Sporting history to be made with opening of Perth’s Optus Stadium
Ready to welcome fans to its first event - a community open day on Sunday – Perth’s new Optus Stadium is being acknowledged as one of the world’s most flexible stadiums.
The $1.6 billion, 60,000 seat venue - collaboratively designed by architecture firms Hassell, Cox and HKS - can accommodate athletics, cricket, football, Australian rules football, rugby league and union, and huge concerts and shows.
Located east of Perth’s city centre, the ground is the focal point of a new public Sports Precinct, designed by Hassell, that stretches to the banks of the Swan River.
Constructed as a large bowl, the stadium boasts five tiers, the largest stadia super screens in the southern hemisphere, and a lightweight fabric roof covers 85% of seats.
On the outside, its striking bronze facade uses anodised aluminium to reflect the state’s unique geology by day, while at night it will be illuminated by LED lighting.
Landscape design around the surrounding precinct is inspired by the six seasons of the local Indigenous people, while artwork recognises the ancestral homes of the 152 different language communities in Western Australia.
A range of recreation facilities, connected by walking and cycle trails, include an amphitheatre, children’s playgrounds, picnic areas, restaurants, bars, a boardwalk and a community sports oval that will be available for public use on non-game days.
The precinct, the stadium, the river and a purpose-built bus and train station are connected by a covered community arbour.
According to the architectural team, the design of the entire project “acknowledges Western Australia’s unique sporting, cultural and Aboriginal heritage”.
Optus Stadium will be home to Perth’s two AFL teams - the Fremantle Football Club and the West Coast Eagles - and the Perth Scorchers Twenty20 cricket team.
The first sporting event at the new venue will be a one-day cricket international between Australia and England on Sunday 28th January while the first AFL fixture will be between women’s teams Fremantle and Collingwood on 10th February.
For the AFL Womens game the Western Australian Government is offering reduced-price tickets and free public transport in a bid to attract the country’s biggest crowd for a standalone women’s sporting match.
At least 30,000 fans are expected, which would break the AFLW attendance record of 10,000, but if more than 41,000 travel to the game it will eclipse a national record that has stood since 1929.
Developed by the Western Australian Government, the Optus Stadium is managed by Venues Live, which also runs Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.
Image: Optus Stadium as at 1st January 2018.
4th January 2018 - WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ASSUMES OWNERSHIP OF PERTH’S OPTUS STADIUM
19th December 2017 - LOCAL BUSINESSES BENEFIT FROM NEW OPTUS STADIUM CONTRACTS
20th November 2017 - ONE DAY CRICKET INTERNATIONAL TO BE FIRST SPORTING FIXTURE AT PERTH’S OPTUS STADIUM
8th November 2017 - OPTUS SECURES NAMING RIGHTS FOR NEW PERTH STADIUM
7th November 2017 - AFL LOOKS FOR NEW PERTH STADIUM TO DRIVE 2018 ATTENDANCE RECORD
31st October 2017 - NEW PERTH STADIUM TO HOST 23 GAMES IN AFL 2018 PREMIERSHIP
20th October 2017 - WESTERN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND AFL AGREE NEW PERTH STADIUM MATCH DEAL
11th September 2017 - PERTH STADIUM TO OFFICIALLY OPEN WITH FREE COMMUNITY OPEN DAY
29th August 2017 - NRL DOUBLE HEADER SET TO BE FIRST SPORTING CONTEST AT NEW PERTH STADIUM
27th August 2017 - AFL FANS BID FAREWELL TO PERTH’S SUBIACO OVAL
23rd August 2017 - PERTH STADIUM PLAYING SURFACE INSTALLATION COMPLETED
19th July 2017 - POLLSTAR MID-YEAR RANKINGS SHOW AUSTRALIA’S OUTDOOR VENUES ECLIPSING INDOOR ARENAS
19th July 2017 - NEW PERTH STADIUM APPROACHES COMPLETION
6th June 2017 - FREMANTLE AND WEST COAST EAGLES AGREE PERTH STADIUM DEAL
