Giant mural to celebrate the Matildas at Accor Stadium
A new giant mural will be installed at Accor Stadium to celebrate the Matildas’ historic success at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Commissioned by the NSW Government, the permanent mural will capture some of the Matildas’ greatest moments during the tournament at the scene of Sunday's Final.
It will serve as a permanent reminder of how the Matildas’ run at the Women's World Cup captured the imagination of the nation and inspired the next generation of female athletes.
The artwork will be installed on the external façade of the eastern side of Accor Stadium, closest to Olympic Park train station.
It is also the grandstand that will soon be named in honour of a female sporting legend, as the State Government completes another one of its election commitments.
The mural continues the NSW Government’s commitment to invest in the Olympic stadium, which benefited from more than $80 million of capital works upgrades in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Spain defeated England 1-0 in the Final played at Accor Stadium on Sunday night, in front of 75,784 spectators - the maximum venue capacity for the tournament. All five matches played at the venue attracted a sell-out crowd, with its capacity reduced by about 4,000 for media and broadcast requirements.
A total of 1,978,274 spectators attended FIFA Women's World Cup matches across 64 matches, with 1,269,531 attending the 35 matches in Australia.
More than 600,000 people attended the 11 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in NSW, while hundreds of thousands more attended live sites around Sydney and NSW to cheer the Matildas throughout the tournament.
Premier of NSW Chris Minns said, “The Matildas’ campaign captured the imagination of Australia and the footballing world. I’m proud to announce that they will be permanently celebrated with a mural in their honour at Stadium Australia.
“Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Mackenzie Arnold joined Samantha Kerr as household names and put the world on notice that Australia is a football nation.”
The project will be delivered by Venues NSW, which manages the State’s major sporting and entertainment venues in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
Venues NSW will work with the advisory team that brought the Allianz Stadium public art project to life, overseeing a tender process in line with NSW Government procurement requirements.
The mural will be funded from an existing Budget allocation.
Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said, “The achievements of the Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will live on not only in our memories but also at Stadium Australia where they created history.
“We’ve already committed to honouring a female sporting legend with a grandstand and this is the next step in honouring our elite female athletes.
“It will be a daily reminder to the 10 million people who visit Sydney Olympic Park each year of the greatest FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in history and how the whole nation got behind the Matildas.
“We look forward to delivering more for women’s sport as part of our September budget.”
