WA’s $50.8 million State Football Centre has been officially renamed the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
The State Government made the announcement in front of more than 4000 ecstatic football fans at a community festival attended by Kerr and her CommBank Matildas teammates on Friday 27 October 2023.
The festival marked the facility’s official opening.
The new name honours Kerr’s success in the football world, her contribution to professional and grassroots football, and the legacy she continues to leave in inspiring the next generation of footballers.
The world-class facility, located at the Queen's Park Open Space in the City of Canning, was jointly funded by the State and Australian governments, with the State contributing $34.55 million through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and the Australian Government $16.25 million.
The 16-hectare site includes 2 full size elite pitches, 3 five-a-side playing pitches, tiered seating for approximately 700 spectators, change room facilities, office and meeting room spaces and car parking.
The centre has been designed to meet international standards and was used as a training ground for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM, hosting teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti and Morocco.
The Sam Kerr Football Centre is co-managed by VenuesWest and Football West.
Football West oversee the day-to-day administration of the venue including training facilities and playing fields to support grassroots, community and high-performance football programs.
VenuesWest own the asset on behalf of the State Government and oversee the daily operation and maintenance.
Planning and development of the centre was a highly collaborative process with DLGSC working closely with the Department of Finance, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage — Aboriginal Heritage, City of Canning, Football West, VenuesWest, South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) and other key stakeholders.
In March 2021, the Western Australian Planning Commission approved the development of the centre.
Broad Construction commenced work on the site in February 2022 and reached practical completion in July 2023.
Development of the Sam Kerr Football Centre incorporated a heritage survey on the Queens Park Open Space site including searches of the Register of Aboriginal sites for the site and surrounding land, preliminary site inspection and on-site field survey with SWALSC-nominated Whadjuk representatives. The survey established that the site 'is not, and does not contain any known Aboriginal heritage sites.'
Working with the Yunga Foundation, the project established an Aboriginal Reference Group made up of Whadjuk representatives. The reference group provided valuable input relating to Aboriginal culture for the Sam Kerr Football Centre project.
Aboriginal monitors were also engaged for relevant ground disturbance activities related to the development of the centre.
Development of the centre aimed to increase the overall environmental value of the Queens Park Open Space site through better protection, restoration and management of retained bushland areas.
Careful consideration was given to the design of the centre to ensure any disturbance to the natural vegetation was kept to a minimum. In addition, a detailed fauna management plan helped minimise impacts to fauna.
The project also took into consideration wetland preservation, best practice urban water management and drainage principles, and consideration and reduction of the impact of any lighting on nearby areas.
As part of an environmental offset package, vegetation adjacent to the centre was rezoned from recreation purposes to conservation estate and will be vested to the City of Canning.
A rehabilitation plan will help guide the ongoing management of this vegetation for conservation purposes, which will include the identification of areas suitable for infill planting and improved weed control.
The centre reference group had 12 members, including:
The reference group contributed ideas and suggestions, represented community inputs to the development and helped share the progress of the development within the community.