The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is bound to leave seven NRL clubs in without a home ground for up to a third of next year’s rugby league season.
As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, FIFA has exclusive use of Accor Stadium (Stadium Australia), Sydney Football Stadium, Suncorp Stadium and AAMI Park for up to nine weeks, from June to August next year.
The competition’s acquisition of the four venues will oust the Sydney Roosters, Canterbury Bulldogs, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Brisbane Broncos, Redcliffe Dolphins and Melbourne Storm from their homes for an extended period.
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The Wests Tigers’ Leichhardt Oval has also been listed as an official training venue for the tournament.
Under the agreement signed with FIFA when Australia and New Zealand won the bid for the 2023 World Cup, the venues will be relinquished four weeks before the first game at a particular ground.
As the locations will boast different stages of games, their out of action periods will differ depending on whether they host pool games or finals.
Due to the FIFA World Cup fixture, Suncorp Stadium will be booked out for nine weeks, AAMI Park for eight weeks, the Sydney Football Stadium for seven weeks and Accor Stadium for six weeks (of finals only).
The venues will remain under FIFA’s control for a further five days after the last game at a ground, however stakeholders are negotiating for this timeframe to be reduced.
“We are working with state governments, stadiums and impacted clubs about options that best suit them and their fans during the period where home venues are offline,” NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said.
“There will be additional complexities and challenges with next season’s draw, but the NRL and clubs will be innovative and work together as a game to ensure the best possible season continuity during this period.
“We’ll certainly be taking into consideration the stadium availabilities as we formulate the schedule for next year, but I’m sure all clubs will understand that there will be added constraints.”
The scheduling clash may also impact next year’s State of Origin series. The NSW Blues are due to host game three of the series, which was set to take place at Accor Stadium.
However, the Sydney Olympic Park venue, as well as the Sydney Football Stadium, will be unavailable for the match which is traditionally played in the middle of July.
Adding to the headache, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, it would not be possible to change the match from game three to game two as the NRL’s deal with the South Australian government for the Adelaide clash has to be for a live game, not a potential dead-rubber.
Switching with game one at Suncorp Stadium also won’t fix the problem because it the location will also be inhabited by FIFA.
The NRL is in conversations with the affected clubs to determine what the best way through is.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will commence July 20 and conclude with the final at Accor Stadium on August 20.