Werribee City FC and Wyndham City Council ready for Moroccan World Cup flavour

Staff Writer
Morocco Women's National Team
Image credit: FIFA

With the Women’s World Cup set to begin in just under 60 days’ time – areas and local clubs all around Australia and New Zealand are set to benefit from the monumental event.

Based in Werribee, Melbourne – the Moroccan Women’s National Football Team have selected Galvin Park Reserve as their training base for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Werribee City FC, who play their home games at Galvin Park Reserve, are already reaping the rewards of this outcome.

FIFA have invested $227,000 into the precinct, installing international standard LED Lighting on the main pitch as a part of the FIFA Training Site Infrastructure Grant program.

The club is thrilled to host the Moroccan side at their home ground and the Werribee area as a whole.

The Moroccan players are set to reside at Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park for their time in Melbourne.

“WCFC will be welcoming Morocco’s National Women’s Football team (Atlas Lionesses) where they will make their World Cup Debut,” a club statement read.

“The Atlas Lionesses will train at our fantastic venue while they prepare for and compete in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

“This is an amazing opportunity for our entire club and all of our participants and the broader football community in Wyndham as we get to play an important part in a Football World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

“Further to this, as part of the training base selection, FIFA have invested approximately $230,000 to install international standard lighting to our main pitch No.1 – with the new lighting enabling WCFC to play senior and U21 night matches.

“Congratulations to all involved and a huge thank you to everyone at Wyndham City Council who drove the entire process and provided WCFC with this fantastic opportunity.”

Wyndham City Council have recently completed a $3.8 million redevelopment of the pavilion at Galvin Park in 2021, which has left a lasting legacy for the local community there.

Wyndham City Mayor Cr Susan McIntyre expressed her delight for the Moroccan Women’s National Football Team to be based in the council area and claimed Wyndham itself is a made up of a “World Cup” type of community.

“We look forward to cheering the Morocco women’s national football team on, during the largest women’s sporting event on the planet, that showcases our region on a global stage,” she said.

“Our city is vibrant and diverse with more than 50 per cent of our residents born overseas coming from more than 160 different countries, we’re passionate about football and have the honour of being called home by Australia’s newest A-League Club, Western United FC.

“We are incredibly excited to inspire the next wave of spirited girls and boys who will commence their football journey across our nine community football clubs.”

Wyndham City’s Active City portfolio holder, Cr Peter Maynard, stated he was looking forward to the Moroccan Women’s national football team’s arrival in the coming days.

“It’s another milestone for football in Wyndham and marks an exciting year ahead, with the Regional Football Facility also on track for delivery later in 2023, further positioning Wyndham as the home of football in the west,” he said.

Western United is confident they will move into the Regional Football Facility out in Tarneit by July/August and begin to play A-League Women home matches out of their 5000-capacity training stadium by later in the year.

“Our city has much to offer visitors, located 30 minutes from the Melbourne CBD (with direct freeway access), Werribee is surrounded by natural beauty, with a stunning river, wetlands and coastal regions to explore and a cosmopolitan dining scene,” they said.

“Players, officials and fans will have the opportunity to explore our major attractions, including Werribee Park Mansion and the Werribee Open Range Zoo. that features many of Australia’s native animals.”

Morocco will be playing in their first ever Women’s World Cup later this year, playing games in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth against Germany, South Korea and Colombia.

A full list of the 32 Teams and their Team Base camps can be viewed here.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will run from July 20 – August 20.

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Spain’s Liga F receives history-making investment into women’s football

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Image credit: Liga F

The deal, worth AUD 91 million (€55 million) across four seasons, represents a monumental investment into Liga F and women’s football by Gasol16 Ventures and Fortified Partners.

 

Setting the pace

The investment comes as a hugely signficant moment in the history of women’s football not just in Spain, but across Europe.

But, given Spain’s commitment to growing the women’s game in recent years (and the world-beating teams it produces as a result), it is hardly a surprise that Liga F is at the centre of this milestone.

In the 2024-25 season, Liga F distributed AUD 28 million to its clubs, as well as doubling television audiences across two years.

The rate of growth is astounding, and shows no signs of slowing down.

“Women’s football in Spain has made a spectacular leap in recent years: audiences have almost doubled in two seasons, and stadiums are incresingly full,” explained Founder and President of Gasol16 Ventures, Pau Gasol.

“Therefore, this is not a sentimental commitment to women’s sport. It is an investment decision based on data, market trends, and the conviction that women’s football represents a growth opportunity with enormous potential for value creation.”

