them herself as one of the few women coaching at community level. She worked to overcome them through mentoring other coaches, building inclusive club environments, and advocating for structural change at the governance level.  

“The Maria Berry AM Coaching Scholarship directly addresses the barriers that persist today by providing what Maria knew coaches needed: financial support, structured mentoring, professional networks, visibility and community. 

John Didulica, Director of Football, Melbourne Victory 

“Maria was a proud Victory member for many years and part of our member working group, so we are honoured to work with Women Onside and Football Coaches Australia to ensure her special legacy as a pioneer for women’s football continues. 

“One of our final conversations with Maria was the importance of investing in, and advocating for, women coaches. To be able to now offer a promising young coach this opportunity at Melbourne Victory in Maria’s name will be a privilege.” 

Kelly Rourke, CEO, Football Coaches Australia 

“Maria Berry never accepted a football system that treated women coaches as optional, and neither should we. From community fields to the international stage, the inequity is the same. The fact that only three teams at the Women’s Asian Cup have female head coaches tells us exactly how far we still have to go. 

“Maria spent her life naming these barriers and building pathways where none existed. Her work was grounded in community, but the truth she exposed reaches every level of our game: women and gender diverse coaches are still fighting for access to opportunities that should be standard, not exceptional. 

“At Football Coaches Australia, we see this inequity every day. Coaches, especially women remain the forgotten stakeholders in Australian football. They hold the game together, yet they are consistently the last to be invested in. That is not a gap; it is a systemic failure.  

“This scholarship is not symbolic. It is a line in the sand. FCA is committed to dismantling the barriers Maria fought against and ensuring women and gender diverse coaches are not just present in football but are leading it. Maria showed us what courage looks like. Now it’s on all of us to match it.” 

Applications for the Maria Berry AM scholarship will open on 30 March 2026; more information will be available at that time on the Women Onside website. Applicants will be assessed against their commitment to coaching, professional development plan, community contribution and alignment with Berry’s values. 

Women Onside has also launched a crowdfunding campaign through the Australian Sports Foundation to raise funds to support the scholarship program. 

About Women Onside 

Women Onside is a national independent non-profit organisation advocating for women and gender diverse people in Australian football (soccer). We exist to connect, empower, and amplify voices across all levels of the game, driving cultural and structural change through advocacy, education, and community building. 

For media enquiries contact kieran@womenonside.com.au