Port Melbourne Sharks President Bill Romanovski: “It’s horrendous what’s happened here – the facility was selected and now it’s not”

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JL Murphy Reserve
Image provided by Port Melbourne Sharks

Historic National Premier Leagues Victoria side Port Melbourne Sharks have seen their successful application to be a training venue host for the upcoming 2023 Women’s World Cup unexpectedly retracted by the City of Port Phillip Council (CoPP).

A statement issued by the Sharks and former A-League Men’s midfielder George Mells sparked significant uproar from the Australian football community over the weekend, referring to recent challenges that have been faced by Port Melbourne.

As Mells outlined, Port Melbourne were initially announced by FIFA as a successful applicant to host a women’s international side for the tournament next year. Their bid was further supported by assurances provided by CoPP of their intention to invest in Port Melbourne’s facilities at their home ground, JL Murphy Reserve, and to bring their pitches up to the standard needed to keep women and girls playing sport, particularly with the sharks fielding a senior women’s side themselves.

CoPP had agreed to accepting conditions and had three years to put required upgrades into place that added up to $700,000. However, CoPP unexpectedly withdrew their interest last week without alerting Port Melbourne. In addition, Port Melbourne have been advised that further upgrades to the remaining pitches has been pushed back 3-6 years with no clear deadline set in what comes as an unprecedented blow for the club whose need for facility upgrades stretches back 20 years.

Having coordinated and sought selection as a training venue host via an extensive collaborative process, it was seemingly assured that the City of Port Phillip Council were set to install the upgrades needed for Port Melbourne Sharks to accommodate an international side for the tournament.

“The Port Melbourne Sharks and City of Port Phillip Council worked collaboratively well together over a period of time to be successful in being selected as a training venue for the upcoming 2023 Women’s World Cup. Unfortunately, only three days ago via a quick catch-up meeting, I was informed that the facility had been removed as a training venue – much to my bemusement and surprise. I then had the unfortunate job of having to inform our women’s group that all of the hard work that was done has been taken away because of council’s decision to remove the venue as a training venue for the Women’s World Cup,” Club President Bill Romanovski said in an interview with Soccerscene.

Adding to the confusion and uncertainty of the situation is the fact that the City of Port Phillip Council have failed to provide adequate documentation to support the reasoning behind the removal of Port Melbourne as a venue host.

“We still haven’t had that information released to us. The information that I was given over last week’s Zoom meeting with CoPP was allegedly that FIFA supplied a report that had items to be attended to by the City of Port Phillip that weren’t able to be achieved. We’ve been asking for a copy of this report to be supplied by the council in which they haven’t be able to furnish us with. That would be the easiest way to discover what these items were, but the council haven’t been forthcoming,” Romanovski added.

“At our meeting on Sunday at the ground there were some of the councillors (including the mayor), and the women’s group and ourselves requested a copy of the report because we can then discover what these items were and why the council couldn’t do them.

“But to go back a bit, I’d be surprised if there were such onerous conditions imposed by FIFA because we were present in all of those meetings in regards to what had to be done for the facility, and the facility had to be maintained in order with the inspection that they carried out back in 2021. Then in January 2022 representatives from Labosport and FIFA informed council that they needed to continue with their ongoing maintenance to keep the ground and conditions suitable, and the council also agreed to upgrade and refurbish the changerooms to be far more female-friendly.

“Without a copy of this report that they relied on to make this decision, we’re a bit in the dark to be honest.”

To add further weight to Port Melbourne’s efforts to retain their spot as training venue hosts and to subsequently bring greater economic growth, foot traffic and jobs to the Port Phillip municipality during next year’s World Cup, a statement was released by Nina Taylor – Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Labor in the Southern Metro Region – reiterating the support of the Andrews Labor Government for Port Melbourne.

“This is a massive blow to the local community and the future of women’s sport,” the statement from Ms. Taylor read.

“Hosting as a training ground for the Women’s World Cup is a coup and it’s imperative Council decisions about JL Murphy Reserve are genuinely informed by the Port Melbourne community.”

The evident support of the Andrews Labor Government for Port Melbourne’s situation adds another layer of confusion to the CoPP Council’s decision, a facet Romanovski can attest to.

“As a football club and as a board, the Port Melbourne Sharks united and got behind our women’s group. We certainly rallied and supported them in their vision to make an application. We engaged with council and expressed that our women’s team really wanted to put forward our facility as a training venue, which would leave a legacy behind and improve some of our conditions on site so that we can engage with more women and young girls to play football, and they were very supportive.

“We worked tirelessly to deliver a great submission to FIFA which was accepted. The inspections were carried out and we were selected and announced as a successful bidder. On one hand the council indicate that they support women in sport and on the other hand they have ripped it away. I don’t want to make light of the issue because I think it’s horrendous what’s happened here – the facility was selected and now it’s not.

“It’s really disappointing also that council had plenty of time to sort funding even if there are conditions in respect to drainage and lighting requirements, the women’s group including the club made some enormous efforts to visit ministers and the Victorian government who we held very good meetings with. I can quote the Chief of Staff, ‘Get your council to apply for funding. Make an application’. I don’t know what further work our group could do to find that council did not seek any funding is extremely disappointing. It’s actually gut-wrenching.

“I feel for our women’s group. I feel for our community part of our football club. We won’t have the benefit of legacy of what could have been left behind as a result of hosting a Women’s World Cup team training at our ground.”

The 2023 Women’s World Cup will bring together 32 nations before a global audience of more than one billion people. In February this year it was announced that JL Murphy Reserve would be one of 13 venues across Australia, selected by the world body for football, to host as a training site. Undeniably, the financial benefit of the month-long tournament to a host council is clear and obvious.

“According to Mayor Marcus Pearl on Sunday he informed the women’s group, our members and myself that the council officers had received a report from FIFA and containing that report were onerous requirements. One being drainage, and the second one being upgrading of flood lighting. And as a result of the cost that they carried and the timing that they needed to carry it out they decided to pull out. It does surprise me that a council officer made that decision, it wasn’t the councillors or the mayor. The mayor was surprised that the decision had been made, but they made this decision based on a report that they had received. No one’s seen this report and it would surprise me that after all of these meetings that FIFA would change the goalposts so dramatically that our submission would become obsolete,” Romanovski said.

“It doesn’t only affect this football club; it affects the business community around Port Phillip. The cafés, pubs, hotels and retail outlets – the economic impact and flow-on effect of having a team here would be enormous. It’s surreal and doesn’t make common sense because due process hasn’t been followed.

“Our membership got right behind this initiative. Within our football club we raised enough money to refurbish the club house because council didn’t have the funds to do it. We rallied and raised the funds to install an electrical scoreboard because it presents better to not only our football club but to FIFA, and I think that work contributed to being successful bidders. And whilst the work doesn’t go to waste because we have a new scoreboard and better clubhouse, the bigger picture is missed.”

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Why Australia is unlikely to host a Men’s World Cup in the near future

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Image credit: Football Australia

In December of last year, Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

This makes them the fourth country from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the tournament—following Japan and South Korea in 2002, and more recently, Qatar in 2022.

What stood out about Saudi Arabia’s selection, though, was the lack of competition—they ended up being the only country to submit a formal bid.

Australia, a fellow AFC member nation had initially expressed interest in hosting the 2034 World Cup, but with Saudi Arabia heavily investing in their bid and momentum clearly shifting in their favor, Australia chose to step back.

Instead, they redirected their focus toward hosting the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup—an event they were awarded in 2024—and the 2029 Club World Cup.

This isn’t the first time Australia has tried to bring the World Cup Down Under. Back in 2010, they launched a bid to host the 2022 tournament.

