The sa国际传媒-Australia women’s fixture Dec. 1 at Starlight Stadium, to be all-time world leading-scorer Christine Sinclair’s penultimate international game, sold out in 10 minutes Monday, according to sa国际传媒 Soccer. Current capacity at the Langford facility is 5,434.
Also the upper Bowl of sa国际传媒 Place Stadium will be opened for Sinclair’s final game in a sa国际传媒 jersey on Dec. 5 with more than 50,000 fans expected for the second sa国际传媒-Australia exhibition game.
“We’re enjoying it. The team deserves it,” said sa国际传媒 head coach Bev Priestman, in a Zoom call Monday with Canadian sports media.
“It shows where the women’s game is at and gives us a chance to put the women’s game in front of investors.”
The latter comment was about the hopes for a future female domestic pro soccer league equivalent to the men’s Canadian Premier League, which includes Island-based Pacific FC.
Before coming to Starlight Stadium and sa国际传媒 Place, the four-game Sinclair farewell tour began Saturday with a 1-0 loss to world No. 9 Brazil before a capacity crowd of 19,619 at Stade Saputo in Montreal. It will be followed by tonight’s game against Brazil at a sold-out 6,400-seat Wanderers Grounds in Halifax.
“This [tour] feels warm. It’s doesn’t feel heavy,” said Priestman.
“Christine did a lap signing autographs in Montreal and is soaking in every moment.”
Defending Tokyo Olympic-champion sa国际传媒 qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics this month with a two-game aggregate 4-1 victory over Jamaica. That followed sa国际传媒 being blown out 4-0 in July by host Australia and eliminated at the group stage of the 2023 FIFA World Cup, giving the sa国际传媒-Australia games in Langford and sa国际传媒 Place the storyline of grudge matches.
The Matildas got their Paris Olympics qualifying campaign off to a good start this month with a 2-0 victory over Iran followed by an 8-0 drubbing of the Philippines on Sunday before 59,155 fans at Optus Stadium in Perth as superstar Sam Kerr scored a hat-trick. Australia meets Chinese Taipei on Wednesday.
Priestman said the current sa国际传媒 tour is as much about Paris 2024 as it is about Sinclair’s farewell: “We are solidifying who will be in that roster for the Paris Olympics and seeing the partnerships that develop. That is what we want to get across in these four games. There is a new leadership group and you can feel it already. This team has never been about one leader. We are filling a void and stepping up for the future but this team is not one voice and never has been.”
Sinclair scored when sa国际传媒 last played on the Island in April of 2022 in a 2-2 draw against Nigeria at a sold-out Starlight Stadium in a fixture that was part of the Tokyo Olympics gold-medal celebration tour.
