Macarthur Football Association clubs welcome upgraded drainage systems

Staff Writer
Macarthur Football Association
Image credit: Football NSW

Two fields that reside in the Macarthur Football Association (MFA) are getting an overhaul with a contribution of funds from the NSW Football Legacy Fund (NFLF) and Campbelltown City Council.

The NFLF’s goals are to enhance football facilities and support infrastructure, expand participation opportunities, and foster better pathways for female players.  

Ruse FC and Eschol Park are the beneficiaries of brand-new drainage systems, which will be able to handle more and more participants in the game over time.

Campbelltown City Council secured $290,400 (split between 2 grants) in funding to bring in comprehensive sand slit drainage systems at Jackson Park and Eschol Park. This development is in response to the 2022 winter season which wiped out some training and competing time for football teams.

Football NSW’s Legacy Fund Grant and Facilities Officer, James Spanoudakis, said via press release:

“Drainage is a key issue across NSW, our facility audit data showing that almost half of all fields do not have a drainage system installed,” he said.

“Good drainage is a key requirement of a well-maintained grass field and will greatly assist in reducing the number of washed-out training and competition days for males and females of all ages.”

Eschol Park FC is the fourth largest football club in the MFA, with 941 registered participants in 2023. The club has seen a 22% increase in participants in just 12 months.

Female participation at Eschol Park has jumped by 13% over the last 12 months, linked with the countdown towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

To meet the rising demand from a home World Cup, Football NSW has implemented an infrastructure strategy that supports NSW clubs during the tournament hype.

Campbelltown City Council’s funding aligns with Football NSW’s Infrastructure Pillar of “improving existing venue capacity.” The project will help sustain participation during adverse weather or peak times of the year.  

About the Legacy Fund Participation and Infrastructure Grants 

The NSW Government recently announced a $3.1 million investment into more than 100 grassroots football projects across the state to help improve facilities and run programs to boost player participation as part of the NSW Football Legacy Fund. 

The investment is intended to broaden female player options and increase participation opportunities, whilst enhancing football facilities and supporting infrastructure. This fund also aims to assist clubs in developing football programs at all levels through the construction or upgrading of community facilities, leadership, and development initiatives. 

As Australia prepares to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, strengthening the football community in NSW is key to matching the unprecedented level of interest in female football. The NSW Football Legacy Fund seeks to ensure it has the facilities and programming to match the buzz that the FIFA World Cup is generating for Australia’s next generation of future Matildas. 

More information about the NSW Football Legacy Fund is available here. 

Previous ArticleNext Article

WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Referee Omar Artan appointed to UEFA Super Cup Final

Avatar
Image credit: BBC

The Somali referee will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in August between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

 

World Cup controversy to Super Cup support

As 2025’s CAF Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan stands as one of the world’s leading match officials.

His expertise and skill allowed him to enter FIFA’s international list in 2018, and has since proved an outstanding ability as a referee, culminating in the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award last year.

Despite Artan’s capabilities and reputation, his dream of officiating this summer’s World Cup tournament met a premature ending. The referee couldn’t enter into the US after arriving on a diplomatic passport and single entry visa, and was subsequently forced to return home to Somalia.

But Artan’s journey as a referee on the global stage is far from over, as UEFA and CAF confirmed that Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners, PSG, and Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in Salzburg this August.

 

Upholding the partnership

In April of this year, UEFA and CAF signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which promised to utilise mutual support to encourage development, inclusion and wellbeing in football.

The MoU aligns unity, cohesion and partnership between two powerhouse continents of world football.

And now, the alignment is stronger and clearer than ever. In the midst of a major blow to Artan’s personal and professional dreams, UEFA and CAF’s partnership provided an opportunity.

“Omar is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

Furthermore, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, outlined why the initiative perfectly embodies the nature of a partnership between UEFA and CAF.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

 

Final thoughts

Out of bitter disappointment and controversy comes a far more positive reflection of football’s influence and impact. It also proves that an MoU is more than just signatures, but a genuine promise to support the game and all within it.

A partnership like this has the power to help millions at once.

But sometimes, helping just one person is all it takes to prove its worth.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend