FIFA held a special send-off event in Melbourne on Saturday to mark the start of the FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy Tour.

The celebration took place in the shadow of the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, which will host six matches during the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Trophy Tour will make its first official stop in Japan on February 25-26.

The send-off event coincided with the arrival of the Unity Pitch, which was in Melbourne for the day and will tour all nine host cities ahead of the start of the tournament.

Female Football Freestyle world champion Lia Lewis was on hand to help open the Unity Pitch by inspiring dozens of youngsters in attendance with an astonishing display of her skills before passing on her tips.

As the Trophy Tour's dedicated skills coach, Lewis will set skills drills over the coming weeks and months to her more than 3.9 million followers on TikTok, as well as across FIFA's social media and FIFA+, giving women and girls worldwide the chance to join the fun.

"Before freestyle football, I was a ballet dancer. I did 18 years of ballet, five years ago, thinking back, I couldn't kick a ball. Five years later, I can't believe I'm here," Lewis said.

"This Trophy Tour is all about going beyond, and through the skills drills, we are making football accessible, creative and fun. Skills drills will showcase incredible women's talent and, more importantly, inspire women and girls worldwide to take part in something inspirational."

USA national team legend Kristine Lilly, the most capped international footballer of all time, was also in attendance, engaging with the youngsters and sharing her Women's World Cup experiences.

Speaking in anticipation of the tournament, she said: "The growth of the women's game and the support behind it has been incredible. To be at 32 teams in the World Cup is so great for so many reasons – for all these countries who haven't had the opportunity but now they do, it's incredible."

"The growth of the game and how many teams are going to be competing in this World Cup is going to create so much more hype and excitement and challenge those countries that have been there for a while. So, it's going to be exciting to watch the games and you can get your tickets now, so please do, and support the women's game."

The send-off event also included the unveiling of a special mural designed by New Zealand Football Fern, Hannah Wilkinson, in one of Melbourne's world famous laneways.

The FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy Tour will visit all 32 of the tournament's participating nations, and will return to Melbourne on June 14-16, inspiring people across the globe ahead of the big kick-off on July 20.

The Trophy Tour will make its stop in Manila on March 1-2.

• FIFA Women's World Cup trophy tour to make Manila stop in March

For information on FIFA Women's World Cup ticket sales, visit FIFA.com/tickets.

For more information about the tour route, visit FIFA.com/trophytour.

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