New football facility renamed the Sam Kerr Football Centre
Western Australia's new State Football Centre at Queens Park has been renamed in honour of homegrown women's football star Sam Kerr.
The new Sam Kerr Football Centre name was unveiled at the community football festival marking the centre’s official opening on Saturday, ahead of the Matildas sell-out match at Optus Stadium the following day.
The $50.8 million football facility was joint-funded by the WA and Commonwealth Governments as part of FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand hosting legacy.
Born and raised in Western Australia, Sam Kerr’s phenomenal football journey has become part of the State’s international identity.
As a former Perth Glory player now at Chelsea and captain of the Matildas, she has represented Western Australia on the world stage in high esteem.
Premier Roger Cook, Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman and Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti announced that the world-class centre would be named in Sam Kerr’s honour, in recognition of her successful career to date, her contribution to professional and grassroots football, and the legacy she continues to leave in inspiring the next generation of footballers.
The state-owned facility includes a 700-seat grandstand, two competition and training pitches and three five-a-side playing pitches. It was used as a training base by five international teams during the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and will be home to the next generation of WA football players, supporting the development of the sport from grassroots to high-performance teams.
The new name was revealed at a community football festival attended by Sam Kerr and some of her CommBank Matildas teammates to celebrate the centre’s official opening and WA's growing football community and its achievements.
The CommBank Matildas are currently in Perth for three sell-out matches at HBF Park and Optus Stadium as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Asian Qualifiers.
Sunday's match attracted a crowd of 59,155 to Optus Stadium as the Matildas beat the Philippines 8-0 - the largest home crowd for an Australian women’s sporting game, in any sport, outside of an Olympics or the 2023 World Cup. The final game of the series is Wednesday night at HBF Park.
The WA Government also announced on Saturday a new $9.3 million investment in grassroots football clubs and local facilities and infrastructure, to ensure WA’s successful hosting of this year’s Women’s World Cup delivers a lasting legacy for the world game in WA.
Following the naming announcement, Matildas Captain Sam Kerr said, “As a proud West Australian, I am incredibly privileged to have this amazing State Football Centre named after me.
“It fills me with pride to think that football in WA is growing so rapidly in popularity and that children, at a grassroots level, as well as world-class sporting teams will be able to access these impressive facilities.
“Football centres, such as this, create opportunities for kids that enable them to reach their full potential, and that is the ultimate goal.”
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said, “Sam Kerr is a global football superstar and truly a sporting icon – she’s an incredible role model for Western Australians and I can’t think of a better name for our new home of grassroots football and high performance.
“We want the next generation of football stars to play and train at this centre and think about their own sporting dreams.
“In naming our new world-class facility after Sam, my Government hopes that her contribution to football and impressive legacy will continue to inspire our future Matildas and Socceroos and help grow the game locally.”
