Mark Sampson’s side will take to the brand new, 7,000-seat ground on Thursday 9 April at 7:30pm GMT in what will be a final send-off for the Three Lionesses before they travel to Canada to face France (9 June), Mexico (13 June) and Colombia (17 June) in Group F.
Proud her country are to grace her new, state-of-the-art home, England and City captain Steph Houghton declared: “We’re really excited to be playing our final fixture before the World Cup in the north west.
“We know how much it helps to build support for the team when we travel round the country for matches and it’s great that fans in the local area will have the opportunity to come and see the England Women in action.
“I know first-hand what a fantastic stadium and facility it is so I have no doubt it will be a great night and I’m sure our supporters will be out in force ahead of the World Cup.”
Head Coach Mark Sampson echoed his skipper’s sentiments, stating: “The confirmation of the China match is a big positive for us. Not only will we face a strong opponent, but one from a continent with which we have limited experience against.
“The match will be a real challenge for the team. It also means after the China match we will have played 10 of the top 14 FIFA-ranked nations over the last 18 months, which gives the team a true sense of the quality of opponent they will face at the World Cup.
“The match is also last opportunity for the team to play in front of our supporters before the World Cup. We will be determined to put on a big performance and enjoy a positive send-off.
“We’re particularly looking forward to playing at the new Academy Stadium. It’s fantastic to see a club build a facility for women’s football and we’re pleased to support that by bringing a senior Women’s international there.”
Danny Wilson, Manchester City’s Director of Stadium Sales and Operations, agreed: “As a club that is passionate about developing women’s football, we’re delighted to be hosting the England v China women’s match.
The huge growth in popularity for the women’s game is a testament to the players and the fans who make it so special.
“It’s fitting our new 7,000 capacity Academy Stadium, which also serves as the home for our very own Manchester City Women’s Football Club will play host to what’s set to be a great game.
“We look forward to welcoming fans from across the country and the local community to City Football Academy this April.”
Tickets for the fixture are on sale now and are available via www.mcfc.co.uk/tickets or in person at the Manchester City box office at the Etihad Stadium.
Admission is priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for children. A family ticket (two adults and two children) is £10 and group booking discounts apply.
Groups bookings of 15 people or more are entitled to tickets at a reduced price (subject to availability). Click here for more details and information on how to book.
For more information please visit www.thefa.com.
MCWFC Seasoncards for 2015 are now on sale.
Priced at only £48 for adults and £30 for juniors, make sure you don’t miss out on securing your seat at the Academy Stadium for the new FA Women’s Super League campaign.
Full details can be found here.
Now it begins…
