Perth Stadium

About

The Perth Stadium, also known as the Optus Stadium, is located in the Burswood suburb of eastern Perth and was officially opened on 21 January 2018. The Stadium is home to multiple teams including the West Coast Eagles who relocated from the Subiaco Oval in 2018.

Seating a capacity of over 60,000 people, the Optus Stadium is the third-largest stadium in Australia behind the MCG and Stadium Australia, and has housed over 2 million fans since it’s opening. The Optus Stadium can also expand its capacity to add an extra 5,000 seats for rugby and soccer games.

The stadium itself has won multiple awards and in July 2019 the Optus Stadium was voted the Most Beautiful Sports Facility in the World in the Prix Versailles 2019 International Architecture Awards.

Heading to the match? Inside the Optus, you’ll find over 50 food and drink outlets where you can pick up your pre-match pie and watch the match build-up on any one of the 1,000 TV screens inside the Stadium’s gantries. Even when sat in your seat, you’ll never be more than 40 meters away from the bar.

With an aim to support local, 75% of food at the stadium is supplied by local farmers and businesses, plus the stadium also has its own onsite microbrewery, The Camfield Pub. Just 100m from the stadium, the Camfield has a huge array of premium bitters and lagers on tap, all brewed on-site!

The surrounding fan parks also provide fans with access to heaps of facilities including nature playgrounds, the BHP Boardwalk by the Swan River, and picnic and Barbeque area. There’s also a ton of restaurants overlooking the river so check them out when you next head over to the match.

Unfortunately, the Eagles lost their inaugural game at the Optus Stadium in 2018 against the Sydney Swans, but have since turned the Optus into a fortress, losing only 7 times across the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The Eagles recorded their highest home attendance at the Optus Stadium during their preliminary finals match against Melbourne on 22nd September 2018, recording a club record of 59,608 spectators.

History

In 2003, the Government of Western Australia commissioned a review to examine the future of major sporting venues in Western Australia. To conduct the review, a task force was appointed.

It was chaired by John Langoulant, Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, and released its final report in May 2007.

The report recommended the construction of a new 60,000 seat stadium at either Kitchener Park (which adjoins Subiaco Oval) or in East Perth, which would be suitable for Australian rules football, cricket, and also rectangular-field sports such as soccer, rugby union, and rugby league.

The task force recommended against the further development of Subiaco Oval, which would be demolished.

It also recommended against building the new stadium at the site of Burswood, stating, “the development costs at the Burswood site would be significantly higher due to local site conditions and the need for significant upgrades to transport infrastructure.”