However, it ended in disappointment—they received just one vote in the first round, while Qatar controversially secured hosting rights under what many described as “suspicious circumstances.”

Now, 15 years after that failed bid, and with Saudi Arabia next in line to host, it seems increasingly unlikely that Australia will get a World Cup anytime soon. And there are several reasons why that might be the case.

Cost Factor

One of the major reasons Australia may not host a men’s FIFA World Cup in the near future is due to the enormous cost involved in staging the tournament.

According to Statista, Qatar spent a staggering $220 billion USD ($342 billion AUD) to host the 2022 World Cup, making it the most expensive edition in the tournament’s history.

This was largely due to Qatar needing to build much of the necessary infrastructure from scratch.

Even so, previous World Cups have still come with hefty price tags.

Russia spent around $11.6 billion USD ($18 billion AUD) to host the 2018 tournament, while Brazil’s 2014 World Cup cost about $15 billion USD ($23 billion AUD).

In fact, the last men’s World Cup to cost under $1 billion USD ($1.56 billion AUD) was the 1994 tournament held in the United States.

In contrast, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup—co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand—had a far more modest price tag.

According to FIFA’s bid evaluation report, the tournament was expected to cost around $150 million AUD, with just over $100 million AUD contributed by governments.

Not only does the Women’s World Cup cost significantly less to host, but many of the stadiums and infrastructure acceptable for the women’s tournament would fall short of FIFA’s stricter requirements for the men’s event.

To meet those higher standards, Australia would need to make substantial upgrades, adding further to the cost.

Beyond the economic risks, there’s also a broader question of national priorities.

Australia may ultimately decide that the billions required to secure and host a men’s World Cup could be better invested elsewhere—into areas that deliver more lasting and equitable benefits for the population.

For example, upgrading the nation’s public health system, affordable housing initiatives, education infrastructure, and climate resilience projects are all pressing needs that demand long-term funding and attention.

Investments in regional transport networks, Indigenous community support, and renewable energy development could arguably provide a stronger return on investment in terms of social and economic outcomes.

Given these competing priorities and the immense cost of hosting, Australia may find that the pursuit of a men’s FIFA World Cup is a luxury it simply can’t justify—at least not in the foreseeable future.

Rival Interest

Rival nations within the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) would play a major role in limiting Australia’s chances of hosting a Men’s FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and the competition to host it is incredibly fierce.

Countries go to great lengths to secure hosting rights, especially within the AFC, where Arab nations in particular have been extremely proactive.

One major factor is the concept of sportswashing—the practice of using sports to improve a country’s global image, often as a way to divert attention from human rights issues or political controversies.

This has become especially common in the Middle East over the past decade.

Between early 2021 and mid-2023, Saudi Arabia alone reportedly spent $6.3 billion on sportswashing efforts, including around 300 sponsorship deals.

Their investments span across numerous sports: boxing, motorsport, snooker, golf, ATP tennis, cricket, and even the America’s Cup sailing regatta.

However, football has been their biggest focus.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s top-tier football league—the Saudi Pro League (SPL)—has emerged as Asia’s most high-profile domestic competition.

This rise in prominence has largely been driven by the league signing world-famous players to extremely lucrative contracts.

The most notable example is Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the most recognisable athlete on the planet, who joined Al Nassr on a deal reported to be worth around $207 million USD (approximately $322 million AUD) per season.

But Saudi influence in football isn’t limited to their domestic league. They’ve also hosted major international club competitions.

For instance, five of the last six editions of the Supercopa de España—a tournament featuring the top Spanish clubs—have been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.

Now it’s not just the World Cup, looking at the AFC Asian Cup, the premier men’s international football tournament in Asia, three of the last four editions were hosted by Arab nations.

Qatar alone hosted it twice during that period and Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2027 edition.

So, Australia faces stiff competition within the AFC for the rights to host a World Cup—particularly from wealthy and politically influential Arab nations that have a proven track record of securing major football events.

