The Andrews Labor Government has secured another blockbuster soccer game for Victorians, with the Matildas to play a farewell match at Marvel Stadium ahead of the much-anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup next year.
Descending on Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium for the epic match on Friday, 14 July 2023, the Matildas will take on a current top 10 FIFA Women’s World Ranking team participating in the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Matildas will train at the new Home of the Matildas at La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus for the week leading up to the match, during their pre-FIFA Women’s World Cup window.
The Home of the Matildas will be a National Centre of Excellence for aspiring female footballers and provide a lasting legacy for women’s football in Australia. The state-of-the-art facility will be the long-term training base for Football Australia’s women’s national teams with more than 600 hours of training per year.
In addition, the venue will host two Junior Matildas and two Young Matildas matches over the next two years and be the base for domestic and international courses to support women’s coaching, officiating and administration.
The facility, which includes five football fields, grandstand seating, change facilities, high performance gym, meeting rooms and a café, will double as the Victorian State Football Centre and home to Football Victoria’s administration and operations.
Grassroots community clubs will also benefit from the new facilities, with access to the centre’s pitches and community level training and programs, while La Trobe University will have access to the venue – reinforcing its standing as a leading provider of higher education in sport.
The development is supporting Football Victoria and Football Australia’s Legacy ’23 target of equal representation for women in all aspects of the sport by 2027, including players, coaches, referees, administration, volunteers and supporters.
In July and August 2023, the State Football Centre will host international teams competing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with FIFA today announcing Jamaica will be based at the site during the group stage of the tournament while one of the teams in the Round of 16
The venue will also be used as a training base for one of the teams in the Round of 16, with Melbourne hosting two knock-out matches.
Part of the Labor Government’s $101 million investment in the $116 million La Trobe University’s Sports Park Stage 3, the development includes the Victorian State Rugby Centre of Excellence which will provide training and match day facilities for high performance players like the Melbourne Rebels Super W team.
As stated by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
“Our investment at La Trobe University Sports Park is a massive boost for the growth of elite female sport, providing a long-term home for the Matildas while delivering state of the art facilities to support women’s football in Victoria.”
As stated by Football Australia CEO James Johnson
“The Home of the Matildas will be a world-class national training centre and home for our CommBank Matildas, Young Matildas, Junior Matildas and ParaMatildas. It’s a home of football which has been designed by women, for women.
“Following the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™, the Home of the Matildas will be an outstanding facility for the wider football community, providing training and pathways for girls and young women, and of course the excitement and pride that will be generated in the community by being able to use the same facility as the Matildas.”
As stated by CommBank Matildas Head Coach Tony Gustavsson,
“Having been to the site and seeing the plans, it’s clear the Home of the Matildas will be a world-class women’s football facility for Australia’s best female footballers. I’m very excited about the future generations of CommBank Matildas that will be developed from this state-of-the-art facility.”
