The Mercury can reveal that the Australian women’s football team, the Matildas, will travel to Wollongong for a training camp starting on March 22.

Coach Tom Sermanni yesterday said the intensive schedule will start building the platform for their campaign to qualify for the 2015 World Cup in Canada.

The announcement of the Matildas’ arrival comes after Hockey Australia earlier confirmed that the national men’s side, the Kookaburras, would play a three-game series against China at Unanderra.

In a bumper seven days of sport, Kembla Grange will also host its Sensational Sunday program on March 25, including the Keith Nolan Classic.

Sermanni said that hosting the Matildas camp was recognition of the Illawarra Stingrays’ recent success, the emergence of Caitlin Foord as an international star and South Coast Football’s proactive push for a W-League licence.

‘‘It’s great exposure for young players to show there are pathways and achievable goals within women’s football,’’ Sermanni said.

‘‘The Illawarra has always been a very strong area for men’s football and it’s making great strides in the women’s game, in particular with their push for a W-League team.

‘‘We’re delighted to come down, it’s an important camp for us to map out some goals towards qualifying for 2015 and to bring some young players into the squad.

‘‘We’ve seen just how much of a success young players like Caitlin Foord have been.’’

Foord was named the young player of the year at last year’s World Cup in Germany.

The Matildas will have three training sessions, including one involving Illawarra juniors and Stingrays players on Saturday, March 24.

They will also play an exhibition game at a venue yet to be confirmed on the same day the Keith Nolan Classic will be run at Kembla Grange.

The Kookaburras, chasing Olympic glory, will play a three-game series against China, starting on March 24.

Albion Park junior Kieran Govers is chasing a place in the final Australian squad, to be named in June, before the London Games in July and August.

Sermanni said the Matildas’ arrival would only help South Coast’s W-League ambitions.

‘‘We like to take our national team camps and events to different areas if possible,’’ the coach said.

‘‘The thing we know about Wollongong is they’ve been very proactive in encouraging us to go there.

‘‘They’ve been pushing very hard for a W-League team, they want to get in there and it’s another step for them to be involved in the national team activities,’’ Sermanni added.