THE Bahrain national football team have finalised its preparations for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asia Cup in Australia.
The team will be based in Ballarat, a regional city in the State of Victoria.
The team will land in Ballarat in December this year for a pre-competition camp as part of training preparations for the showpiece tournament, which is the biggest sports event in Asia.
The team will spend 16 days training at the new Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility from December 22 to January 7, 2015.
Michael Brown, CEO of AFC Asian Cup Local Organising Committee, praised Bahrain’s planning and Ballarat’s passion for the Asian Cup 2015.
“Bahrain is now officially the first nation to commit to a pre-competition training camp and we congratulate them on their foresight,” said Brown.
The announcement was made by Victorian premier Denis Napthine and Mayor of Ballarat Joshua Morris along with ‘Back the Bid’ Ambassador Steve Moneghetti, an Australian sporting icon, in Ballarat.
John Butler, Victorian Commissioner to the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, also joined Hafedh E Al Dosary, executive board member of Bahrain Football Association, at the Soccerex Asian Forum currently running in Jordan to officially announce the partnership.
Highlight
“Hosting the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 will be a highlight of Melbourne and Victoria’s major events calendar next year, showcasing Victoria as a vibrant economic, sports and multicultural hub to the rest of the world,” said Dr Napthine.
“Victoria is excited to host the Socceroos in the opening match of the biggest sports event in Asia – the AFC Asian Cup 2015.
“Ballarat is the first Australian venue to secure a pre-competition training base for a national team and this is great news for the region. It will no doubt give an international profile to what is one of Australia’s very best regional cities.”
Morris said the agreement was a vote of confidence to the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility and demonstrated the benefits of establishing a world-class facility.
“We know Ballarat is at the top of the ladder when it comes to facilities and this decision by Bahrain highlights what a great asset we now have here in Ballarat,” Morris added.
The Victorian Coalition Government contributed A$3.1-million towards the A$5.6-million development of the Ballarat Regional Football Facility.
The 2015 tournament will kick off in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, with the opening match featuring the Socceroos versus Kuwait on 9 January, followed by other group matches at the purpose built stadium.
Following the opening match, 32 matches featuring 16 teams from the Asian region, including the Socceroos, will be hosted across five cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.
The AFC Asian Cup 2015 is supported by the Federal Government and the Victorian, New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory governments.
For more information about the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015, or to purchase tickets visit www.afcasiancup.com