The Westfield Matildas have arrived in Vancouver to begin their final preparations for next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The squad were greeted by a healthy media contingent and FIFA officials after the 15-hour direct flight in a sure sign the hype is starting to build ahead of the tournament.
After five months of carefully planned preparation including training camps and numerous matches including a six week European tour, to finally now be in Canada has brought an added air of excitement amongst the group.
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“I feel really good and am really excited to be here,” Westfield Matildas coach Alen Stajcic said on arrival.
“All of the anticipation of the preparation comes to fruition when you finally get here, so we’ll have a day or so to recover now and we just can’t wait to get on the training track and get stuck into the final preparations before we play the Americans.”
Australia’s first up match against the world’s second ranked nation USA is already creating a buzz and high level of interest.
Co-captain Clare Polkinghorne says the players are ready to embrace it as the buildup grows and they won’t be daunted by the huge challenges ahead.
“Obviously it’s a big start to the tournament for us but all of the girls are up for the challenge and we have had a good preparation ever since we qualified for the World Cup,” Polkinghorne said.
“A lot of hard work has gone into it and we know when we step out onto the field we’ll be ready.
“I guess the pressure increases a bit when you’re at a World Cup but this is what you train for and these are the tournaments every player wants to play in.”
The Westfield Matildas will spend 11 days in Vancouver before relocating to Winnipeg on 4 June, the location for the team’s first two matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™.
All matches from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™ will be live on SBS ONE, SBS HD and online, with the only exceptions being the concurrent group stage matches which will be streamed live online at www.sbs.com.au/theworldgame.
Westfield Matildas FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 Canada – Group Matches
USA v Westfield Matildas
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg (Kick-Off 6.30pm local, 9.30am AEST Tuesday 9 June)
Westfield Matildas v Nigeria
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg (Kick-Off 4.00pm local, 7.00am AEST Saturday 13 June)
Westfield Matildas v Sweden
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton (Kick-Off 6.00pm local, 10.00am AEST Wednesday 17 June)