Capital Football numbers boom as World Cup, sponsor deals 'change the game'

Chief executive Ivan Slavich has started his mission to reinvigorate soccer in Canberra and player numbers are expected to jump by almost 20 per cent this year.

Capital Football is also still locked in talks with the ACT government about the development of a $34 million Home of Football at Throsby in the coming years.

It's unclear if the project is still on track to be complete by the middle of next year or if it will still be the home of a Canberra United women's and men's team for the coming seasons.

Slavich, who moved into the role at the start of the year, wants to enhance soccer's reputation as the strongest community sport in the city.

"We've now got funding to embark on initiatives that will assist junior football," Slavich said.

"We haven't planned exactly how we will use it because we want to get some feedback from the junior leagues in terms of what they're looking for.

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"But it could be things like coaching and football clinics, or something as simple as first-aid equipment. That's a big one, because we don't even have defibrillators at some of our venues.

"We're looking to inject more money into the sport and it's going to improve it on the field, but also the administration of it as well. There's been some past criticism of the administration, so the more money we can bring in, the more we can improve professionalism in both areas."

Construction company Project Coordination has jumped on board in part to help repair the building industry's reputation after the controversial collapse of PBS. The deal is understood to be a significant increase on Capital Football's past sponsorship arrangements.

Project Coordination managing director Gavin Murphy said he was saddened by the collapse of PBS Building and said the industry as a whole has faced challenges since COVID-19.

"Us and many of our subcontractors have been doing it tough," he said.

"We've been fortunate enough to navigate our way through it and although things are still pretty tight, we look around and we see a lot of the community organisations doing it even tougher.

"So for us to enter into what is a staged partnership and support the sport that I grew up playing, my dad grew up playing, my daughter's now playing ... certainly it's just feels like a great thing to do."

Soccer officials across the country are bracing for a wave of support ahead of the Matildas playing in a home World Cup for the first time later this year.

The ACT government opted not to bid to be a host city, citing the exorbitant match fees involved, but Slavich expects interest to still flow on to Canberra.

The A-League Men's expansion plans have also struck a chord, with elite male soccer set to make its return more than 20 years after the Canberra Cosmos went bust in the old NSL.

Registrations for the Kanga Cup are tracking upwards after its post-COVID return last year, while the junior Canberra competitions will begin in late April.

"We're already a big organised sport, and I'm confident that's going to translate into more numbers. That means we need more fields, more referees and to improve at every level," Slavich said.

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