Capital Football has backed multi-million dollar plans to upgrade Viking Park if Canberra United is promised facilities and VAR capabilities.
But it also wants the next federal government to cough up money for its Home of Football project like it has in other states.
The Canberra Times last week revealed Liberal Senator Zed Seselja will push to upgrade United's home in Canberra's South.
He wants the government to increase Viking Park's capacity to 10,000 seats, plus hill areas and build new facilities. The 7000-capacity venue currently has just 1000 seats and demountable change rooms.
Capital Football chief executive Chris Gardiner said there were three key areas they wanted addressed through federal funding for United and soccer more broadly.
These included purpose-built facilities at the ground for United, video assistant referee camera upgrades to Viking Park - with VAR set to be introduced into the ALW's 2022-23 season - and federal funding for their Home of Football project.
"We hope that if there is expenditure there it will provide purpose-built facilities for female athletes," he said.
"And secondly, that it is used to bring the ground up to FIFA specifications because from next year it actually will have a problem for example with VAR technology, and won't meet regulations."
MORE IN CANBERRA SPORT:
- 'I never had my arm out': Ref drama causes chaos in Brumbies win
- Why Capital Football has been forced to delay NPL season
- High five: Queanbeyan's shot at cricket history
-
Why Canberra Olympian Kelsey-Lee Barber left the ACT
Another plan has also been backed to build a 20,000-seat world-class national convention centre and stadium complex in Civic as a priority nation-building project by independent Senate candidate David Pocock.
This, however, would likely have no effect on Wanniassa-based United.
Viking Park has primarily been used to host Canberra Vikings and Tuggeranong Vikings rugby matches in winter and United A-League Women's games in summer.
Ground owners, the Vikings Group, emphasised the upgrade was needed at Viking Park, especially to provide female-specific facilities for United and other users.
Senator Seselja's vision is unlikely to be delivered in time for the next ALW season to bring it up to FIFA standards for VAR.
United's boss said it was a bridge they were yet to cross.
"We haven't looked at that yet," Gardiner said.
"But it's something we have to consider there. I don't think actually many of the grounds other than [Canberra Stadium] would meet the requirements. It is a physical challenge in terms of where you have to set up the cameras for VAR."
Another area was the capital's Home of Football development. The federal government in 2020 committed $15 million towards the Home of the Matildas facility in Melbourne and in 2021 committed $16.25 million to Perth's State Football Centre.
No federal funding commitment, however, has been made to Canberra's project.
The majority of funding for the $33.5 million project comes from the ACT government ($29 million), with Capital Football providing the other $4.5 million.
Gardiner said securing federal funding for its project, in line with contributions to other states, would ease the financial burden.
He was hopeful it could be matched to help find a home for their counterparts, the Canberra Capitals, with no funding yet promised to solve the indoor venue crisis in the ACT.
"Capital Football will have to borrow its contribution to that and then meet the challenges of sustaining it," Gardiner said.
"Whereas something like a $5 million grant would solve that problem, and solve the problem for the Canberra Caps.
"The two screaming priorities in the ACT happen to be Canberra United and its Home of Football, and the Canberra Caps and a proper basketball stadium.
"And so, when you're talking to government about investing in sports infrastructure, two of the leading groups that should be considered happen to be parts of sport that are regularly overlooked - elite female infrastructure."
