| Subiaco Oval | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Subiaco, Perth |
| Broke ground | 1908 |
| Opened | 1908 |
| Closed | Open |
| Owner | Western Australian Government |
| Operator | West Australian Football Commission |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | 1991 Rebuild - $45million |
| Architect | Various |
| Former names | Mueller Park |
| Tenants | Fremantle Football Club (AFL) (1995-present) West Coast Eagles (AFL) (1987-present) Western Force (Super 14) (2006-present) Also used by Australia international rules football team, (International Rules Football) The Wallabies (Rugby Union) |
| Capacity | 43,500 |
Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north of Kings Park. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Fremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo" is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest Western Force is a Rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds This article concerns the men's team for information on the Australian women's team see Australia women's international rules football team. International rules football (Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland is a hybrid The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in Rugby union. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is located in the suburb of Subiaco, about three kilometres west of Perth's city centre. Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north of Kings Park. It is mainly used for Australian rules football matches, being the home ground for the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club, the two Western Australian teams in the Australian Football League. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Fremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo" is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest The ground is also occasionally used for West Australian Football League matches. Current teams The teams currently playing in the WAFL are Salary Cap The WAFL is classed as a Semi-professional competition and has a Salary The ground is not exclusively used for Australian rules football though, having hosted National Soccer League grand finals, regular rugby union Test Matches (including games in the 2003 Rugby World Cup), International Rules and sometimes, rock concerts. This page is on the former Australian soccer league For the former Canadian league see Canadian National Soccer League. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby union world cup and was won by England. International rules football (Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta also known as inter rules in Australia and compromise rules in Ireland is a hybrid The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many Genres inspired by " Rock and roll " Music. It became the home ground for Perth's Super 14 rugby union team, the Western Force, in 2006. The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds Western Force is a Rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition
Contents |
Ground structure
The ground was first built in 1908, at which point it was known as Mueller Park. Mueller Park is a park in Subiaco Western Australia, situated between Perth Modern School and Subiaco Oval. In 1969 a three-tier stand was constructed at the western end of the stadium, and in 1981 a two-tier stand on the members' wing was completed. A further redevelopment came in 1995 with the opening of the new two-tier "ANZ Stand" opposite the members' wing. In 1997, light towers were installed at the ground. The last redevelopment, which converted the stadium into an all-seat venue, was completed in 1999 at a cost of $AUD35 million. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas
The three-tier stand is named the Orr-Simmons-Hill stand, in honour of three leading figures in the history of WAFL (then known as WANFL). This was proudly and prominently displayed on the exterior western face of the stand right up until the early 1990s, when it was replaced with the logo of a commercial sponsor. There is a small plaque remembering the original naming of the stand, mounted in one of the stair wells, and each tier has a sign on the back interior wall; for example, the first (ground) tier is the R. W. Hill Tier, second is the W. R. Orr Tier. (W. R. Orr was Secretary of the WANFL in 1932, R. W. Hill was Captain of West Perth in 1940 and 1941, and Secretary of the WANFL in 1968). The West Perth Falcons is the oldest existing Australian rules football club in Western Australia.
Subiaco Oval's capacity is 43,500 fully-seated. The ground is floodlit by four lighting towers. There was some initial concern vented surrounding the lack of aesthetic value of the proposed floodlights, but after their deployment these concerns quickly subdued although the local community still experiences a range of issues with events at the venue.
Ground Dimensions
- Length: 175 m
- Width: 122 m
- Goals run east to west
In AFL circles, Subiaco Oval is considered to be the longest ground in the competition, with visiting interstate teams often having to adjust their playing style accordingly. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest This ground is sometimes referred to as "The House of Pain", with many teams losing by lopsided scores [1][2].
Ground naming rights
In 2003, the retail telecommunications company Crazy John's controversially attempted to buy the naming rights to the ground, but the bid was denied by the local Subiaco council, which refused planning permission for advertising signs on the stadium's exterior. Crazy John's is a Mobile phone retail chain in Australia started by late Turkish/Australian businessman John Ilhan. More recently, in May 2005, a non-commercial name change was being considered; the proposal to rename to 'ANZAC Field' was put forward by the WA Football Commission, but rejected by the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Deanne Kelly (Anzac is a federally protected word).
Redevelopment debate
In 2005 the West Australian Football Commission released a $235 million plan (excluding transport infrastructure or land acquisitions) to increase the stadium to a 60,000 seat venue in a staged project. The West Australian Football Commission is the governing body of Australian rules football in the state of Western Australia. However, this proposal became a matter of significant debate in Western Australia.
The demand for a new stadium is undeniable (in 2005 the West Coast Eagles had 42,000 season ticket holders in a 43,000 seat stadium), but the option of developing and expanding Subiaco in order to meet this higher demand was called into question. An alternative plan was tabled for the construction of a new stadium, called "Stadium WA", which would seat 70,000 and have retractable seating to cater for rectangular field codes, and appeared to be the lead candidate. However, it was argued that it may be more cost effective to re-develop Subiaco to 60,000 seats, and redevelop Members Equity Stadium, a small rectangular stadium in Perth, to 35,000 seats to cater for rectangular field sports. Members Equity Stadium is a Sports stadium in Perth, Australia.
The Government of Western Australia had already commenced development of a Major Stadia review project in late 2003 which led to much interest in the future of major sporting venues in Western Australia. The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution which dates from 1890 although it has been amended many times since then A Major Stadia Taskforce was appointed in early 2005 and released the Perth Major Stadium Interim report [3] in June 2006. The taskforce delivered its final report in May 2007, which 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 Rugby. Construction costs of $850 million were based on a December 2008 start, with a four-year completion period. It recommended against the further development of Subiaco Oval, which would be demolished.
