Home of the Matildas facility officially opens
The Home of the Matildas has officially opened at the La Trobe University Sports Park ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Regarded as the most significant infrastructure accomplishment in the history of Australian football, the new Bundoora facility will support the ambitions of the Matildas ahead of the tournament.
The precinct features two state-of-the-art hybrid turf pitches, two FIFA-grade synthetic pitches (with another to be constructed later this year), twelve change rooms (including the Matildas’ own, customised changing room), a fully-equipped gym, medical facilities, modern wet recovery areas, premium function rooms, coaching development spaces and a boutique, 800-seat grandstand with elevated sight lines.
The project was funded as part of a $101 million investment by the Victorian Government into the La Trobe University Sports Park, with the $42.29 million for The Home of The Matildas – the biggest investment ever made by any level of government for a football-specific project in Australia – made in addition to the Federal Government’s contribution of $15 million.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos joined Matildas superstars Steph Catley and Alex Chidiac at their first training session at their brand-new home base on Monday.
“This facility will provide a training base in Australia for the likes of Sam Kerr and Steph Catley, but more importantly it will help to develop the next generation of champions inspired by this year’s Women’s World Cup.”
Yesterday, our world-class football precinct was officially opened by @Steve_Dimo, ready to support the world's best female footballers ahead of the @FIFAWWC.
— Football Victoria (@footballvic) July 4, 2023
Take a look inside The Home of The Matildas at @latrobe.@TheMatildas @FootballAUS #homeofthematildas pic.twitter.com/ZtknECmGVi
The Matildas will continue to train at the venue ahead of their official send-off match against France at Marvel Stadium on July 14. More than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for the blockbuster match.
Victoria will play an important role in the FIFA Women’s World Cup across July and August with Canada, Jamaica and Morocco to train at team base camps across Melbourne. The four nations who qualify for the two Round of 16 matches at AAMI Park will also train in Melbourne in the lead-up to their matches.
