Valentine Sports Park among training sites revealed for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™

The initial phase of team facility planning for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ has concluded with FIFA today naming Football NSW’s Valentine Sports Park (VSP) as one of the first Training Sites in Australia.

Available for training sessions by the participating nations throughout the tournament, a total of thirteen (13) training sites have been approved following a detailed and thorough evaluation process.

Football NSW CEO, Stuart Hodge, was delighted that VSP had been announced as one of four Sydney based Training Sites.

“Valentine Sports Park is well and truly engrained as the home of football in NSW and we are thrilled that our world class football facilities will play host to national teams during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™,” Hodge said.

“The multi-purpose facility has been the go-to training venue for travelling national teams and professional clubs in Sydney, in addition to hosting a wide array of development teams, education courses, and gala days for participants of all ages and abilities.

“We are proud of the inclusive football facilities we have developed at Valentine Sports Park, and with the tournament fast approaching, we are committed to the roll out of Legacy programs to help ensure our members have the capacity and capabilities to meet the needs of our fast-growing female football community.”

Boasting five full-size dedicated football fields aligned to FIFA specifications, in just the last six months VSP has hosted the likes of Wellington Phoenix, Perth Glory, and national teams from the USA and Saudi Arabia.

The confirmation of the Training Sites marks another milestone for the Host Cities with each venue now being afforded 18 months to prepare for the first FIFA tournament in the southern hemisphere.

Football Australia’s Head of Women’s World Cup Legacy, Sarah Walsh, said that this announcement begins to make the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ more tangible at the local level.

“Beyond the major stadia, we now see multiple facilities having an opportunity to be a part of this tournament of firsts, with many of these Training Sites having a strong football footprint and are deeply embedded in their local communities,” said Walsh.

“Through our community facilities Legacy ’23 pillar, we will be working to ensure that many more community grounds are equipped with female friendly sporting facilities to accelerate the growth of women’s football post tournament.”

In the coming months, the next phase of the training site project will be completed, with an evaluation of other prospective Training Sites across both Australia and New Zealand.

For more information about VSP’s facilities and accommodation, visit the dedicated venue website.

The current list of Training Sites includes:

• Sydney / Gadigal – Leichhardt Oval, Leichardt, ES Marks Athletics Field, Kensington, Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood, and Western Sydney Wanderers Centre of Football, Blacktown
• Melbourne / Naarm – Reggio Calabria Club, Parkville, JL Murphy Reserve, Port Melbourne, and Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park
• Adelaide / Tarntanya – South Australia Football Centre, Gepps Cross, Marden Sports Complex, Marden
• Brisbane / Meaanjin – Spencer Park, Newmarket, Perry Park, Bowen Hills
• Perth / Boorloo – Western Australia State Football Centre, Queens Park, Dorrien Gardens, West Perth