Players and officials from the Chinese women's football team have praised two of Newcastle's premier sporting facilities as they ramp up preparations for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup.
City of Newcastle provided the defending Asian Cup champions, known as the Steel Roses, with access to Darling Street Oval in Hamilton South and No.2 Sportsground in Newcastle West for their pre-tournament training camp.
Chinese women's national team Coach Ante Milicic, Cr Peta Winney-Baartz, Chinese national team Captain Wu Haiyan, Sophia Provost from Newcastle Olympic's Under 11 JDL side, City of Newcastle Executive Manager Community and Recreation Lynn Duffy and Chinese women's national team Assistant Coach Ivan Jolic at Darling Street Oval.Sports Infrastructure Working Party Chair Cr Peta Winney-Baartz said City of Newcastle is proud to play a part in the build-up to the AFC Asian Cup, which kicks off in Australia next month.
"Even though Newcastle missed out on hosting games, the defending champions have clearly seen the value of our facilities for their preparations," Cr Winney-Baartz said.
"City of Newcastle delivered a $3 million upgrade at Darling Street Oval in 2024 to ensure it was better equipped to cater for women's football.
"Our ground staff keep No.2 Sportsground in pristine condition with an incredible playing surface, giving the Steel Roses an ideal base to finalise preparations, complete on‑field training sessions and acclimatise ahead of the tournament."
The Chinese team held its first session at Darling Street on Saturday in front of a crowd of Newcastle Olympic Youth Team players, before signing autographs and interacting with locals.
The Steel Roses will spend the rest of the week training at No.2 Sportsground before relocating to Sydney ahead of their opening match against Bangladesh on 3 March at Western Sydney Stadium.
Assistant coach Ivan Jolic said City of Newcastle provided the perfect home away from home for the squad.
"We have everything we need to get our players ready to defend our title," Mr Jolic said.
"Our objective is firmly set on reaching the final of the Asian Cup and the two facilities we're using for our pre-tournament camp will give us the best possible chance of achieving that goal.
"There's so much riding on this tournament with the top six finishers automatically qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup, so our preparation needs to be flawless."
City of Newcastle is hoping quality facilities will encourage one or two international teams to choose the city as a home base for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup.
Executive Manager Community and Recreation Lynn Duffy said City of Newcastle staff do an amazing job keeping the grounds in great condition despite a hectic schedule.
"Our facilities are used year-round by local codes and also for major tournaments," Ms Duffy said.
"The Sydney Swans used No.1 and No.2 Sportsgrounds for training camps in November last year and were very impressed with the facilities. Just last week the No.2 facility was used as part of a promotional visit for the Rugby World Cup trophy.
"No.1 Sportsground hosted the Country NSW Cricket Championships and the Under 19 National Female Cricket Championships earlier this summer and the ground will welcome the Australian AFL Masters and Australian School Sport Championships later this year.
"No.2 will be the venue for the NSW Police Rugby League State Championships, NSW Country Rugby Championships, men's and women's City vs Country Junior Rugby Championships, and the men's and women's Australian Police Rugby Championships.
"That's on top of hosting the completion of the Newcastle Jets women's A-League campaign, followed by the Hunter Wildfires men's and women's seasons, as well as several grades of club rugby.
"We're constantly fielding enquiries from sporting bodies of all levels and across a variety of codes to utilise our facilities, which have earned a reputation as some of the best in the region."
