Fans first approach to stadium design
Perth’s new $1.6 billion stadium for 60,000 people opens its doors next week. What can Western Australia’s die-hard sports fans expect?
Optus Stadium, named after the telco, signed a 10-year naming rights deal for an estimated $ million in November, promises a ‘fans first’ approach with electric atmosphere and cutting-edge technology.
There is no such thing as a ‘bad seat’ in the new arena, with every seat boasting a full view of the ground and two 340 sqm super screens ensuring every sports fan can watch the replays.
The stadium also offers Wi-Fi coverage, and more than 1,000 smaller screens are strategically located throughout the interior so fans never miss the action.
More than food and beverage outlets offer ground views, and another 21 outlets, including restaurants, will offer views of the city.
Hard concrete benches and exposure to the elements will be a thing of the past, as a lightweight fabric roof covers 85 per cent of all seats – each of them a roomy centimetres wide. And cup holders will be included in every seat.
Thirteen different ticketing options – the widest range of any stadium in Australia – will span everything from general admission through to premium ‘experiences’. These include the Field Club which gives fans the chance to watch players warm up and view the post-match media conference, the Coaches Club which provides audio streaming from the coaches’ boxes, and the Sky View Lounge, which offers panoramic views of both the game and the city.
And a new public park, Chevron Parkland, between the stadium and the Swan River offers art works and children’s play areas, picnic facilities, landscaped gardens and walking trails.
A decade in the making, the multi-purpose venue is one of the most expensive projects built in WA, with a price tag of roughly $600 per resident.
But the Property Council’s executive director in WA, Lino Iacomella, says the stadium will promote WA to the world and will fuel economic growth throughout the state.
“The stadium will be a major booster to our economy, driving a bigger events program and attracting tourists and conferences,” Iacomella says.
Iacomella says the stadium’s opening “coincides with a surge in new hotel development in Perth and will help drive WA’s growing inbound tourism industry”.
“It will also anchor major redevelopment on the eastern edge of Perth CBD’s, and has already triggered investment in transport infrastructure, including the new station precinct at the stadium.”
The $145 million train station, which will carry passengers to and from the stadium, was complete in December, and with six-platforms, is the second biggest station in the Perth network.
The state government has said the station will be able to move up to 28,000 fans within an hour of an event ending.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has said that the investment will be a “catalyst” to encourage more people to use public transport, and has estimated that 80 per cent of football fans will use public transport to access the stadium.
Iacomella also points to the headline acts expected to take centre stage in the years ahead.
“With acts like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran set to perform later in the year, you don’t need to be a sports fan to get a good return on the state’s investment.”