Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck hopes the ACT government reconsiders its decision to withdraw from Australia's women's World Cup bid, lamenting the lack of a "genuinely national" proposal.
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The federal government and FFA is finalising its submission to host the 2023 World Cup, with the NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australian governments throwing their support behind the campaign.
But the ACT has decided to skip the process, citing significant costs and a potential stadium schedule clash as the major reasons for opting not to invest.
Colbeck admitted he was disappointed the capital will not be a part of the official papers submitted to FIFA next month as Australia aims to secure hosting rights.
He urged ACT government officials to reconsider their stance and said the door was open for them to change their minds.
"It would have been better if it was genuinely a national process,"
"There's still an opportunity for them to come back and talk to us. We're still working on the bid documents at the moment and if they want to get involved, there's the opportunity for them to come back and have a conversation.
"I'd certainly encourage them to do that. One of the really good things about an event like this is that it provides enormous inspiration for young people to see their sporting idols playing on home soil.
"Young people here in the ACT won't get that opportunity if the ACT don't participate.
"With the growth in women's sport, with the position of the Matildas at a global level, it's a really exciting opportunity.
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"From my point of view, I want every junior Australian soccer player to have that opportunity [to see them]. That's what [Canberra] will miss out on."
A study into the emotional connection between fans and teams earlier this week revealed the Matildas were the No. 1 supported team in Australia.
The government said it decided to redirect the money which would have been used to fund the World Cup, which could lead to more regular Socceroos and Matildas matches in Canberra.
The government is also spending $20 million to build a "home of football" at Throsby, which included hosting rights to at least one Matildas match. The Matildas haven't played in Canberra since 2013, but they could schedule a match for early next year.
Meanwhile, Colbeck said there had been no movement on the future of the AIS site at Bruce and the potential sale of part of the 65 hectare campus.
"We're still working on the concepts of that," Colbeck said.
"We'll see little bit more in terms of discussions with athletes and sporting codes in terms of how we get the right input for that process."