England’s Lionesses to make Central Coast their Team Base Camp for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
England – the reigning Euro Champions of women’s football – will make Central Coast Stadium their Team Base Camp for the duration of the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year.
The Central Coast announcement was one of 29 Team Base Camps across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand announced Monday for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.
The Lionesses are one of the powerhouse of international women’s football and rose to the world ranking of No.4 after winning the UEFA Women’s Championship earlier this year – marking the first time since 1966 that any England senior football team had won a major championship.
A Team Base Camp (TBC) is the “home away from home” for teams and includes a training site and accommodation.
England’s training ground will be Central Coast Stadium, which reverts to its generic name for the FIFA World Cup 2023 under FIFA regulations.
In Australia, 14 TBCs have been selected by teams and confirmed by FIFA 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 will 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.
Following the Draw for the tournament in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau on 22 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 TBC for the 29 qualified nations . . . including that England will call Central Coast their home.
FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman said the addition of TBCs at the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time will ensure that teams and players are provided the best possible platform to perform at their peak.
“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,” Bareman said.
“With great support from our Host Countries, Governments, and Host Cities, FIFA will provide each team with a world-class training and preparation environment, 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.”
“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.”
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.
Full details of the confirmed Team Base Camp Training Sites and Accommodation in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand can be found here.
