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Perth Arena

Coordinates: 31°56′54″S 115°51′7″E / 31.94833°S 115.85194°E / -31.94833; 115.85194
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Perth Arena
Map
LocationPerth, Western Australia
Coordinates31°56′54″S 115°51′7″E / 31.94833°S 115.85194°E / -31.94833; 115.85194
OwnerVenuesWest
OperatorAEG Ogden
CapacityBasketball / netball: 14,846
Tennis: 13,910
Full capacity: 15,500[4]
Construction
Broke ground2007
Opened10 November 2012 (2012-11-10)[1]
Construction costA$548.7 million[2][3]
ArchitectAshton Raggatt McDougall, Cameron Chisholm Nicol
Tenants
Perth Wildcats (NBL) (2012–)
Hopman Cup (2012/13–)
Website
Official website

Perth Arena is an entertainment and sporting arena in the city centre of Perth, Western Australia. It is located on Wellington Street, near the site of the former Perth Entertainment Centre, and was officially opened on 10 November 2012. The Perth Arena is the first stage of the Perth City Link, a 13.5 hectare major urban renewal and redevelopment project which involves the sinking of the Fremantle railway line to link the Perth central business district directly with Northbridge.[5]

The Perth Arena was jointly designed by architectural firms Ashton Raggatt McDougall and Cameron Chisholm Nicol. With its design based on the Eternity puzzle, the venue will hold up to 13,910 spectators for tennis events,[6] 14,846 for basketball (the arena's capacity is capped at 13,000 for National Basketball League regular season games)[7] and a maximum of 15,500 for concerts. The venue has a retractable roof, 36 luxury appointed corporate suites, a 680-bay underground car park, 5 dedicated function spaces, and touring trucks can drive directly onto the arena floor.[8]

Perth Arena is owned by VenuesWest (which operates Challenge Stadium, WA Basketball Centre, Arena Joondalup and others) on behalf of the WA Government and is managed by AEG Ogden - the Australasian arm of AEG Worldwide.[9]

The inaugural General Manager of Perth Arena was David Humphreys, former General Manager of the Perth Entertainment Centre and Allphones Arena in Sydney.[10] Humphreys died two months before the venue's opening.[11] AEG Ogden announced Steve Hevern as the interim General Manager on 3 October 2012.[12]

Anchor tenants of Perth Arena include the Perth Wildcats[13] and the Hopman Cup.[14]

Construction

The arena under construction in February 2011, with underlying steel framework visible

The tender for the project was won by Western Australian construction consortium BGC, and work commenced on the site in June 2007.

The construction was marred by controversy in relation to the cost and time blowouts from the original $150 million estimate to $550 million. Auditor General Colin Murphy reported in 2010 that "The initial estimates of the cost and opening date for the Arena were unrealistic and made before the project was well understood or defined."[15] An example of the modifications to the original Arena design is the change of the carpark location from being built above the nearby railway line as a separate project to underneath the Arena itself.

Music

Inside Perth Arena at "Plug Into Perth" concert, 2 November 2012

Besides sporting events, Perth Arena can be configured to hold many other events, particularly major concerts. On 10 November 2012 Elton John performed at the official opening of the Arena as part of his 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man tour.[16] Originally, George Michael was to be the opening act but cancelled due to health concerns.[17][18] Before the first music event, the arena hosted a free test concert called "Plug into Perth" on 2 November featuring WA artists Drapht, Sugar Army and Split Seconds.[19] Matchbox Twenty and Nickelback also performed at the arena in its opening week. Since the arena opened, many big name acts have performed at Perth Arena: Disney on Ice, P!nk, Rihanna, Cirque Du Soleil, One Direction and Beyoncé. P!nk currently holds the arena's attendance record performing to 14,800 people over 4 consecutive shows on her Truth About Love Tour, she remains the highest selling artist at Perth Arena.[20][21][22]

Basketball

The Perth Arena hosted its first National Basketball League game on 16 November 2012 when the Perth Wildcats played (and lost to) the Adelaide 36ers in front of a crowd of 11,562.[23] The attendance was the largest ever recorded in Western Australia,[24][25] breaking the previous record of 8,501 set at the Burswood Dome in 2004.[26] The arena has since hosted larger crowds, the current record of 13,527 set at game two of the 2013 grand final.[27]

Tennis

The Perth Arena hosted the 2013 Hopman Cup, with an audience of more than 13,509 – a new record for a tennis match in Perth – attending the Australia vs Serbia tie on 2 January 2013.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ "First look inside Perth Arena". The West Australian. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  2. ^ "Govt settles BGC arena row". The West Australian. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  3. ^ "Perth Arena price tag nears $550m". PerthNow. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  4. ^ Perth Arena Venue Design
  5. ^ "Perth City Link: Reconnecting the City". Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Perth Arena Events Mode: Tennis" (PDF). VenuesWest. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  7. ^ "Perth Arena Events Mode: Basketball" (PDF). VenuesWest. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Perth Arena Design". AEG Ogden. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  9. ^ "VenuesWest Media Release" (PDF). VenuesWest. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Big player to head Perth Arena". The West Australian. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Perth Arena general manager David Humphreys dies before venue opening". Perth Now. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  12. ^ "STEVE HEVERN APPOINTED INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER AT PERTH ARENA". Australasian Leisure Management. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Wildcats owner says Perth Arena will change basketball". PerthNow. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  14. ^ "Perth Arena to ensure Hopman Cup stays in WA". WA Today. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  15. ^ "Perth Arena costs have 'blown out', says WA auditor general". PerthNow. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  16. ^ Symonds, Kristy (11 November 2012). "Sparkling Sir Elton John opens Perth Arena". Perth Now. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  17. ^ "George Michael cancels Perth Arena opener". The West Australian. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  18. ^ "George Michael opening act at Perth Arena". The West Australian. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  19. ^ Symonds, Kristy (3 November 2012). "Perth Arena opens doors for local acts". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Elton announces Perth Arena gig". The West Australian. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  21. ^ "Nickelback announces Aussie tour". NEWS.com.au. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Matchbox Twenty to tour with INXS". Sky News. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  23. ^ Chris Robinson (21 November 2012). "Adelaide 36ers spoil Perth Wildcats' debut game at the new Perth Arena". News Limited. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  24. ^ "Record crowd at first home game". Basketball Australia. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  25. ^ "Round 7 Stat Attack". Basketball Australia. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  26. ^ "Perth Wildcats to open new venue with record crowd". Basketball Australia. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  27. ^ Chris Pike, Pagemasters (27 September 2013). "GF2 Report: Breakers three-peat after epic clash with Wildcats". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  28. ^ Bernard Tomic scores his biggest win, beating world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Hopman Cup tennis | thetelegraph.com.au
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