The last FIFA World Cup (2022) was held in Qatar, and the next AFC host is Saudi Arabia and based on the current pattern, it wouldn’t be surprising if another Arab nation—such as the UAE—secured the next opportunity after that.

Location

One major factor that could affect Australia’s chances of hosting a men’s FIFA World Cup is its geographical location.

Because Australia is so far from Europe and the Americas—where most of the global football audience is—many matches would air at inconvenient times in those regions, potentially lowering TV viewership.

This issue was already evident during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

According to FIFA, the final between Spain and England reached 222.02 million viewers.

That’s a noticeable drop compared to the 2019 final in France, where the USA faced the Netherlands and drew 263.62 million viewers.

A decline like this in viewership could make FIFA and its broadcasting partners think twice about holding a men’s World Cup in Australia.

Speaking of broadcasting, broadcast rights are another concern with time zone differences potentially reducing the value of international broadcast deals, since matches wouldn’t air during prime hours in key markets.

In fact, ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, FIFA reportedly missed its target for selling broadcast rights by about $100 million USD ( $155 million AUD), according to the Wall Street Journal.

FIFA had hoped to bring in $300 million USD ($466 million AUD), but only managed around $200 million USD ($310 million AUD).

It even reached a point where FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned of a possible TV blackout across Europe unless broadcasters increased their offers.

All of this shows how Australia’s remote location could seriously impact global viewership and broadcasting revenue, making it a tougher sell as a host for a future men’s World Cup.

Conclusion

So, in light of these financial, geopolitical, and logistical challenges, it’s clear that the odds of Australia hosting a FIFA World Cup remain firmly stacked against them—making another failed bid not just possible, but increasingly probable.

Given the significant financial demands, complex geopolitical dynamics, and substantial logistical hurdles involved, it becomes increasingly evident that Australia faces an uphill battle in its pursuit of hosting a FIFA World Cup.

These compounding challenges not only diminish the likelihood of a successful bid in the near future, but also raise the probability that any renewed attempt could end in yet another disappointment.

Elevating Aintree Football and grassroots sports

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Image credit: Football Victoria

Football Victoria has acknowledged Melton City Council for the official opening of the $15.3 million Aintree North Recreation Reserve — a pivotal investment in community sport and active recreation that will serve the area’s growing demand for football and broader sporting participation.

In April, City of Melton Mayor Cr Steve Abboushi and State Member for Kororoit Luba Grigorovitch MP officially unveiled the reserve, which is positioned to play a central role as a district-level facility in Melbourne’s west and will accommodate a range of local sports groups, including football clubs.

City of Melton Mayor Cr Steve Abboushi described the reserve as a transformative development for the local community.

“Spaces like these make it easier for people of all ages and abilities to take part in regular exercise, social connection and outdoor activity,” he said via press release.

“I’d like to thank the Victorian Government and Woodlea for their contributions to this fantastic project.”

The state-of-the-art reserve features premium soccer pitches, an inclusive play area, a youth-focused skate park, a jogging track with a fitness trail, an off-leash dog park, public restrooms, a network of shared pathways, and a contemporary community sports pavilion.

The project was supported by a $11.9 million investment from Melton City Council, alongside a $2 million contribution from the Victorian Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund and an additional $1.46 million from developer Woodlea.

Josephine La Pila, Football Victoria’s Club Development Program Manager, expressed support for the reserve’s opening and commended the commitment to enhancing community football facilities.

“This precinct is a fantastic example of local government, developers and state partners working together to support grassroots football,” she said via press release.

“The facilities at Aintree will open new doors for clubs, players and families – especially in such a fast-growing area. We’re excited to see the positive impact it will have on participation, development and community connection.”

Football Victoria is excited to maintain its partnership with the City of Melton and local clubs, working together to establish the new reserve as a flourishing centre for football and community sports.

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