Sally Shipard was joined by young players from Wagga United Football Club during the unveiling of her newly named oval. Photo: Chris Roe.
Former Matilda and Wagga football legend Sally Shipard has had her sporting achievements immortalised with the official unveiling of Sally Shipard Oval at Bolton Park.
The oval was nameless for nearly two years following Wagga Wagga City Council’s (WWCC) decision to remove former cricketer Michael Slater’s name from the ground in May 2024 due to domestic violence allegations. In April 2025, Slater pleaded guilty to seven charges, including two counts of choking a woman.
In December last year, Ms Shipard was picked by WWCC to replace Slater, with all nine WWCC councillors voting unanimously for Ms Shipard.
Ms Shipard began her junior football in Wagga Wagga with PCYC and Wagga United, and made her debut for the Matildas at 16 years of age, playing over 60 international matches.
She represented Australia at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, two FIFA Women’s World Cups, was part of the AFC Asian Cup-winning team in 2010, and was inducted into the Wagga Wagga Sporting Hall of Fame in 2015.
Community members joined in for the first game of football played on the new oval. Photo: Chris Roe.
After retiring from the sport, she reinvented herself as a qualified carpenter, overcame ovarian cancer and has raised funds and awareness for the disease.
This past Sunday (15 March), the Asian Cup winner was joined by members of the council and the Wagga public to officially unveil the new oval.
Sally Shipard has also been recognised at the Bald Archies, with artist Chris Roe dedicating his entry to Ms Shipard and the newly named oval. Artwork: Chris Roe.
Ms Shipard said she was both grateful and overwhelmed by the honour.
“I’m incredibly moved that the council decided that my name was worthy of being here on this oval,” she said.
“I have some incredibly fond memories of being here in Wagga, particularly at this field.
“Since the end of that career, my little brother and I were chatting about having played cricket on one of these pitches in a floral bucket hat, which was a nice little memory. And now we’re here, chatting amongst ourselves, honouring this oval being named after my sporting achievements.”
Born in Tumut, she grew up near Wollundry Lagoon and attended Wagga Public and then Wagga High.
Ms Shipard said the Riverina sporting community helped shape her morals and character, which led to her becoming a successful athlete.
“It’s so special to be back here in this space,” she said.
“I’m 12 years retired now, so my sporting career does feel like a long time ago, but the significance of hailing from Wagga, the community here in Wagga, the sporting community, friends, family, that was really the foundation of me as a human.
“Establishing myself as an athlete from this area is something I’ve always been incredibly excited by, the significance of a possible young kid playing on this oval, planting a seed that potentially, maybe their dreams might come true in a way that they did for me.”
Sally played in her backyard in Wagga. Photo: supplied.
Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga, Cr Dallas Tout, said naming the field after Sally Shipard is a great outcome for the oval.
“Sally is a positive representative of the City of Wagga Wagga. For a decade, she was a professional footballer, and she reached the highest level of her sport,” Cr Tout said.
“Sally has also done great things off the field, including advocating for mental health and raising funds and awareness for Ovarian Cancer Australia through her Get Your Kicks campaign in the Bega Valley, where she now lives, this year raising around $22,000.
“Along with the support from the community, it was an easy decision for the councillors and me to name the field Sally Shipard Oval.”
Sally Shipard Oval is located on the Tarcutta Street side of Bolton Park and hosts junior and senior sport, including football and cricket.
