On Friday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) awarded Shepparton the hosting rights to round one of the AFC under-20 Women's Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers.
The decision will bring the Young Matildas and their challengers to the Goulburn Valley's McEwen Reserve next March.
The successful bid involved Football Federation Australia, Greater Shepparton City Council and Cessnock City Council - which will host the under-17 Women's Asian Cup 2022 first-round qualifiers.
“On behalf of the Australian football community, I would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to the AFC for granting Australia the hosting rights for these important youth women’s football tournaments, which will be held next year,” FFA chief executive James Johnson said.
“We are excited that our future stars will have the chance to play for Australia on home soil and to showcase their talent in front of friends and family.
“It's also our great pleasure to bring international football to the communities in Cessnock and Shepparton and we hope to provide more opportunities for Australian communities, particularly those in regional areas, to share in the spectacle of the world game.
“We are looking forward to working with the Greater Shepparton City Council and Cessnock City Council to host these important fixtures for the Westfield Young Matildas and Westfield Junior Matildas.”
The Young Matildas will find out which Asian nations they face when the official draw is conducted later this year.
Greater Shepparton City Council chief executive Peter Harriott said he was excited to welcome the next string of international stars to the region.
“We are very excited for Greater Shepparton to be one of the first Australian cities to see the return of international events and welcome these top athletes to our region,” Harriott said.
“Our community has a proud football history and we pride ourselves on investing in world-class facilities that allow for elite events to be held in our own backyard.
“It will be an amazing experience for our local aspiring athletes to witness the country’s very best junior women’s footballers go up against Asia’s best at the Shepparton Sports City precinct next year.”
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