The McGowan Government will invest $16.25 million to build a State Football Centre to serve the growing football community of Western Australia.
The elite facility will be constructed in Queens Park, in the City of Canning, and include training facilities, pitches to support junior and high-performance development, as well as grassroots, community football programs.
It will also have the capability to host training camps for national and international teams.
The State Football Centre will:
- provide a location for high-performance training and house Football West’s administration facilities;
- be capable of accommodating up to 700 spectators through permanent seating on a regular basis with the ability to expand its capacity up to 4,000 spectators through temporary seating for occasional special events;
- include two pitches capable of high-performance and high-intensity usage, including supporting infrastructure such as change rooms and a gym; and
- the future provision to allow for a WA-based A-League team to join the Centre.
The Project Definition Plan is set to be completed soon, before final design planning commences. It’s expected the project will be completed by mid-2023, in time for the Women’s World Cup, if Australia’s bid is successful.
The estimated total cost of the project is $32.5 million, with the Federal Government committed to funding the remaining $16.25 million needed for the project.
The Centre is earmarked for the site on the north of Queens Park Open Space, with access off Welshpool Road, which is currently vacant land.
As part of the development of a State Football Centre, the State Government will collaborate with the City of Canning to progress a masterplan to revitalise the Queens Park Open Space including Maniana Park and adjacent bushland up to Welshpool Road for community recreation.
The aim is to develop a masterplan that will provide the community with new and improved recreation and sporting opportunities in a bushland setting, consistent with the original reservation intent of the site under the Metropolitan Region Scheme.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“The world game has been without a ‘home’ for too long here in Western Australia.
“The facility will cater for all levels of football, from grassroots community programs to high-performance games and be the best place for elite training.
“When complete, this Centre will help develop WA’s next stars of the game, like Trent Sainsbury and Sam Kerr.
“We look forward to collaborating with Football West, the Federal Government and the City of Canning, to get this project underway as soon as possible, to help support WA jobs and the COVID-19 economic recovery.”
As stated by Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray:
“This is a great initiative for football in WA and will help inspire our next generation of talent.
“The State Football Centre is a project that has been spoken for decades and finally it is becoming a reality.
“Football is the most popular team-based competitive sport in WA, with more than 45 per cent growth in participants since 2006.
“Football West has been advocating for investment in administrative and training headquarters to support this growth which the McGowan Government is pleased to support.”
As stated by Member for Cannington Bill Johnston:
“This is an exciting initiative for the Cannington community and I look forward to seeing this project come to fruition.
“The State Football Centre will represent the strong interest in the ‘World Game’ for our multicultural community.”
