Victoria onside for Women’s World Cup bid

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The Victorian Government has confirmed they will support Australia’s bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

If Australia was to win the hosting rights, there are plans in place to play five games at AAMI Park during the five-week tournament.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, claimed a significant event like the Women’s World Cup was a perfect fit for Melbourne.

“Melbourne loves putting on a show and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is as big as it gets in women’s sport,” Minister Pakula said.

“Major events and sport are synonymous with Victoria – we are proud to be playing our role with Football Federation Australia in the bid to win the rights to host what will be an amazing month on the global calendar.”

Australia’s bid book will be officially submitted to FIFA next month, with talks still continuing with Football New Zealand about the possibility of a joint bid.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup will be the largest ever, with 32 teams competing and 64 games being played between July and August.

FIFA is expected to announce the host of the tournament in May 2020.

FFA chairman Chris Nikou was ecstatic that the Victorian government had pledged their support behind Australia’s quest to host the Women’s World Cup.

“Victoria is a world leader in delivering major sporting tournaments and it makes perfect sense that they are part of our bid to host the world’s largest women’s sporting event here in Australia,” Mr Nikou said.

“Our bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 is set to have huge economic benefits for the nation, and profound social impacts in communities across the country.

“Just as importantly, the opportunity to secure a lasting legacy for women’s sport in growing participation, building facilities, driving greater opportunities for women to be leaders in the game and building pathways for the next generation of Westfield Matildas will last for generations.

“I congratulate the Minister and his Government for joining us in partnership to deliver the best World Cup women’s football has seen. We are excited about submitting a compelling bid to FIFA and hosting a World Cup that fans and players will never forget.

“Victoria and its passion for football are very much at the heart of our bid,” Mr Nikou concluded.

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Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.

Dandenong Thunder to enjoy $700,000 LED lighting upgrade at George Andrews Reserve

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Dandenong Thunder lighting upgrade
Image via Star Journal

Greater Dandenong Council and Dandenong Thunder have recently confirmed that works have commenced for new powerful lighting towers to be built at George Andrews Reserve.

The upgrade will cost $700,000 and is being jointly funded by Greater Dandenong Council ($500,000) and the State Government ($200,000) with a plan to improve the ground’s overall quality for both training and matches. They formerly had 200-lux LED towers and they will be replaced by 500-lux towers.

For the Greater Dandenong local council, the focus was to improve the facility for the community to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits through the increased amount of playable hours at the reserve.

Importantly, the project ensures that the Thunder have a ground that is up to professional competition and broadcast standards which means they can broadcast and host games that are viewed by a national audience, a huge step forward for the NPL Victoria club.

This broadcast upgrade also opens up the possibility to expand to national matches involving the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City A-League women’s teams and an even more ambitious goal of hosting a Matildas game. The ground can easily hold 5000 people and the lighting and broadcasting standards will be fantastic after this upgrade.

Dandenong Thunder shared the positive implications this light upgrade has for the club.

“The new lights mean the club will be able to host a number of games, not only that but it’s a step forward to the clubs ambition to be part of the NSD (national second division),” a club spokesperson told Soccerscene.

“The support from local council has been nothing but fantastic, Dandenong want to be a sporting hub for the south east suburbs.

“With the FA cup we have seen A-League clubs play at local level clubs, having these new high powered lights we will be able to broadcast at a higher quality, no more yellow light broadcast.”

This news presents an exciting future for Dandenong Thunder and the matches played at George Andrews Reserve. The quality of training, matches and broadcasts has improved tenfold and it matches the size of the NPL Victoria side that have big ambitions.

CPKC and Kansas City Current’s major stadium naming rights deal a win for women’s sport

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CPKC Stadium design
Image via CPKC

The world’s first professional female-football dedicated stadium – home of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current – will be known as CPKC Stadium, after an historic naming rights deal was agreed with the North American rail network company.

Formed as a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern rail networks in July this year, CPKC represents the first trans-North American rail network between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

CPKC has been a leading investor for women’s sports in the state of Kansas, and CPKC President & CEO, Keith Creel, was proud to announce the stadium naming rights deal.

“We are incredibly proud to sponsor the Kansas City Current and support this history-making project here in the city that is at the heart of our North American rail network,” Creel said via press release.

“CPKC has been a long-time champion of women’s sports and of investing in our communities. This stadium and this partnership with the Current will build on that legacy as together we write a new chapter here in Kansas City.”

CPKC will also hold naming rights to the stadium’s outdoor space for fans, which will be known as CPKC Plaza. This area provides entertainment for all CPKC Stadium attendees, including the KC Current’s official merchandise store.

It is hoped that the naming rights deal will kickstart further investment in women’s football across the region, which has been the cornerstone of the KC Current’s existence according to co-founders and owners, Angie and Chris Long.

“Our [KC Current & CPKC] organisations share a commitment to strive for excellence, invest heavily in our communities and raise the bar with global influence. We are extremely excited to work with CPKC on this historic agreement and know our partnership will create a long-standing positive impact!”

Further to its substantial investment in women’s football, CPKC’s establishment of a direct line between Canada, the United States and Mexico is expected to have substantial benefits for football supporters attending the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup.

Presently, though, the stadium naming rights deal demonstrates CPKC’s intention to be a key investor in women’s football across Kansas and North America.

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