AFL Queensland today announced that Mackay will host the Gold Coast SUNS and Brisbane Lions women's teams for a Queensland Women's Winter Series (QW Winter Series) match on 23 June.

Fiona McLarty, Gold Coast SUNS Head of Women's Football, made the announcement today at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Harrup Park, ahead of the Gold Coast SUNS v Western Bulldogs JLT Community Series Match on Sunday.

"I'm really excited to be here in Mackay today to announce that the Gold Coast SUNS and Brisbane Lions women's teams will be playing in a match as part of the Queensland Women's Winter Series on June 23 at Great Barrier Reef Arena at Harrup Park, here at this magnificent facility."

"Mackay is such an important region to us for the club as a whole, but in particular the women's team as we develop and lead up to AFLW in 2020. There’s lots of talented players here and it’s a great opportunity to bring one of our games to North Queensland" she said.

The QW Winter Series is a major part of the 2019 AFL Queensland Women's High Performance Strategy, which aims to provide regular access for the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast SUNS to develop current and future AFLW players. Three games will be held from May to July between the two Queensland sides.

Kath Newman, AFL Queensland- State Female Talent Manager, said that, "growing and developing the talent pool for AFLW clubs is a major focus for our program."

"The QW Winter Series teams will be made up of current and prospective AFLW players."

"By providing opportunities for elite female players to develop their skills during the winter  we are aiming for the QAFLW to become the preferred high performance competition for talented female players" she added.

The remaining two QW Winter Series fixtures will be announced in coming weeks.

Tickets for the Gold Coast SUNS v Western Bulldogs JLT Community Series match at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Harrup Park, are still available through ticketek.com.au.