Napier remains in contention as a training site for the Women's World Cup, despite missing out on hosting a match. Photo / Paul Taylor
Napier remains in contention as a training site for the Women's World Cup, despite missing out on hosting a match. Photo / Paul Taylor
Napier remains in contention to be a training site for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, despite missing out on the opportunity to host a match in the four-yearly football spectacle.
Fifa revealed the host cities for the football competition in New Zealand and Australia on Thursday, with Auckland (EdenPark), Wellington (Wellington Stadium), Hamilton (Waikato Stadium) and Dunedin (Dunedin Stadium) chosen to host matches.
New Zealand and eight other countries initially indicated interest to host the World Cup, before merging the New Zealand entry with Australia after the number of competing teams was expanded to 32.
Napier City Council event manager Kevin Murphy said when bidding alone, Napier's McLean Park was one of six venues chosen to host a match at the World Cup.
Murphy said after the expansion of teams, McLean Park was dropped as an option, mainly due to travel access in and out of the city.
"If the teams are going to be doing lots of travelling between here and Australia, it's likely Fifa would want to have regions that have quick access to international flights," he said.
NCC event manager Kevin Murphy said when bidding alone, Napier's McLean Park was one of six NZ venues chosen to host a match. Photo / Paul Taylor
McLean Park, which hosted seven matches at the 1999 Fifa Under-17 World Cup, has a capacity to hold 19,700 spectators.
Auckland's 50,000-seater stadium at Eden Park will host the opening game of the tournament, while both New Zealand and Australia will each host a semifinal.
Stadium Australia in Sydney will host the final, with Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth the other Australian host cities.
However, Hawke's Bay will likely act as a team training base for one international team.
"The good news is we are still in contention to be a training site," Murphy said. "We will know more about that in June."
In June 2020, New Zealand and Australia won the bid to host the tournament after receiving 22 votes, while Colombia earned 13.
Neither country has previously hosted a senior Fifa tournament.
New Zealand Football president Johanna Wood said the country can look forward to welcoming the world's best athletes and their supporters to New Zealand in 2023.
"We have, and will continue to, work with our partners to deliver the biggest, most exciting and best tournament to date," she said.
"The legacy of Fifa Women's World Cup 2023 starts now and will go on to leave a lasting impression on women's sport across both countries and the wider Asia-Pacific region."
This will be the first Women's World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first senior Fifa tournament to be held in Oceania and the first Fifa tournament to be hosted across multiple confederations (with Australia in the AFC and New Zealand in the OFC).
