Perth Stadium

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 staged construction would have allowed for Australian rules football to be played at the new venue by 2014, when the stadium was two-thirds completed with an initial capacity of 40,000 seats.

[11][13] Stadium plans suggested its playing surface would have been oval in shape to accommodate Australian rules football and cricket games.

[12][13] Following the election of a new State Government under Colin Barnett, the new stadium's plans were scrapped in early February 2009.

[15] As a result of Australia's failed bid for the 2022 World Cup, $250 million in potential federal government funding for a new stadium was also withdrawn in December 2010.

[17] The government stated that the Burswood site was preferred because it was unconstrained by surrounding developments and had the additional benefit of being government-owned.

It announced Multiplex as the contract holders for the construction of the stadium[20] and appointed the firm Populous as the project's architectural consultants.

[17][9] However, in December 2011 Premier Colin Barnett stated that it was too early to say what the final cost would be, explaining that "No one can put a price on it until it's designed, until it goes out to tender".

[9] The previous Government's Major Stadia Taskforce had earlier put the total cost of the Burswood stadium option, including transport needs, at $1.147 billion.

[17] The Australian Football League agreed to help pay for Perth's new stadium at Burswood, although it was not revealed how much money it would contribute.

[22] However, the nearby Crown Perth, which is expected to benefit commercially from the presence of the stadium, was not asked by the Barnett Government to help meet the construction costs.

Although the Health Department advised that no risk had been identified, stock piles were sprayed with hydromulch, windbreaks were put on fencing, contaminant levels were being monitored and paths and loose soil were sealed.

Following the Supreme Court decision Robinson v Fielding [2015] WASC 108 to reinstate DAA 22874 (Marapikurrinya Yintha – Port Hedland Harbour) after it had been deregistered by the Barnett government,[28] the Burswood Island Burial site was reassessed in October 2016 but remains "Not a Site" under the Aboriginal Heritage Act (AHA).

Guidelines issued by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs stated that to be a recognised as sacred site, a place needs to have been devoted to religious use rather than simply mythological stories, songs or beliefs.

[32] During construction, then-Premier Colin Barnett had maintained that the government would not be selling the naming rights for the stadium as it would "not be appropriate for such a significant piece of State-owned infrastructure".

Optus, the second-largest telecommunications company in Australia, and the state government agreed to a 10-year naming rights deal that is thought to be worth approximately $50 million in value.

Optus Stadium is equipped with a range of state-of-the-art technological features designed to enhance the fan experience.

[45] Optus Stadium provides robust connectivity through a multi-layer network built on Cisco's industrial-grade Wi-Fi 6 access points.

[48][43] The stadium is serviced by over 50 food and beverage outlets, with patrons able to follow on-field action on TV screens.

The wheelchair accessible platform, which resembles a pull tab from above, projects 5 metres (16 ft) beyond both sides of the stadium roof and also features a section where visitors can lean over the playing field below while wearing a safety harness.

The stadium was constructed to provide a new home ground for the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers, Perth's two professional AFL clubs.

Since late 2017, the Australia national cricket team play most of their Perth-based Tests, One Day and Twenty20 matches at the venue.

[76] The Western Australian Cricket Association later confirmed that the stadium would host its first ever Test match, which began between Australia and India on 14 December 2018.

[83] On 21 April 2021, it was announced that the second match of the 2022 State of Origin series was to be held at Perth Stadium after managing to secure the event from the Australian Rugby League Commission for an undisclosed sum.

[85] The Australian game in the 2019 Bledisloe Cup series, which doubled as a Rugby Championship match, was played at the stadium between Australia and New Zealand on 10 August 2019.

On 30 January 2020, the Western Australian state government announced that the Springboks will play the Wallabies at the stadium as part of the 2020 Rugby Championship on 29 August 2020.

[89] In July 2022, the Wallabies hosted historic rivals England in a three-test series; the first match was played at Perth Stadium.

[94] On 18 July 2023, Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United played in a friendly pre-season game at Perth Stadium.

[95] On 29 October 2023, Perth Stadium hosted a 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament match between the Matildas and the Philippines.

[107] In the current biggest ticketed single-event at the stadium, Ed Sheeran performed again on 12 March 2023 as part of his +–=÷x Tour.

The Burswood Park Golf Course was closed and the stadium built on its northern end
Perth Stadium under construction, photographed from Victoria Park Drive in May 2016
Perth Stadium under construction, photographed from East Perth in July 2016
The original Perth Stadium logo.
Exterior view of the stadium in December 2017, its stylistic brown facade visible
Perth Stadium hosted the 2021 AFL Grand Final .
Nicky Winmar statue, erected 2019