Gareth Taylor‘s side will be looking to go one better in the upcoming Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, while we’re also going for glory in the Champions League, FA Cup and Continental Cup.
In order to be in the best shape for that, we’ll compete at the Perth International Cup in August.
First we face Leicester City at the HBF Park on 28 August, before playing either Paris Saint-Germain or West Ham United at the Optus Stadium on 1 September.
We’ll have full coverage of those matches on mancity.com and our official app, including a live stream via CITY+.
We’ll also get and about in the city to see the best of what Perth has to offer.
Ahead of all that, we take a look at what you need to know about our home for the tour.
Capital
Perth is the biggest city in Western Australia and the state’s capital.
With a population of over 2.3 million people across the Greater Perth area, it’s the fourth most populous city in the whole of Australia behind only Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Origin
There is archaeological evidence that humans have lived in the area the current city of Perth sits on for at least 48,000 years.
The Noongar are the Aboriginal people who have lived in this region long before European contact was made with the region in the late 17th century.
Perth was formally announced as a city by Queen Victoria in 1856 before a mining boom later that century saw the population increase dramatically.
It was named after the county of Perth in Scotland, birthplace of Sir George Murray, then secretary of state for the colonies, and was proclaimed a city in 1856.
Out on its own
Perth is one of the most isolated major cities in the world, with the nearest city with more than 100,000 people more than 1,300 miles away in Adelaide.
In fact, Perth is closer geographically to Asian cities like Jakarta in Indonesia than it is to Sydney, Australia’s largest settlement.
Climate
Summers in Perth tend to last from December to March with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius common during this period.
However, City’s trip to Perth falls in the Australian winter which sees a more temperate high of 19 degrees and low of 10 degrees, with rain expected to fall on 12 days of the month of August.
Sports teams
Australian Rules football is the most popular spectator sport in Perth, with West Coat Eagles and Fremantle Dockers representing the city in the AFL.
When it comes to cricket, Perth Scorchers are part of the Big Bash League and Western Australia play state cricket.
Perth Glory are the outstanding football team in the area and the only Western Australia side in both the women’s and men’s A League.
Rugby union, field hockey and golf are also popular sports for fans in Western Australia.
Famous sportspeople
Two of Australia’s current leading lights in sport hail from Perth, with striker Sam Kerr even having a training centre named after her.
Daniel Ricciardo, a Formula One driver, was also born and raised in Perth.
Many of the nation’s most talented cricketers are from Perth, including Dennis Lillee, Rodney Marsh, Kim Hughes, Justin Langer and Mitchell Johnson.
Stadiums
The Optus Stadium - the venue for City’s second game on tour - is the largest arena in Perth with more than 60,000 seats, and the third largest in all of Australia.
Both West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers play their AFL games at the Optus, while the Australian cricket team and Perth Scorchers play cricket at the stadium.
It has previously hosted football on many occasions, including for the A League grand final as well as for previous tours by European teams.
HBF Park, where our first match will be, is also known as the Perth Rectangular Stadium - given most sports arena in Australia are oval shaped due to the prevalence of Australian Rules and cricket.
Perth hosted the 1962 Commonwealth Games at Perry Lakes Stadium, which was demolished in 2012.
Arts and entertainment
Perth is famous for its street art and festivals, including the Perth Festival and Fringe World.
The largest performance area within the State Theatre Centre, the Heath Ledger Theatre, is named in honour of Perth-born film actor Heath Ledger.
Performers raised in Perth include Tim Minchin, Lisa McCune, Troye Sivan, Sam Worthington and Isla Fisher.
AC/DC frontman Bon Scott was from Perth, while Kevin Parker of Tame Impala fame is famously from Western Australia’s biggest city and a huge fan of the Fremantle Dockers.
Kings Park
The Kings Park and Botanic Garden in the centre of Perth is a stunning park with over 3,000 unique flora, as well as being of rich cultural heritage with trails that demonstrate the lives of the Noongar people who have long called this area home.
Quokkas
Perhaps Perth’s most famous residents, around 10,000 quokkas live on Rottnest Island which is just off the coast.
The marsupial is so popular because of its incredible smiling face!
