Bonsoir Les Bleues: Valentine Sports Park welcomes French national team
Football NSW’s Valentine Sports Park was a hive of activity on Sunday following the French Women’s National Football Team’s exclusive training session ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ (FWWC2023).
The session allowed for limited dignitaries and representatives of the football community to take in the sights and sounds of watching the French go to work on Darug country.
Les Bleus will call Valentine Sports Park (VSP) home for the coming weeks as coach Herve Renard prepares his troops for Group F matches against Jamaica, Brazil, and Panama, with an eye on qualifying for the knock-out rounds.
Football NSW Chair Gilbert Lorquet was delighted to see the French team on site and utilising the VSP facilities.
“There has been a significant amount of preparations and facility upgrades in the lead-up to this moment and we’re so excited to see the team in action here at VSP,” he said.
“It certainly solidifies VSP as a world-class football facility and we hope to see France enjoy a successful campaign.”
The French team arrived fresh from their Friday night friendly against the Matildas where they went down 1-0 narrowly to the home favourites.
Blacktown City Council Mayor, Tony Bleasdale OAM, shared his excitement about the local area’s international visitors.
“Blacktown City is thrilled to welcome the French Women’s National Team as World Cup fever takes over our City,” he said.
“It is a great privilege to host the French team (and) we wish the team all the very best in their World Cup campaign.”
The world number five ranked nation have become one of the most consistent teams in Europe having qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2003, reaching the quarter-finals in two of the three European Championships held since 2000.
