Training sites announced for 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia

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13 training sites across 5 Australian cities have been selected in the initial phase of team facility planning, for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The confirmed list of sites selected for participating nations to conduct training sessions throughout the tournament include:

  • Adelaide/ Tarntanya – Marden Sports Complex (Marden), South Australia Football Centre (Gepps Cross)
  • Brisbane / Meaanjin – Perry Park (Bowen Hills), Spencer Park (Newmarket)
  • Melbourne / Naarm – JL Murphy Reserve (Port Melbourne), Lakeside Stadium (Albert Park), Reggio Calabria Club (Parkville)
  • Perth / Boorloo – Dorrien Gardens (West Perth), Western Australia State Football Centre (Queens Park)
  • Sydney / Gadigal – ES Marks Athletics Field (Kensington), Leichhardt Oval (Leichardt), Valentine Sports Park (Glenwood), Western Sydney Wanderers Centre of Football (Rooty Hill)

Football Australia’s Head of Women’s World Cup Legacy, Sarah Walsh, said of the announcement: “This is an important moment for our host cities and the start of a number of exciting announcements around the tournament as it starts to come to life for our local football communities.

“Beyond the major stadia, we now see multiple facilities having an opportunity to be a part of this tournament of firsts, with many of these Training Sites having a strong football footprint and are deeply embedded in their local communities.  This is a chance to increase their involvement and highlight the contribution to Australia’s football story.

“Their selection as training sites for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 highlights the importance of high-quality community facilities.  Through our community facilities Legacy ’23 pillar, we will be working to ensure that many more community grounds are equipped with female-friendly sporting facilities to accelerate the growth of women’s football post-tournament.”

Football Queensland CEO, Robert Cavallucci, welcomed the news that international stars would be training at some of the state’s premium football venues.

“With two of our state’s iconic football venues selected as training sites for the tournament, we look forward to continuing to work with Queensland Government to ensure we are supporting the growth of the women’s game and delivering a lasting legacy for Queensland’s footballers,” he stated.

Football NSW CEO, Stuart Hodge, was delighted with the news.

“We are proud of the inclusive football facilities we have developed at Valentine Sports Park,” he said.

“With the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 fast approaching, we are committed to the rollout of Legacy programs to help ensure our members have the capacity and capabilities to meet the needs of our fast-growing female football community.”

Football South Australia CEO, Michael Carter, highlighted the impact the State Centre for Football will have in increasing the participation of women and girls in the years to come.

“The State Centre for Football, which is due for completion late April will be a great facility that will connect grassroots to the elite,” he stated.

“The Centre will play a vital role for our Legacy Plan, providing opportunities for all through a variety of programs such as social football, school competitions, Walking Football and inclusion programs.”

Football Victoria President, Antonella Care, added: “The selected Victorian venues have extended ties to our game and will provide modern, state-of-the-art facilities as training sites for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

“Not only will they provide an ideal environment for teams to prepare ahead of their matches; they will also ensure women’s football flourishes well beyond it.”

Football West CEO, James Curtis, explained: “There is great excitement in Western Australia for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and we are delighted that we have two fantastic venues which will play host to national teams.

“The State Football Centre will deliver a legacy for female football in WA for decades to come and it is fitting that it will be forever associated with the Women’s World Cup, the pinnacle of our game. Football West regularly uses Dorrien Gardens for our finals, and this is another first-class facility which will be worthy of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

In the coming months, the next phase of the training site project will be completed, with an evaluation of other prospective training sites across both Australia and New Zealand.

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Football NSW backs 20 female coaches with qualification scholarships

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has supported 20 female coaches to complete their AFC/Football Australia C Diploma qualification in 2026, using scholarships funded through Football Australia and CommBank’s Growing Football Fund to reduce the cost of coach education.

The initiative included a dedicated female-only C Diploma course delivered by Football NSW in April and May, attended by 13 coaches. An additional seven received support to complete courses closer to their local communities, improving access for coaches across metropolitan and regional New South Wales.

Football NSW Head of Women’s and Schools Football Hayley Todd said the scholarships had helped address a key barrier to coaching development.

