Australasian Leisure Management
Dec 12, 2022

Team Base Camp locations confirmed for FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023

By Karen Sweaney

FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ has confirmed the locations of 29 Team Base Camps across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

For the first time in FIFA Women’s World Cup™ history, competing countries will use dedicated Team Base Camps in next year’s tournament. A Team Base Camp (TBC) is the “home away from home” for teams and includes a training site and accommodation.

FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman said that the addition of TBCs at the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time will ensure that teams and players are provided with the best possible platform to perform at their peak adding “FIFA is committed to enhancing the standards and conditions for teams at each FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the introduction of dedicated Team Base Camps is a clear demonstration of that commitment and our drive to grow and develop women’s football.”

Following the draw for the tournament in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau on 22nd October, the 29 qualified teams visited the short-listed TBC sites in the country where they were drawn to play their group matches and then submitted their preferred TBC options to FIFA. Following each team’s selections, FIFA confirmed the TBCs for the 29 qualified nations.

In Australia, 14 TBCs have been confirmed across five Host Cities and two regional centres for the 14 qualified teams that will play group matches in Australia.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, 15 TBCs have been confirmed across four Host Cities and three regional centres for the 15 qualified teams that will play group matches in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The three teams that qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 via the Play-Off Tournament in February 2023 will select their TBC after qualification.

Bareman advised “our mission for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is to go ‘Beyond Greatness’, and to do that we must provide elite environments for the 32 teams to train, rest and recover.

“With great support from our Host Countries, Governments, and the Host Cities, FIFA will provide each team with the best training and preparation environment possible, enabling them to focus on their performances at the tournament while at the same time offering them the chance to connect with people and communities where they are based.”

The selection of TBCs in Tauranga, Palmerston North/Te Papa-i-Oea and Christchurch/Ōtautahi in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as Central Coast/Darkinjung and Moreton Bay/Kabi Kabi in Australia means that seven teams will be based outside of tournament Host Cities, expanding the reach and impact of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 beyond major metropolitan areas.

The confirmed Team Base Camp Training Sites and Accommodation in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand details can be found below.

In addition to the TBCs, there are Venue Specific Team Hotels and Venue Specific Training Sites aligned to the ten match venues. These will primarily be used on the day before match days. There will also be a Referees Base Camp at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney/Gadigal.

Campbelltown will welcome the South Korean women’s national football team during next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup after the city was confirmed as the team’s home base for the tournament with South Korea using Campbelltown Stadium as a training venue during and before the tournament starts.

Campbelltown City Council Mayor George Greiss advised  “The FIFA Women’s World Cup promises to be a massive nation-wide event that will draw people from all across the world so we’re really excited to be hosting the South Korean team in our city during the tournament.

“It’s a ringing endorsement for the quality of Campbelltown Stadium’s pitch and our capacity to host top-class international teams during one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

“We look forward to welcoming the South Korean team and helping them to prepare for their World Cup matches,” he said.

South Korea have been drawn in Group H and will kick off their campaign against Colombia on Tuesday 25th July at Sydney Football Stadium.

The team’s most recent success came at the 2022 AFC Asian Cup, where they finished the tournament as runners-up following a thrilling final against China.

Wyndham City is also excited to have been selected by the Morocco women’s national football team as their Team Base Camp and home away from home for this huge global event.

They will stay locally and use Galvin Park as their training base during the competition.

Morocco’s selection of Galvin Park is testament to the quality of the grounds, a premier football facility located in the heart of Wyndham City that is part of the Galvin Park Sporting Reserve.

In addition to the selection as a training base, FIFA will invest $227,000 to install international standard LED lighting on the main pitch as part of the FIFA Training Site Infrastructure Grant, building on the recent Wyndham City $3.8 million redevelopment of the pavilion that was completed in 2021, leaving a lasting legacy for the community.

Wyndham City Mayor Susan McIntyre welcomed the Morocco Women’s national football team and said Wyndham is a World Cup community.

“We look forward to cheering the Morocco women’s national football team on, during the largest women’s sporting event on the planet, that showcases our region on a global stage,” she said.

“Our City is vibrant and diverse with more than 50% of our residents born overseas coming from more than 160 different countries, we’re passionate about football and have the honour of being called home by Australia’s newest A-League Club, Western United FC.

“We are incredibly excited to inspire the next wave of spirited girls and boys who will commence their football journey across our nine community football clubs.”

Wyndham City’s Active City portfolio holder, Peter Maynard said he looked forward to the Morocco Women’s national football team’s arrival.

“It’s another milestone for football in Wyndham and marks an exciting year ahead, with the Regional Football Facility also on track for delivery in 2023, further positioning Wyndham as the home of football in the West,” he said.

“Our City has much to offer visitors, located 30 minutes from the Melbourne CBD (with direct freeway access), Werribee is surrounded by natural beauty, with a stunning river, wetlands and coastal regions to explore and a cosmopolitan dining scene.”

“Players, officials and fans will have the opportunity to explore our major attractions, including Werribee Park Mansion and the Werribee Open Range Zoo. that features many of Australia’s native animals.”

Australia & New Zealand 2023 will be the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted, the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere and the first with 32 teams – up from 24 in 2019.

Tickets for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ are currently on sale at www.fifa.com/tickets

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