Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell and Manager – Female Football & Advocacy Sarah Carroll joined WA Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti at E&D Litis Stadium this morning to mark the major facilities investment made ahead of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
The State Government has spent $800,000 at the home of Floreat Athena to support upgraded lighting and facility improvements.
This is alongside $4m spent on two new turf pitches, upgraded lighting, shade structures, fencing and landscaping at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, and a $750,000 facilities investment in an audio system, electronic scoreboard and seating at Kingsway Reserve, home of Olympic Kingsway.
The three venues were announced this week as official training sites for the upcoming Women’s Asian Cup, which begins in Perth on 1 March.
“Together, these upgrades ensure Perth is ready to host a world-class football tournament while leaving a lasting legacy for community sport in Western Australia,” Ms Saffioti said.
“These local facilities will welcome some of the best international teams to Perth and they will continue to serve local families and the community long after the final whistle.
“Delivering these upgrades means more training opportunities, more matches, and more women and girls able to participate in football at the local level.
“I look forward to seeing clubs, players and families enjoy the new facilities and encourage all Western Australians to support the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 in Perth by heading to a game and cheering on these amazing athletes.”
Ms Carroll said: “It’s great that we are so near another massive tournament in Australia. We saw the huge upturn the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup brought to the female game and it would be great to see a similar boost on the back of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
“The State Government funding for the three host venues is fantastic, and Football West will work tirelessly to attract more investment, including for female-friendly facilities.
“Longer term, the focus has to be on a lasting legacy for Australian football, driven by increased female participation through improved community and regional infrastructure.”
Floreat Athena Life Member and former President Con Poulios said: “It’s really exciting for the club. We were hoping to be a training venue in the Women’s World Cup but obviously the changerooms weren’t built at the time.
"We’re really happy to help out in hosting the tournament by having countries training here and obviously happy that that’s led to the facilities being upgraded, which can leave a legacy after the tournament.
“The amount of money that’s been spent in the last few years, every club would love that to happen to them, so we’re really grateful to both the Federal and the State Governments and the City of Vincent for their support. They were much-needed upgardes but we’re really, really grateful.”
Olympic Kingsway were represented by President Steve Nelkovski and players Aryn Williams and Ali Mohamed.
“It’s exciting for the game of football in the northern corridor. What we’ve seen is record investment which is game-changing for the sport, but more importantly, it will inspire the next generation of boys and girls to play football.
“All the training venues are open to all the nations that come to WA. Again, it’s exciting, having hosted Denmark during the FIFA Women's World Cup, we have the opportunity to potentially host six different nations."
Olympic Kingsway are one of the top non-A-League clubs in the country and last year made national headlines with their Australia Cup run.
Mr Nelkovski added: “If you peel back the layers to the night against Melbourne Victory, what was the best part was seeing kids on the field celebrating, having the night of their lives. It’s about inspiring children. There’s pathways through Kingsway, there’s pathways through all the Football West programs ... they can learn the sport, build great friendships and dream big.”
Perth MLA John Carey, Lansdale MLA Daniel Pastorelli and Cannington MLA Ron Sao also attended today’s event.
“Litis Stadium is a vital sporting hub for Perth and local communities, and these upgrades will make a real difference for the clubs, players, and volunteers who use it throughout the year,” Mr Carey said.
“Improved lighting and irrigation mean more training sessions, more matches and more opportunities to get involved in sport close to home.”
Mr Pastorelli said: “Kingsway Reserve is a much-loved community sporting hub and is fast becoming the elite football facility of the northern suburbs, for players and spectators, thanks to the work of the club's volunteers and the investment in the facility by the State Government and City of Wanneroo.
“Hosting world-class teams at Olympic Kingsway is something I know the club is proud of and will only go further to helping inspire the next generation of football stars.”
Mr Sao said: “The new playing fields at Sam Kerr Football Centre will open the door for more local kids to get involved in football, with more space for junior programs, local competitions and training.
"The Sam Kerr Football Centre is a point of pride for our local community, and this expansion builds on its purpose to provide young players with access to high-quality facilities while also supporting high-performance pathways close to home.”