After the popularity of the live sites for the Socceroos in Maitland last year, Council has announced they’ll be doing it again for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Maitland City Council will be hosting a series of live sites at No.1 Sportsground starting on July 20 at 8pm when the Matildas face the Republic of Ireland in the opening round.
The subsequent games against Nigeria and Canada will also be put on the big screen out in the open on 27 and 31 July.
Mayor Philip Penfold says with ‘Australia co-hosting and the Matildas ranked tenth heading into the tournament, there’s no time like the present to get involved and back the girls in green and gold.
“We were really encouraged by how popular our live site at Cooks Square Park was during the men’s tournament last year, with hundreds coming out to watch the big game against Argentina.
“With the women’s game soaring in popularity right now, we’re hoping to see big crowds for each of the group stage games later this month.
“And if the girls go the distance and run deep into the tournament, you can be sure that we’ll be there every kick of the way, with plans already in place to keep these live sites going into the knockout rounds.”
Entry to the live site is free, and there’ll be coffee and sausage sandwiches available to purchase. Residents will need to bring fold out chairs, rugs or cushions.
‘It’s exciting for Australia to be front and centre, hosting a major FIFA tournament for the first time. We’re proud to be helping to boost the profile of the tournament and women’s football locally, by bringing everyone together where they can barrack for huge stars and heroes,” said Mayor Philip Penfold.