Thus, Gasol’s motivation reveals much about his own reasons for investing, as well as about the current status of women’s football in Spain.

The landscape does not want, or need, sentimental commitment. It is a financial and sporting powerhouse in its own right, and one which can grow to new heights year-on-year.

 

Securing a successful future

Furthermore, the long-term nature of the deal (set for the next four seasons from the 2026-27 campaign) shows vision and ambition for what the league can become.

“This agreement allows us to look further ahead and equip ourselves with the necessary tools to continue building an increasingly strong, more competitive league with greater capacity to generate value for our clubs,” outlined President of Liga F Beatriz Álvarez Mesa.

“What excites me most about this alliance is not just the investment it brings, but the message it sends: there are people and institutions who believe in the potential of Liga F and want to be part of its growth.”

 

Final thoughts

This is in stark contrast to the current situation of the A League Women in Australia, which PFA Chief Executive Beua Busch described as at a “tipping point”.

The problems remain the same as they were several years ago. Investment, player satisfaction and attendances are well below other major leagues. The key is creating a product which presents the immense value of clubs, players and commercial opportunities.

Because when intentional investment comes, the question stops being ‘who will invest?’ but ‘who wouldn’t?’ .

World Cup betting boom presents billion-dollar opportunity, and a growing dilemma, for Australian football

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to become the biggest betting event in sporting history, with more than US$50 billion ($76 billion AUD) expected to be wagered globally across the tournament.

Financial services firm Macquarie estimates around US$500 million will be bet on each match, eclipsing the estimated US$35 billion wagered during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The jump is driven by the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams and from 64 to 104 matches, alongside the rapid growth of legal sports betting markets in North America.

While much of the attention has focused on the sheer scale of betting turnover, the figures also underline football’s commercial importance to Australia’s wagering industry.

The World Cup has long been one of the country’s biggest betting events, sitting alongside the Melbourne Cup, AFL Grand Final and State of Origin. With Australia qualifying once again and attracting strong national interest, bookmakers have invested heavily in marketing campaigns designed around football’s month-long global spectacle.

TAB recently launched its nationwide “The Cup at TAB” campaign, positioning venues across Australia as communal destinations to watch World Cup matches, backed by research suggesting 61% of Australians prefer experiencing the tournament with others.

Sportsbet has also rolled out a major World Cup advertising campaign built around football’s global appeal, highlighting just how commercially valuable the tournament has become for Australia’s betting operators.

What about Australian Football?

Unlike Europe’s major leagues, Australian football still relies heavily on sponsorship and broadcast revenue to grow participation, develop professional competitions and improve fan engagement. The increased commercial attention generated during a World Cup inevitably benefits broadcasters, venues, hospitality businesses and wagering companies looking to capitalise on football’s largest audience.

SBS has introduced in-game advertising during FIFA’s mandated hydration breaks for the first time at a World Cup, creating additional commercial inventory during live broadcasts while maintaining uninterrupted match coverage.

Yet football’s commercial success arrives amid mounting political pressure over gambling advertising.

The Albanese Government has proposed significant restrictions on gambling promotions, including banning betting advertisements during most live sport before 8.30pm, prohibiting gambling branding at sporting venues and preventing athletes and celebrities from promoting wagering products. While described as Australia’s biggest gambling advertising reforms to date, critics argue the measures still leave significant loopholes.

What does it mean for football?

As betting companies spend millions attaching themselves to the World Cup, gambling harm advocates argue football’s biggest event also becomes one of the industry’s most effective customer acquisition tools.

Macquarie analysts have warned bookmakers face an additional challenge beyond simply attracting World Cup punters. The industry’s long-term profitability depends on converting casual tournament bettors into year-round customers across football, racing and other sports, as well as higher-margin casino products.

That concern has been repeated by gambling reform organisations, which argue global football tournaments expose younger audiences and first-time bettors to increasingly sophisticated wagering products.

For Australian football administrators, the issue reflects a broader commercial balancing act.

The sport continues to chase greater investment to compete with the AFL and NRL for fans, sponsors and media attention. World Cups generate unprecedented engagement, creating opportunities for broadcasters, pubs, clubs, hospitality operators and betting companies alike.

However, as governments tighten gambling regulations and public scrutiny intensifies, football’s commercial ecosystem may also need to evolve. The 2026 World Cup demonstrates football’s extraordinary economic power beyond ticket sales and broadcasting rights. Billions of dollars will flow through betting markets over the next month, reinforcing football as one of the world’s most commercially valuable sports.

For Australia, the challenge is ensuring that the business generated by football strengthens the game itself, rather than simply enriching industries that surround it.

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