Football West welcomes $35m major investment from WA Government

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Football West have welcomed the West Australian Government’s announcement of a major investment into football.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has revealed that HBF Park – the home of Perth Glory – will receive a $35 million upgrade in preparation for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, following the commencement of works for a $32.5m State Football Centre in Queens Park.

The upgrades at HBF Park will include replacing the halogen lights with a shift to modern LED lighting, upgrading the pitch through removal, levelling and turf replacement, new player bench areas, and upgrades to the existing power supply – including a new switch room.

In addition, the funding will cover temporary infrastructure, such as additional seating and facilities for players, media and supporters to cater for the World Cup.

The range of upgrades will allow the historic Perth venue to meet FIFA requirements to be a host venue in the upcoming World Cup, as well as providing benefits for future events.

The State Government also confirmed that work on the State Football Centre had commenced, with the $32.5m facility jointly funded by Federal and State Governments.

WA’s first ever Home of Football is due for completion before the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The elite facility will be the capable of hosting visiting international teams as a training ground, as well as grassroots football and junior development programs. It will also be the new headquarters for Football West.

McGowan spoke on the potential positive impacts of the planned improvements to HBF Park.

“Securing games in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is a massive win for Western Australia. This investment in HBF Park will provide some much-needed upgrades to our premier soccer and rugby venue, while also enabling further temporary fit-outs for the World Cup games,” he said.

“This will be the biggest football event Perth has ever seen – providing global exposure for Western Australia and giving fans, young and old, lifelong memories of the world’s best in action.”

Football West CEO James Curtis added: “The State Football centre will support all players across Western Australia as they progress on the pathway. Hopefully we can see future players like Sam Kerr come through and train at that facility and make their way to the Matildas.”

“When we look at the investment for HBF Park, we know that when the Women’s World Cup comes here in 2023 the experience for football fans across WA will be something else. What it is all about is seeing some of the world’s best footballers come here to play in Perth, and we are looking forward to hosting them and having the community turn up and really get behind the sport.

“We know on the back of the Olympics, we know how popular women’s football is, and people are very excited for 2023 to happen.”

Artist Sketch
A detailed artist’s impression of the State Football Centre was released along with the announcement.
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Football West Belt Up partnership strives for road safety awareness

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Football West Belt Up

Football West has celebrated the renewal of its longstanding partnership with the Insurance Commission of Western Australia.

Together, the two organisations have committed to a new agreement which will see the Commision support Football West for the next three years, until the end of 2027.

As a part of the deal, the Commision’s Belt Up campaign will feature prominently across West Australian football leagues to help spread road safety awareness, and will become a name partner for the following key competitions:

  • Belt Up Amateur Night Series
  • Belt Up Men’s Amateur, Metro, and Masters leagues
  • Belt Up Men’s Amateur, Metro, and Masters cup finals
  • Belt Up Amateur, Metro and Masters Awards

Additionally, the yearly Regional Festival of Football will be rebranded to the Belt Up Regional Festival of Football.

The Insurance Commision of West Australia will also become a pivotal backer of a range of important initiatives across Football West, including the Belt Up NAIDOC Ball Design Competition and Belt Up Round.

Through their previous work with Football West over the last seven years, the Insurance Commision of West Australia has delivered over 16,000 footballs to clubs across West Australia with Belt Up advertising. Their new renewed partnership will see the Commision continue to provide over 2,000 balls a year.

Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell expressed the importance of the collaboration for the organisation and West Australian football.

“It is fantastic that the Insurance Commission is committed to extending its support for grassroots football in Western Australia through the Belt Up campaign, helping us share the important road safety message in metro and regional WA,” he said via press release.

“We have seen how our clubs have benefited from our agreement, with the Belt Up ball distribution providing them with thousands of footballs each year.

“It is also exciting to have the Belt Up campaign across the Regional Festival of Football, giving further exposure to the campaign.”

Insurance Commission General Manager Governance and Stakeholder Relations, Alison Wilson, outlined how the deal would help improve the delivery of the Belt Up campaign’s messaging.

“The Belt Up campaign is an important initiative to encourage the use of seatbelts every time you get into a car to reduce preventable injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes. Each year, around 100 people are killed or seriously injured in crashes as a result of not wearing a seatbelt.” she said in a press release.

“Our partnership with Football West helps share the important Belt Up message across the football community, and we’re pleased to continue our sponsorship of Football West with an additional focus on regional areas. We’d much rather see you on the pitch than end up as a statistic. Play it safe and Belt Up!”

Through their collaboration, Football West and the Insurance Commission of West Australia will continue to support community football and preach road safety.

 

Free Women’s-Only Foundation football coaching course

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Image credit: Football West

Aspiring female coaches are encouraged to enrol in a free two-night training program. Football West welcomes sign-ups for an exclusive women’s foundation football coaching course.

The program will be hosted at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Monday, March 31, and Monday, April 7, from 5:30 to 9:00 PM, participants must be 14 years or older to apply.

The Foundation of Football course is designed for those beginning their coaching journey, including parents and volunteer coaches who often support young players in grassroots football.

The course provides participants with key skills to foster a safe and supportive learning environment for players.

The course aims to equip coaches with the tools to create a safe and fun environment for young players. It provides expert guidance on running engaging training sessions and includes ready-made training plans for a full season, saving coaches the effort of designing them from scratch.

The hands-on portion of the course covers key aspects of the game, including playing formats and core skills like dribbling, passing, receiving, and finishing. However, the main focus is on coaching techniques that create a supportive and effective learning environment.

Football West Manager – Female Football & Advocacy Tash Rigby, highlighted the importance of women to be involved in coaching and increasing the presence for females in Western Australia.

“It is so important that we provide opportunities to women to pursue their journey in coaching so that they can continue to develop, to contribute positively to the game, act as role models and increase the visibility of female coaches in Western Australia,” she said via press release.

Registration and Subsidy Details:

To receive the subsidy, participants must enter the following code at checkout: FOF-FW100$

If you do not yet have an active profile on the FA Learning Centre platform, follow these two steps before registering for the course:

  1. Click the link below, search for ‘Learner,’ select your state, and complete the registration process here.
  2. After completing Step 1, wait 48 hours before accessing the Football Australia Learning Centre via the link here. Ensure you log in as a ‘Football Australia Learner.’

If you encounter any difficulties, please reach out to the FA Learning Centre by clicking here.

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