VenuesWest to manage WA's new State Football Centre
The new $46 million State Football Centre will be managed by VenuesWest as the venue nears completion ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Centre is located on a 16 hectare site at Queens Park and includes a two-storey building with a grandstand, two competition pitches and training pitches, on-site parking, and three 5-a-side playing pitches.
The $45.96 million investment has been jointly funded by the WA and Commonwealth Governments, with $29 million being provided by the State Government.
Western Australia Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman was on site at the new facility on Tuesday to announce it would be managed by the State Government's venue management agency, VenuesWest.
“Western Australia has a thriving football community, and the development of facilities like these provide incredible opportunities for more people to get involved in grassroots sport,” Templeman said.
“The collaboration between VenuesWest and Football West will provide a unique opportunity for football in Western Australia and enable development of the sport from grassroots programs to high performance teams.”
WA Sport and Recreation Minister @DavidTempsMLA joined Football West Chairman Sherif Andrawes and CEO Jamie Harnwell at the State Football Centre yesterday. Mr Templeman confirmed the site would be vested to @VenuesWest and managed by @FootballWest.https://t.co/vBmojLCLyi pic.twitter.com/c6jFKO4Cvj
— Football West (@FootballWest) March 29, 2023
The vestment of the State Football Centre with VenuesWest, brings the number of venues in their portfolio to 14, with this venue the first to be solely dedicated to the 'beautiful game'.
Football West will manage the day-to-day running of the venue, including the management of commercial sponsorships. VenuesWest will own the asset on behalf of the State Government and assist Football West through the co-management agreement and oversee ongoing maintenance of the asset.
The arrangement means that Football West now has a space in the State that the sport can call 'home'.
International and A-League football matches will continue to be held at HBF Park or Optus Stadium, with occasional lower-capacity special events to be held at the State Football Centre.
The State Football Centre is expected to be one of two venue specific training sites used by teams competing in the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.