Home of the Matildas, Bundoora

The Matildas may be scoring goals on the global stage but, in Australia, the 2023 World Cup hopefuls had no dedicated place to call home. That all changed in May 2021 when the Victorian government announced it was helping to fund the “Home of the Matildas” at the La Trobe University precinct in Melbourne’s northeast.

The ultra-modern facilities will house the national women’s soccer team and the State of Football Centre, a training, high-performance and administration centre for Football Victoria.

Stage one of the project delivered five pitches: one hybrid, one natural and three synthetic. And that’s where Joslyn Group, as the turf experts, came in. 

Joslyn Group, along with two of our trusted providers in Polytan (suppliers of the synthetic surface) and HG Turf (suppliers of the turf and hybrid systems), joined forces with construction company Minicon to form a powerhouse team capable of delivering the multimillion-dollar project for Football Victoria.

Our reputation in delivering FIFA-quality soccer fields – as well as being professional and easy to work with – confirmed Minicon's decision to partner with us. On high-profile projects like this, you need reliable and trustworthy people when inevitable site issues crop up. In this case, limited site access, logistics and managing the expectations of multiple subcontractors and trades on site all called for one thing: a cool head and lots of planning and communication.

With supply issues continuing to be a significant issue for the construction industry, we opted for high-quality Australian-made synthetic turf to ensure we could meet our tight schedule. 

One thing we couldn’t control, however, was the Melbourne weather – and our time on the Home of the Matildas saw us working in some of the wettest conditions we’ve ever experienced. It contributed to the soft ground needing stabilisation with lime and cement, which hardened the ground to a depth of 600 millimetres. With earthworks complete, we could then build an innovative hybrid pitch, a natural turf pitch and three synthetic fields – all with irrigation, fencing and retaining walls – to FIFA’s exacting standards. 

But wet weather won’t be an issue for the Matildas or for the international teams that visit Australia for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The installation of the vertically draining synthetic fields means liquid drains straight through the porous material, leaving a training surface that's water-free, whatever the weather.

“Victorian football has waited a long time for a project of this scale,” said Football Victoria President, Antonella Care. “[It’s] a development that truly matches the lofty ambitions we have for our game.” Following on from stage one, we can’t wait to see what’s next for women’s football in Victoria. 

•    End-to-end project management of civil works
•        Civil construction and earthworks
•        Natural, synthetic and hybrid turf
•        Irrigation system installation
•        Drainage

To find out how we can help you deliver a top-notch sports development, get in contact.