The revamped Sydney Football Stadium will be completed in late August and will host three major matches across the NRL, international rugby and football as part of its unveiling in September.
Five months after they last played on home soil, the Matildas will return to Australia in early September to take on Olympic gold medallists and world number six Canada in a two-match friendly series as both teams continue to prepare for the 2023 Women's World Cup next July.
"The last time we played [at the SFS] was with Melbourne City, it was a grand final here and the crowd would have been around … 5,000?" Simon told ABC. "And, if we can get a good result, we can create that hype and get everyone excited, especially those people who might not come to the game but watch it off the telly and look at it and say: 'I want to be there'."
One person who remembers that day, though, is former Matilda Sarah Walsh, currently head of women's football, legacy, and inclusion at Football Australia ."We were preparing for the 2008 Asian Cup in Vietnam and we had a really healthy squad at the time. We played quite well that night," Walsh recalled."We didn't find out until the next day through X-rays.
"The fact that the Matildas get to open this facility is incredible. There were a lot of teams and games they could have chosen to open with, but they chose us: Australia's most-loved sporting team. Also part of FA's broader strategy is to take more national team matches outside the major cities to shine a light on the need for more infrastructure investment in areas that don't receive the same government funding or media attention, with the location of the first Canada friendly on September 3 yet to be announced.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New $828m Sydney stadium to open with NRL, Wallabies and Matildas gamesThe redeveloped Sydney Football Stadium will host a football festival over five days in its September opening
Read more »
Business owners across Sydney are angry about plans to turn thoroughfares into pedestrian plazasBusiness owners across Sydney are angry about plans to turn major thoroughfares into pedestrian plazas with nowhere for their customers to park. It's part of a push by local councils and the state government to create more outdoor space post-COVID. 7NEWS
Read more »
Sydney man avoids jail time over violent attack with builder's spirit levelAbdul Assad threatened and beat his neighbours, Qutaiba Mehmood and Ali Ahmed, in their Punchbowl carpark in May last year.
Read more »
‘Very Sydney’ ban on standing while drinking outdoors is set to endIf you’ve ever been ordered to sit down while eating or drinking at one of the city’s al fresco dining areas, that may soon change.
Read more »