Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (10:11): The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the biggest women’s sporting event in the world, and last week we welcomed the trophy to Wendouree. The 2023 tournament will be the first time the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in the Southern Hemisphere.

It was a very special day on Friday when the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour came to the Wendouree West recreation reserve, the home of the Forest Rangers Soccer Club. The trophy started its global tour in Melbourne in February and has connected with young players and fans around the world in 32 countries as a part of the journey.

It was such a great honour to host the trophy at the Wendouree West rec reserve, a place where young footballers now have the facilities to develop and improve their soccer skills. I am so proud of the world-class facilities that the Andrews Labor government has delivered with a $7 million investment, with additional support from the federal government and the City of Ballarat.

Thank you to Wadawurrung traditional owner Shannen Mennen for the welcome to country and smoking ceremony. To the incredible Forest Rangers, thank you for hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy tour and for so many club members, players, families and supporters coming along. Thank you to Minister Dimopoulos, FIFA, Football Australia and Visit Victoria for the opportunity to showcase Wendouree. We could not believe that the Wendouree-based Forest Rangers club was chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime event. It is testament to the culture of this very special club.

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