The Matildas will be able to call Melbourne home after Football Victoria, with the backing of Football Federation Australia, announced its intention to establish a state-of-the-art facility in the state capital.
The women’s national side, ranked sixth in the world, is currently without a permanent home but following a feasibility study commissioned late last year could now set up camp in Victoria by 2022, a year out from the 2023 World Cup.
The new government-funded facility would feature a boutique 5,000-seater stadium to be used for low-level matches, and would host training camps and elite pathway programs for the Matildas, as well as other national and representative teams, and coaching and development programs.
It would also serve as the new administrative headquarters for the state’s governing body and play an important role in developing young talent as part of the new Emerging Matildas program.
New Australia captain Sam Kerr said: “It would be an amazing thing for the Matildas to have their own base and somewhere we can call home, and to know it’s ours so we can get the best out of not only the Matildas but of the Young Matildas.”
Six local government authorities – Brimbank, Casey, Darebin, Maribyrnong, Maroondah and Greater Shepparton – and La Trobe University, at its Bundoora campus, have submitted expressions of interest.
Football Victoria president Kimon Taliadoros said the creation of such an elite training centre for football would mark “the coming of age for women’s sport in Australia”.
“It’s an exciting initiative for the women’s game in Australia and would serve to inspire generations of female footballers who dream of following in the steps of their heroes,” he said. “Certainly, a dedicated facility would go a long way towards helping Victorian football meet our stated objective of 50:50 gender participation by 2027.”
The Matildas will wrap up their Cup of Nations campaign against Argentina on Wednesday night at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, where a crowd of around 10,000 is expected. Should Ante Milicic’s side avoid defeat, they will secure the inaugural title.
Follow the action from AAMI Park with the Guardian’s liveblog. Kick-off is 6pm AEDT on Wednesday
