NSW looks to position itself as the home of major football events in Australia
By securing hosting rights for the Cup of Nations and the next three A-Leagues grand finals, the state has made a big play to position itself as the home of major football events in Australia.
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NSW has taken another step forward in its quest to become the home of the round-ball code in Australia after it was announced that the state would host a key FIFA Women’s World Cup warm-up tournament next month.
The Cup of Nations will see the Matildas take on Spain, Jamaica and the Czech Republic in three double-headers in Gosford, Parramatta and Newcastle, giving NSW fans a chance to see the stars in action before the World Cup – to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand – kicks off in July.
While the Matildas will play a World Cup “farewell match” at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on July 14, this latest announcement is another shot in the arm for football fans in NSW, with the state to host the next three A-League Men’s and Women’s grand finals as part of a deal struck between the Australian Professional Leagues and Destination NSW last month.
Although the A-Leagues deal has been widely criticised by football fans for locking in a potentially neutral venue rather than awarding the grand final to the highest-ranked team, it nevertheless highlights the state’s ambition to position itself as the home of football in the country.
“It’s not by accident,” says Taylor Martin, the parliamentary secretary for the Hunter. “We really do want to see more or those big events happening and make the most of the stadiums we have invested in. And it’s symbiotic – that’s the reason why we did invest in the stadiums across NSW, to hold these big events.”
Sydney’s Accor Stadium and the new Allianz Stadium at Moore Park will also host games in July and August’s World Cup, with Sydney to host one of the semi-finals and the final on 20 August.
The latest announcement of the Cup of Nations is also a boost for regional centres, with the tournament to kick off and conclude in Gosford and Newcastle, respectively.
For Newcastle, it will be seen as a consolation after the city – which has a long history of hosting Matildas games – was overlooked as both a host city and training base for the World Cup.
“Newcastle’s one of our favourites places to play,” says Matilda Kyah Simon.
“Every time we come to Newcastle it feels like it’s a packed stadium. So it might be 15,000 in the crowd but they sound like 30,000, and that’s something that we’ve really noticed on the pitch – that they’re loud, they’re rowdy, that they get behind us.”
For former Hunter Matilda Amber Nielson, the prospect of a packed stadium in Newcastle to cheer on the national team ahead of a home World Cup has also brought into focus how much the women’s game has developed in the public’s standing over the past decades.
“It definitely wasn’t how it is now. I still remember hearing my dad yelling over the top of the crowd,” she said.
“It’s wonderful to see how much the game has progressed and how well the girls have been looked after. You can only jump on that wave and embrace it.”
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