Football Federation Australia (FFA), the governing body for soccer in the country, has renewed its longstanding sponsorship agreement with Scentre Group-owned Westfield, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.

The two-year extension will see the shopping centre chain retain the naming rights to the Australian women's national team, who will continue under the nickname of the Westfield Matildas.

Additionally, the Australian company will remain as the title sponsor of the W-League domestic club competition, the women's youth national teams and the National Youth Championships for girls.

The deal marks the continuation of a partnership which began nine years ago.

Peter Allen, chief executive of the Scentre Group and owner and operator of Westfield in Australia and New Zealand, said: "We are proud to continue as the official partner of women's football in Australia, supporting women's football from grassroots to a national level.

"The profile and support for women in sport in Australia has come a long way since we aligned with the women's FFA in 2008. We hope this momentum continues as the determination, leadership and commitment shown by our female football players make them stand out as role models for young girls and women in our community."

"FFA has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Westfield since 2008," added David Gallop, chief executive of FFA. "We believe that women's football has enormous potential for growth and it's fantastic that Scentre Group shares this view as well. We are very excited that Scentre Group will continue supporting women's football in Australia and we look forward to working closely with Peter and his team into the future."