Melbourne City FC’s Westfield W-League and Foxtel National Youth League teams will have a permanent match-day home at CB Smith Reserve in Fawkner, during the 2015-16 seasons.
The initiative was announced at state of the art venue on Wednesday, with Melbourne City CEO Scott Munn joining W-League and FNYL players and Moreland Mayor Cr Meghan Hopper.
CB Smith Reserve is considered one of the premier football facilities in Melbourne’s north, and provides both Melbourne City’s women’s and youth teams with a suitable home base for the upcoming season.
The Club’s W-League team will commence its inaugural campaign on Sunday 18 October in Sydney, before playing its opening match at AAMI Park in a blockbuster Melbourne Derby, against rivals Melbourne Victory in a curtain raiser to the Club’s first home Hyundai A-League match of the 2015/16 season.
Following this, all of City’s home W-League fixtures will be held at CB Smith Reserve, with two matches in November, one in December and two in January at the Fawkner venue.
Excitingly for Melbourne City FC members and fans, the Club will hold three W-League and NYL ‘double headers’ at CB Smith Reserve in 2015.
The opening FYNL match of the season will be held on Saturday 14 November against Perth Glory and will be a curtain-raiser to City’s W-League fixture against Adelaide United.
Melbourne City W-League Head Coach Joe Montemurro said CB Smith Reserve was an ideal facility for match day.
“The facility provides us with a fantastic, professional and state-of-the-art match day venue,” Montemurro said.
“It complements the exceptional training facilities we have at the City Football Academy and we thank Moreland City Council for developing partnership.”
Moreland’s Mayor Meghan Hopper said she was thrilled the teams had chosen to call CB Smith Reserve home for the 2015/16 season.
“The fact that we have two teams of such a high calibre using CB Smith Reserve speaks volumes about the quality of this facility,” Cr Hopper said.
“We look forward to working closely with Melbourne City FC to deliver development and skills programs for Moreland’s aspiring female soccer players throughout the season,” Cr Hopper concluded.
Melbourne City also unveiled its latest W-League player, Aivi Luik, at CB Smith.
An attacking midfielder, Luik returns to Melbourne after gaining considerable experience in European football with playing stints in Ukraine, Denmark and Iceland.
The 30-year-old demonstrated her goalscoring prowess in the UEFA Womens Cup with Ukrainian outfit WFC Naftokhimik, netting all three winners in the first qualifying round group during the 2008 season whilst on loan from American side FC Indiana.
Luik is no stranger to the W-League following spells with the Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory, and has made 16 appearances for the Matildas since making her debut in 2010.
Montemurro said he was delighted to secure the services of such an experienced midfielder ahead of the Club’s maiden campaign.
“We are delighted to have Aivi with us. She is a quality midfielder who likes to score goals and her experience from playing overseas will be a great benefit to the younger players in the squad,” Montemurro said.
Melbourne City FC Fixtures at CB Smith Reserve
About Melbourne City FC’s Westfield W-League Team
Melbourne City FC will compete in the Westfield W-League for the first time in the 2015/16 season. On Wednesday 13 May 2015, Football Federation Australia confirmed Melbourne City FC’s application for entry into the women’s domestic competition had been accepted. The W-League team is based at the City Football Academy, Melbourne, where it will train on the Club’s Academy Pitches at La Trobe University. Melbourne City FC appointed National Premier Leagues Head Coach Joe Montemurro as the Club’s W-League Head Coach, while the Club’s Game Development Officer and former Matilda Louisa Bisby will assume the role of Team Manager.
About Melbourne City FC’s National Youth League Team
Melbourne City FC also competes in Australia’s national youth development and reserve league. The league runs in conjunction with the A-League between October and March. Melbourne City FC’s team is led by former NSL and Socceroo Joe Palatsides, who is the Club’s Head of Academy Coaching. The Club won the 2014/15 season in dramatic circumstances, claiming the title by the margin of goals scored on the final day of the campaign.
