Matildas’ revolution sparks push by Randwick councillor Danny Said to expand soccer infrastructure
A Sydney councillor is pushing to grow football in his community, following the success of the Matildas in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. Find out how.
Southern Courier
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On the back of the Matildas’ “sparking a revolution” across the country, a Sydney council will vote on plans to grow football in its community for next year and beyond.
Randwick councillor and former mayor Danny Said said it was important for council to be “proactive rather than reactive” given the resounding support for the Matildas in this years FIFA Women’s World Cup.
At next Tuesday’s council meeting, Mr Said has put forward a motion ‘Preparing for growth in football for the 2024 season’. The motion is asking for an audit to be completed on community football to determine use of sporting fields.
He is also asking for council to meet with the Eastern Suburbs Football Association regarding allocations and resources for next year along with recommending an extra five sporting fields to “cope with current demand”.
The motion also requests a report into the possibility of three sporting fields being upgraded to either premium turf, hybrid or synthetic, along with improved lighting.
In a bid to respond to the “knock on effect of the Matildas popularity”, Mr Said asked for an improvement to female facilities and infrastructure, not just for football but all sports.
Mr Said told this publication football was the most popular sport in the Randwick area, referencing Ausplay statistics which shows it is 12 per cent of total sports participation.
The councillor said that was “certain to only grow next season … given the success of the Matildas”.
He said the sport had “steadily grown” from 6000 participants in 2014 to almost 10,000 this year with summer football inquiries “already through the roof” and reinforced the importance of “infrastructure support aligned with demand and utilisation by the community”.
“Not only soccer but nearly all codes of winter sports are providing summer competitions – including large Oztag and touch football competitions – the 40 existing fields have no time for regrowth and maintenance,” he said.
“Timing is crucial to maintain fields at Randwick Council’s high standards. The Matildas have sparked a revolution in Australia, and we need to ensure that we cater for the influx of players.”
The councillor said the growth of the sport will require further funding and grants from the state and federal governments to ensure the infrastructure is up to date.
“Clean well-lit toilets and change room facilities designed for women [including] less urinals and more toilets, especially at Heffron park for Netballers, AFL, Soccer and League [is needed],” he said.
“In addition to changing rooms, [we need] storage for equipment, lights for training and safety at night.”
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