Matildas winger Cortnee Vine says shifting Australia’s Women’s World Cup opener from Allianz Stadium to the 83,500-seat Accor Stadium in July would yield an “insane” atmosphere and be a massive boost for players.
Speaking at the launch of the official FIFA 2023 World Cup ball in Bondi, Vine responded to the moves being made by Football Australia and FIFA to re-locate Matildas’ opener against Ireland.
As revealed by the Herald, FIFA and FA have been working behind the scenes to take the tournament’s first match in Australia on July 20 from Sydney’s newest stadium in Moore Park to the city’s largest venue in Olympic Park, and the swap is set to be confirmed in coming weeks.
The initial batch of tickets for Allianz sold out almost immediately, but Accor’s 83,500-seat capacity will mean almost 40,000 more people the chance to attend. It would not only represent the Matildas’ biggest ever crowd, but it would also be the second-biggest crowd in Women’s World Cup history.
“The bigger the crowd the better. You want the Aussies behind you as much as you can. Being a Sydney player, I love Allianz of course but Accor … that would be insane, with 80,000 fans.
“I just don’t know what it would feel like, if I get to experience it. I can’t even hear myself think with 25,000 so anything bigger, that would be absolutely incredible. You’d never forget a night like that.”
A 4-metre replica of the offical ball for the upcoming 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup hangs over Bondi.Credit:Brook Mitchell
Vine is one of a handful of W-League players vying for selection in the Matildas’ World Cup squad, after debuting last year and earning three caps under Tony Gustavsson.
With many of the Aussie team’s marquee stars now plying their trade in England and France – including Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso – Vine was given the duties of helping reveal the ball that will be used in the Women’s World Cup, being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The ball, manufactured by adidas, is called the ‘Oceaunz’ and with blue and green colours, was designed to reflect the connection both Australia and New Zealand have with water and the natural environment. The ball also features designs and patterns acknowledging the First Nations people of Australia and New Zealand.
Very similar to the Al Rihla ball made by adidas for the men’s World Cup in Qatar, the Oceaunz ball also contains a built-in sensor chip that – in combination with 12 tracking cameras at the stadium – helps officials during the game, including for “semi-automated offside technology”.
Cortney Vine and New Zealand’s Claudia Bunge head the Oceaunz ball to each other at Bondi.Credit:Brook Mitchell
The Oceaunz ball is the ninth consecutive ball created for the Women’s World Cup by adidas, who have made every ball for the women’s game’s peak tournament since it began in 1991 and every ball for the men’s World Cup since 1970.
The common black-and-white ball with pentagonal designs, known as the Telstar, was created by adidas for the 1970 World Cup, and the Aztec ball – made famous by Maradona’s hand of God – is also well-known.
The ball floats over Bondi Beach.Credit:Brook Mitchell
Most World Cup balls fade into obscurity, unless they become known for the wrong reasons. The Jabulani, used in the 2010 World Cup, attracted controversy for having a wobbly ball flight.
World Cup organisers will hope there were no omens attached to a wobbly landing of the Oceaunz ball at a spare-no-expense launch on the southern headland of Bondi on Tuesday.
A helicopter towed a 4-metre replica ball across the Harbour and Bondi Beach before depositing it on a platform at Marks Park, and handlers did well to wrestle the giant ball into place as downdraft blew it around for a few nervous moments.
The Telstar ball being used in 1970.Credit:AP
“This one is special. It looks so cool, I had the pleasure of having a kick and it feels great. It looks great,” Vine said. “So hopefully I get the chance to kick it around on the world stage. That’d be really cool.”
Vine is hoping the vibe in Australia surrounding the men’s World Cup last year, where the Socceroos stunned many by making the round of 16, can continue this year on home soil.
“The public response was awesome,” Vine said. “They set the standard really, for the women’s World Cup this year. They went out and showed what Aussies are all about and they showed a lot of people they could be up in the top tier, if results went the other way.
“They showed us we need to go out with the same mentality, and if we work as a team and fight like Aussies do, we can get through and do well.”