“These scholarships have helped remove a significant barrier for many female coaches seeking to progress their coaching journey,” Todd said.

Todd said the combination of a female-only course and support for locally accessible qualifications had created pathways for 20 women to develop their skills and contribute to football in their communities.

The program reflects an ongoing challenge for the sport: increasing women’s participation also requires investment in the coaches who lead teams, develop players and help shape club environments.

By helping cover qualification costs, the scholarships give recipients an opportunity to strengthen their coaching knowledge and leadership capabilities while expanding the pool of qualified female coaches available to clubs.

The support also connects to the wider Growing Football Fund, a joint Football Australia and CommBank initiative aimed at creating more opportunities for women and girls in the game.

The fund’s community grant program offers eligible clubs and associations grants of up to $5,000 to help attract or retain women and girls in football, with applications for the 2026–27 round closing on 20 October 2026.

The governing body also offers Women in Football Coaching Scholarships worth 50 per cent of course costs, with applications limited.

Netflix’s Women’s World Cup deal puts IMG’s technology in the spotlight

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Netflix’s first exclusive football deal will see the next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup at the centre of it’s live-sport strategy. The US-streaming service company has appointed IMG as its production partner for all 64 matches in Brazil, as well as more than 100 hours of live studio programming. The deal includes English and Spanish coverage for viewers within the US, and English and French-language coverage for those in Canada. IMG will also support Netflix’s coverage of the tournament’s draw in December.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup runs from June 24 to July 25 across eight host cities, and will be the first edition to feature 32 teams. The scale of the tournament makes it an ambitious first foray into sports broadcasting for Netflix – which means IMG’s involvement will be of great significance.

IMG’s production engine

IMG has built its reputation on producing and distributing live sport at scale. It’s Stockley Park, London facility includes broadcast studios, production galleries, edit suites and facilities for radio, podcasting, dubbing and visual effects. The company has worked across major properties including the Premier League, Major League Soccer and other international sporting events.

For a World Cup, this infrastructure provides more than a place to make television; it creates a central point where production teams can manage feeds, graphics, replays, commentary, editing and distribution while events are taking place thousands of kilometres away.

Remote production is the key

The most important technology for a tournament spread across eight Brazilian cities is connectivity. IMG has invested in remote-production workflows that allow production teams to work across locations, rather than putting every specialist inside each stadium. Its wider production operation has used fibre, satellite, cloud and IP-based connectivity to move live signals between venues and production centres.

That model can reduce the amount of equipment and specialist staff required at every venue while allowing senior producers, directors, replay operators and graphics teams to work from centralised facilities. IMG has also demonstrated long-distance IP production, including a 20,000-kilometre link between Tokyo and London that carried uncompressed, low-latency video. For Netflix, those capabilities are particularly relevant. The platform is building a single viewing experience for audiences in two markets, but the raw ingredients will come from stadiums spread across Brazil. A resilient network becomes just as important as the cameras themselves.

From stadium to stream

The technology chain does not end when the pictures leave the venue. A modern sports production operation has to manage ingest, replay, media asset management, graphics, audio, quality control, archiving and transmission. IMG’s facilities have been built around those workflows, with master control and transmission capabilities alongside post-production and archive operations.

That infrastructure also gives IMG the ability to turn the live tournament into a wider stream of content. A goal can become a replay, a highlight, a social clip or part of a studio package without waiting for the match to finish. For Netflix, that fits a platform built around on-demand discovery as much as live viewing.

A new test for Netflix

Netflix has already made a significant investment in football through documentaries and other programming. The 2027 Women’s World Cup takes it up a level. FIFA describes the agreement as the first competition Netflix has acquired in full, making the tournament a major test of its live sports operation. IMG therefore has a job that goes beyond producing 64 matches; it must help Netflix build the technical backbone for a month-long, multi-venue broadcast, while maintaining consistent production standards across languages and locations.

The viewer may simply press play and see a World Cup match appear instantly. Behind that button will be a complex network of cameras, connectivity, control rooms, production systems, people and data. That is the real significance of Netflix’s IMG deal: the streamer is bringing the tournament to its platform, but IMG is providing much of the machinery that can make a global football event feel seamless.

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