The NSW Government has commissioned a giant mural at Stadium Australia to celebrate the Matildas’ historic success at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
The permanent mural will capture some of the Matildas’ greatest moments during the tournament at the scene of today’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 final.
It will serve as a permanent reminder of how the Matildas’ run at this World Cup captured the imagination of the nation and inspired the next generation of female athletes.
The artwork will be installed on the external façade of the eastern side of Accor Stadium, closest to Olympic Park train station.
It is also the grandstand that will soon be named in honour of a female sporting legend, as the NSW Government completes another one of its election commitments.
The mural will also continue the NSW Government’s commitment to invest in the Olympic stadium, which benefited from more than $80m of capital works upgrades in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Tonight the stadium will host its fifth sold-out match as a part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 when England take on Spain in the tournament final.
More than 600,000 people attended the 11 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in NSW, while hundreds of thousands more attended live sites around Sydney and NSW to cheer the Matildas throughout the tournament.
The project will be delivered by Venues NSW, which manages State’s major sporting and entertainment venues in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
Venues NSW will work with the advisory team that brought the Allianz Stadium public art project to life, overseeing a tender process in line with NSW Government procurement requirements.
The mural will be funded from an existing Budget allocation.
Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:
“NSW is the home of women’s sport in Australia, and this is about recognising the moments the Matildas’ brought our nation to a standstill.
“The Matildas’ campaign captured the imagination of Australia and the footballing world. I’m proud to announce that they will be permanently celebrated with a mural in their honour at Stadium Australia.
“Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Mackenzie Arnold joined Samantha Kerr as household names and put the world on notice that Australia is a football nation.”
Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:
“The achievements of the Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will live on not only in our memories but also at Stadium Australia where they created history.”
“We’ve already committed to honouring a female sporting legend with a grandstand and this is the next step in honouring our elite female athletes.”
“It will be a daily reminder to the 10 million people who visit Sydney Olympic Park each year of the greatest FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in history and how the whole nation got behind the Matildas.”
“We look forward to delivering more for women’s sport as part of our September budget.”
