The Sam Kerr Football Centre is Western Australia’s world-class home for football — a premier facility designed to support grassroots participation, player development, and elite-level training and competition.
Renamed the Sam Kerr Football Centre in October 2023, the facility pays tribute to Kerr’s outstanding success in the football world, her contribution to professional and grassroots football, and the legacy she continues to leave in inspiring the future generation of footballers.
The WA Government has officially kicked off Stage 2 works on Western Australia's premier football facility with turning the first sod on the $4 million contract to expand the Sam Kerr Football Centre today.
The WA Government has awarded a $4 million tender to a local Western Australian company to begin an exciting new chapter for the recently opened Sam Kerr Football Centre in Queens Park.
Sam Kerr Football Centre named at community football festival to mark the facility’s official opening after a $50.8 million dollar infrastructure project managed by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC), jointly funded by the WA and Australian Governments.
One of the world’s best footballers — Perth’s very own Sam Kerr — and our national team the Matildas, will pull on their boots for the State Football Centre official opening later this month.
Located at Queen's Park Open Space in the City of Canning, the centre was jointly funded by the WA and Australian governments, with the State contributing $34.55 million through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and the Australian Government $16.25 million.
The 16-hectare site includes 2 full size elite pitches, 3 five-a-side playing pitches, tiered seating for approximately 700 spectators, change room facilities, office and meeting room spaces and car parking.
Designed to international standards, the centre served as a training ground for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM, hosting teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti and Morocco. Construction began in February 2022 and reached practical completion in July 2023.
A $4 million stage two works expansion is currently underway to meet growing demand across all levels of the sport. These works include 2 new natural turf pitches, lighting, shade structures, fencing, and landscaping.
These upgrades will boost capacity for hosting community programs, development pathways, and elite competitions. Football participation in WA is on the rise, with growth across players, coaches and referees — including a 34% increase during 2024 in women’s participation alone.
Since opening in October 2023, the Sam Kerr Football Centre has established itself as a premier venue, hosting A-League Women’s matches, national championships, and international training camps.
With the stage two expansion scheduled for completion in early 2026, the upgraded centre will continue to be a hub for grassroots development, high-performance training and world-class competition, all in one facility.
The Sam Kerr Football Centre is co-managed by VenuesWest and Football West.
Football West has administration offices onsite and manages the venue’s training facilities and playing fields to support grassroots, community, and high-performance football programs.
VenuesWest own the asset on behalf of the WA Government and oversee the daily operation and maintenance.
The project included comprehensive Aboriginal heritage assessments, including site surveys and on-ground monitoring by Whadjuk representatives nominated by SWALSC.
While no known Aboriginal heritage sites were identified, an Aboriginal Reference Group was established through the Yunga Foundation to provide cultural guidance throughout the development.
Development of the centre aimed to increase the overall environmental value of the Queens Park Open Space site through better protection, restoration and management of retained bushland areas.
Careful consideration was given to the design of the centre to ensure any disturbance to the natural vegetation was kept to a minimum. In addition, a detailed fauna management plan helped minimise impacts to fauna.
The project also took into consideration wetland preservation, best practice urban water management and drainage principles, and consideration and reduction of the impact of any lighting on nearby areas.
As part of an environmental offset package, vegetation adjacent to the centre was rezoned from recreation purposes to conservation estate and will be vested to the City of Canning.
A rehabilitation plan will help guide the ongoing management of this vegetation for conservation purposes, which will include the identification of areas suitable for infill planting and improved weed control.
A dedicated reference group supported the project with community insights and feedback. It included:
This group helped shape the projects direction and foster community engagement throughout the development.