Newcastle snubbed as FIFA Women's World Cup training base camp

The city had already been overlooked for any games during the July-August tournament, despite the strong crowds the Matildas have consistently attracted when playing at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Newcastle was, however, among 35 cities short-listed in September as a dedicated training base camp site during the World Cup.

But it was not named when 29 locations were revealed on Monday.

Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes described the snub as "very disappointing", saying: "We have been told that they didn't want teams to travel more than an hour from Sydney".

Five in NSW were selected - three for Sydney and two on the Central Coast.

In Sydney, Campbelltown Sports Stadium will be home to the Republic of Korea, Valentine Sports Park at Glenwood the base for the French women's squad while Marconi Stadium at Bossley Park will host Colombia.

On the Central Coast, European champions England will be based at Central Coast Stadium with Germany to make Central Coast Sport and Recreation Complex at Tuggerah their home.

The Matildas, who feature Newcastle's Emily van Egmond and Clare Wheeler, revealed on Monday they would use Brisbane as their training base.

A record Newcastle crowd for a Matildas match of 20,495 turned out at McDonald Jones Stadium in November of last year to watch Australia draw 1-1 with world superpowers USA and Northern NSW has a rich footballing history.

Women's World Cup chief operating officer Jane Fernandez said the selection of team base camps marked another tournament milestone.

"Team base camps are hugely important to the FIFA Women's World Cup, offering them for the first time not only provides our teams with the very best environment to prepare for matches, but they also give local communities in NSW the opportunity to connect with the world's best teams," Fernandez said.

The opening match of the Women's World Cup is scheduled for Auckland's Eden Park on July 20. The Matildas play Ireland at the Sydney Football Stadium on the same night, kicking off one hour later.

The month-long tournament will feature 32 teams competing in 64 matches across Australia and New Zealand during July and August with seven games at the Sydney Football Stadium and four at Stadium Australia, including a semi-final and the final.

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