WA Premier Roger Cook today unveiled the newly constructed State Football Centre in Queens Park ahead of it taking centre stage as one of the training facilities in Perth for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
With only six days to go before Perth hosts the first of five matches as part of the biggest women's sporting event on the planet, the centre was officially opened today before it provides the opportunity for teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti and Morocco to train using its world-class facilities.
The 16-hectare site includes a two-storey building with a grandstand, two competition and training pitches, on-site parking and three five-a-side playing pitches.
After the tournament is over, the State Football Centre will become the administrative home of Football West.
The $46 million investment was jointly funded by State and Commonwealth Governments, with the Cook Government making a $29.71 million contribution.
The Department of Local, Government, Sport and Cultural Industries has been managing the development at Queens Park Open Space, with work commencing on the site in February 2022 and the centre recently reaching practical completion.
VenuesWest with Football West will co-manage the day-to-day running of the venue.
From Wednesday, to celebrate the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, a number of iconic State landmarks will be lit up in green and gold ahead of the Matildas’ first match on Thursday night against Ireland in Sydney.
Football West has broken registrations records again in 2023 and now has a space in WA that the sport can call home.
Mr Cook said: "Hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and opening this facility in time for the first match ensures it will leave a lasting legacy for football in Western Australia.
"My Government is proud to have jointly funded and delivered a world-class facility that will not only help players train and perform at their peak during the upcoming World Cup, but provide the same opportunities to local teams and young players working towards scoring their own taste of international football glory someday."
Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell said: “It is a special day for our sport in Western Australia to finally have a place to call home after more than 120 years and the facilities at the State Football Centre are state of the art.
“This will be a place where our elite youngsters will train but it will also serve as a base for our grassroots game including coaches and referees, as well as Football West's charitable partner the Football Futures Foundation, which serves the needs of diverse and priority communities through football here in WA.
“It will also be a place where overseas teams can come to train, as we have seen this week with Denmark and as will continue during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
“Football West would like to thank both the Federal and State governments for their support and we look forward to working closely with them in the future as we develop the centre.”
Federal Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King: “I'm thrilled to see the new State Football Centre already being recognised as a world-class training facility.
"This project is a great example of the Australian and Western Australian governments working together to invest in sporting infrastructure that will not only be used by locals, but will attract athletes, matches and visitors from afar – providing a real economic boost for communities now and into the future."
WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti spoke of the State Football Centre’s wide appeal of the State Football Centre.
"With only days to go before Perth hosts five matches as part of the biggest women's sporting event on the planet, it's exciting to be opening this incredible new facility before it takes centre stage as one of the training facilities,” she said.
"The FIFA Women's World Cup will be history-making for WA and put our state on the map with many thousands of football fans – the new State Football Centre and other key venues will be at the heart of the action as football fever takes over Perth."
WA Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in delivering this new facility in time for FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 matches to kick off in Perth.
"Beyond the World Cup, the collaboration between VenuesWest and Football West at this facility will provide a unique opportunity for football in Western Australia, supporting the development of the sport from grassroots programs to high-performance teams.
Federal Member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas said: “This project, which the Federal Government proudly contributed $16.25 million to, has constructed two full-sized FIFA standard football pitches with lighting, sport science facilities, player and referee change rooms, main administration building and function room.
"Young people are inspired by watching the superstars of sport on the world stage. Now we have that world stage right on our doorstep."
And Cannington MLA Bill Johnston said: “This is a fantastic new facility for our local area that will benefit football fans, sporting clubs, families and the broader community alike.
"It's also incredibly exciting for locals that the Centre is ready to go in time to host FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 teams as they train and prepare for their matches in what is an internationally significant tournament."
