Central Coast football fans will have the chance to see the Matildas in action ahead of this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 when the team competes on home soil in the Cup of Nations tournament.
Minister for Sport Alister Henskens said the NSW Government has partnered with Football Australia to secure the four-nation tournament exclusively for NSW, with the first match to take place at Gosford’s Industree Group Stadium on February 16.
“Football fever is stronger than ever in NSW and we can’t wait to welcome the Matildas home for the Cup of Nations, which will kick off a stellar year for women’s football and cement NSW as the premier sporting state of Australia,” Henskens said.
“We’re encouraging fans from far and wide to come along and cheer on our home town heroes in what will be three action-packed days of football right here in NSW and is set to inspire future generations of football superstars.
“This tournament is a lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup that forms part of the NSW Government’s 10 World Cups in 10 Years initiative, which will help grow the state’s visitor economy, create jobs and secure a brighter future.”
Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin said the Cup of Nations includes three double-header matchdays where the Matildas will take on fellow World Cup contenders Spain, Jamaica and the Czech Republic.
“The NSW Government is committed to growing the NSW visitor economy and cementing our state as the major events capital of the Asia Pacific,” he said.
“Securing events like the Cup of Nations attract the world’s best players, officials and supporters to NSW, who stay in our hotels, visit our attractions and spend in our retail stores, restaurants, bars and cafes.”
The Gosford match will be followed by two other matches, at CommBank Stadium Sydney on February 19 and McDonald Jones Stadium Newcastle on February 22.
Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said was delighted the Australian public would have the chance to cheer on the Matildas in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.
“February’s Cup of Nations will be one of the final opportunities for fans to see the CommBank Matildas on home soil before the commencement of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July,” he said.
“Three of the four sides will be aiming for success at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and we expect the quality of the six matches to be world class.”
For full details and tickets for the Cup of Nations, go to https://www.matildas.com.au/.
Source:
Media release, Jan 12
NSW Government