Canberra United to return to McKellar Park for upcoming A-League Women's season

After two years at Viking Park in Wanniassa, the side is back on the move and preparing for a McKellar Park homecoming.

It was the site of the club's inaugural home match and their 2012 grand final victory over the Brisbane Roar.

It's a move Canberra United chief executive Chris Gardiner is confident will allow the team to enjoy a successful season in the national competition.

"We are delighted to be able to bring matches back to McKellar Park for the new A-League season 2023-2024," Gardiner said.

"The venue has been a favourite with both our players and our supporters throughout the years and provides everything that we need for a top-class professional matchday experience both on and off the field."

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The A-League women's competition was considering introducing video assistant referee requirements for all teams and venues this year, but prohibitive costs and the state of some venues led to the plans being cancelled.

Canberra United would have likely needed to play at Canberra Stadium if the VAR was introduced, but they have been cleared to return to McKellar.

It does, however, highlight a shortage of suitable grounds in Canberra.

The long wait for a new stadium is set to continue after Chief Minister Andrew Barr stated it was not a priority in post-budget comments last week.

Venues for women's sporting teams in particular are in short supply.

The UC Capitals remain without a permanent home - the AIS Arena closed indefinitely in 2020.

The side played at the National Convention Centre last season, but the venue was unavailable for the finals.

That forced the Capitals to utilise Tuggeranong Stadium for the vital games.

Canberra United also ventured south in recent years, with McKellar Park unavailable due to COVID in 2020-21.

It wasn't the first time the club had played at the venue and Gardiner said it was a period the team will remember fondly.

"I would like to put on record our thanks to the Vikings organisation for the use of their facilities," Gardiner said.

"The pitch was one of the very best in the competition and we thank the club and their ground staff for making us feel at home."

The finalisation of a home ground for the upcoming season comes as the A-League Women continues to make giant strides.

The competition will expand to 11 clubs this summer, with the addition of Western United, before Central Coast join a 12-team league next year.

Twenty rounds will be played this season, with the A-League Women to complete a full home-and-away draw in 2023-24.

The season will commence in November, with the exact fixtures to be released in the coming months.

Incoming coach Njegosh Popovic has made a number of player signings of late.

It's a group headlined by Grace Jale, Grace Taranto and Rebecca Burrows. The likes of Chloe Lincoln and Hayley Taylor-Young have also re-signed with Canberra United in recent weeks.

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