In July 2007 the Government of Western Australia announced it's preference to build a new 60,000-seat stadium rather than re-develop Subiaco Oval. It was not revealed when a stadium might be built by, but it was stated that the government would have a clear plan on the issue by the next state election in 18 months' time, giving it time to consult the different sports organisations that would use the stadium. It was also suggested by Premier Alan Carpenter that the federal government should provide some of the funds for a new stadium. Alan John Carpenter (born 4 January 1957 Australian politician was the 28th Premier of Western Australia from 26 January 2006 until 23 September 2008 [4] Control of the new stadium is also an issue - the WAFC has a 90 year lease on Subiaco Oval from Subiaco council for $1/year, and keeps income from events held at the oval. The new stadium will likely be controlled by the State Government, potentially leading to a split by the WAFC refusing to move to the new venue. [5]
Construction delays
In December 2007 it was reported that the bill for WA's new sports stadium will climb to more than $1 billion unless the State Government gets a hurry-on and starts building. Master Builders' Association director of economics, Gavin Forster, said the $850 million project would go up an extra $6 million a month unless construction started by the recommended date of December 2008. The government responded that all financing options were being considered, including attracting private investment. [1]
The Government later announced that construction of a new stadium is likely to be stalled until after 2008, and there were no guarantees the project would go ahead, with the stadium having to compete for money with other important infrastructure. The Government put the blame for the delays at the feet of the WA Football Commission, which it said was not co-operating fully. [2]
In early 2008, the Western Australian government confirmed that Subiaco Oval would be demolished for the new Perth super-stadium to be built next door at Kitchener Park[6] dubbed Stadium WA. Mueller Park is a park in Subiaco Western Australia, situated between Perth Modern School and Subiaco Oval. The new 60,000 seat stadium will be built between 2011 and 2016, with the majority of the stadium being completed in 2014. Subiaco Oval will be demolished between 2014-2016 to allow the end of construction on Stadium WA.
As a music venue
Subiaco Oval has been the venue of major music concerts. These include:
- Elton John in 1971 and 1998
- Led Zeppelin in February 1972
- Paul McCartney in March 1993
- The Eagles in June 2004
- Rod Stewart & Bryan Adams in February 2005
- Neil Diamond in March 2005
- Pearl Jam in November 2006
- Robbie Williams in December 2006
- Bon Jovi in January 2008
Forthcoming events:
- André Rieu in November 2008
Due to its large size and oval shape, the venue is not well suited to music concerts and is known to have very poor acoustics. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Led Zeppelin were Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Roderick "Rod" David Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945 is a Singer and Songwriter born and raised in London England and currently {Otherpeople|Brian Adams}} Bryan Adams OC, OBC, (born Bryan Guy Adams on November 5, 1959) is a Canadian rock Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American Singer-songwriter and occasional Actor. Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Robert Peter Maximilian Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer Bon Jovi is an American Hard rock band from Sayreville New Jersey. André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born October 1, 1949) is a Dutch Violinist, conductor, and Composer. Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of Sound, Ultrasound and Infrasound (all mechanical waves in gases liquids and solids It is often chosen for large concerts because there are no other venues of comparable capacity in Perth.
Transport
The oval is served by Subiaco and West Leederville train stations, which have been upgraded to handle more passengers. Subiaco Train Station is a major Transperth train station 37 km from Perth Train Station, in Western Australia, on the Fremantle Line. West Leederville Train Station is a Transperth train station 2 Special bus routes are run for football matches and other special events. In 2007 tickets to AFL games included free travel on buses and trains for three hours before and after the game. This increased the proportion of football fans using public transport from 23. 4% to 32. 6%, with Dockers fans more likely to do so than Eagles fans. The completion of the southern suburbs railway is expected to increase patronage by replacing buses from south of the river with faster and larger trains. New MetroRail was a division of the Public Transport Authority in Western Australia. [7]
References
- ^ The missing metres in Eagles' push for a flag - News - www.realfooty.com.au
- ^ Swans tackle field of screams - AFL - www.smh.com.au
- ^ http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/publications/MSTF%20Volume%201.pdf
- ^ New stadium the right option, Kobelke says AAP in The West Australian 2007-07-04
- ^ AFL push for Subi Oval The Post 2006-06-03
- ^ http://news.theage.com.au/perth-to-get-new-11-billion-stadium/20080208-1r2m.html Perth to get new super stadium
- ^ Footy fans take to public transport Public Transport Authority 2007-05-23
Further reading
- Wilson, Ray (2008) Field of Dreams: Celebration of Subiaco Oval's 100th year Perth, Western Australia: The West Australian 16 pp - inserted into the 7th May 2008 edition of The West Australian newspaper. The Public Transport Authority, or PTA, is a Western Australian Statutory authority. The West Australian (often simply called The West) is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth Western Australia, and is owned by
External links
- Subiaco Oval at Austadiums
- Satellite image of Subiaco Oval
| West Coast Eagles |
|---|
| The Club Club History | Premierships & Records | Players | Awards |
| Seasons 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| Stadiums Subiaco Oval |
| Captain Darren Glass (2008 - Present) |
| Coach John Worsfold (2002 - Present) |
| Fremantle Dockers |
|---|
| The Club Club History | Premierships & Records | Players | Awards |
| Seasons 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| Stadiums Subiaco Oval | Fremantle Oval |
| Captain Matthew Pavlich (2006 - Present) |
| Coach Mark Harvey (2008 - Present) |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic