WA Government unveils world-class State Football Centre for Women’s World Cup

Avatar
WA State Football Centre
Image credit: Football West/FotoEnzo

Perth is gearing up for a momentous occasion as it proudly revealed its State Football Centre in Queens Park. The stunning facility, unveiled by WA Premier Roger Cook, will take centre stage as one of the training venues for the much-anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The State Football Centre is a 16-hectare complex with world-class amenities. It has a two-story grandstand, two competition and training pitches, plenty of on-site parking, and three five-a-side playing fields. Teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti, and Morocco will use its elite facilities to prepare for the intense competition.

Post-Women’s World Cup, the State Football Centre will act as the administrative headquarters for Football West, marking a watershed moment for football in Western Australia.

The $46 million investment in this project was made possible through collaborative support from the State and Commonwealth governments, with the Cook Government contributing a significant $29.71 million.

Roger Cook expressed his delight on the matter, saying via press release:

“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and opening this facility in time for the first match ensures it will leave a lasting legacy for football in Western Australia,” he said.

“My Government is proud to have jointly funded and delivered a world-class facility that will not only help players train and perform at their peak during the upcoming World Cup, but provide the same opportunities to local teams and young players working towards scoring their own taste of international football glory someday.

Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell added via press release:

“It is a special day for our sport in Western Australia to finally have a place to call home after more than 120 years, and the facilities at the State Football Centre are state of the art.

“This will be a place where our elite youngsters will train, but it will also serve as a base for our grassroots game, including coaches and referees, as well as Football West’s charitable partner, the Football Futures Foundation, which serves the needs of diverse and priority communities through football here in WA.

“It will also be a place where overseas teams can come to train, as we have seen this week with Denmark and as will continue during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

“Football West would like to thank both the Federal and State governments for their support, and we look forward to working closely with them in the future as we develop the centre.”

Perth will host five matches as part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the facility to also leave a strong ever-lasting effect.

VenuesWest and Football West will be working together to manage the venue’s day-to-day operations going forward.

The 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund to cater for participation boom

Staff Writer
2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund
Image via Pxhere

The Victorian Government’s 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund is a state-wide investment, open until December 13, 2023.

This fund was created to adapt to the increasing need for infrastructure that is required for regular active sport and recreation.

Utilising three streams, sports clubs, facility managers and community organisations will all benefit from the following grants:

  • Community Facilities – up to $300,000
  • Community Sports Lighting – up to $250,000
  • Planning – up to $40,000

Led by Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, the creation of infrastructure will be made possible by planners, architects, engineers, project managers,
builders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, facility managers and operational staff as part on the construction process. In turn, this has a direct link back to the local economy and offers hundreds of jobs.

For sporting & recreation clubs, sporting associations & leagues, educational institutions, not-for-profit community organisations, businesses and individuals looking to apply for the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund, an important note is that they cannot do so directly. Instead, they will coordinate this with Local Government Authorities and the Alpine Resorts Victoria who will apply on their behalf.

Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday December 13 2023 – with successful candidates of the 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund announced from April 2024.

For full information and resources, you can view those here.

Football Queensland remain with Kappa for five more seasons until 2028

Avatar
Football Queensland & Kappa partnership extension
Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland have announced a five-year partnership extension with iconic international sports brand Kappa as its official apparel partner from 2024.

This relationship between the two parties has been very strong since they first partnered all the way back in 2017 and reinforces the support for football in Queensland that the brand has had.

Kappa has provided quality garments for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan and the Italian National team.

It’s a brand that was established in 1916 in Turin and eventually in 1978 they rebranded themselves to branch out as a sportwear brand where they focused purely on football-related products and designs.

For Football Queensland, they currently produce and provide quality on and off-field apparel for all Queensland State Representative teams including the state’s futsal representative squads. Kappa also provide on-field apparel for the game’s referees on the FQ website.

They also helped sponsor and start up the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments that debuted in late 2021 and 2022 respectively for clubs to participate in across the state.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci was extremely pleased to announce this partnership extension following Kappa’s amazing support.

“Football Queensland is incredibly excited to announce Kappa as our official apparel partner for the next five years following a competitive tender process which saw us receive 20 expressions of interest and 15 submissions of an extremely high quality,” Cavallucci said via Football Queensland press release.

“In their seven years as a Football Queensland partner, Kappa has provided fantastic support to Football Queensland, our clubs and the wider football community thanks to their quality of apparel, ability to deliver on their promises and the team’s unwavering commitment to customer service.

“We’ve built a wonderful working relationship with the team at Kappa thanks to their willingness to go above and beyond to deliver outcomes for our organisation and our game, and we’re delighted to continue working in partnership with them from next year.”

Kappa Australia Director Ze’ev Bogaty shared the same sentiment for the great relationship the two parties have created.

“Kappa is a strong supporter of football in Queensland and has been proud to invest in the game since the partnership with Football Queensland began in 2017,” Bogaty mentioned in the FQ press release.

“Some highlights of the partnership have included the development of the teal shirt for first year referees, witnessing Queensland state sides dominate on the national stage in Kappa kit, and the launch of the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments.

“As we embark on another five years as the state’s official apparel partner and continue our close working relationship with Football Queensland, we look forward to contributing even more to the growth and success of football across the state.”

There is a shared goal of improving the grassroots game in Queensland from both parties and the track record of Kappa’s immense investment over the past seven years has shown that this extension will do wonders for Queensland football.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend