Subiaco Oval

The House of Pain
Former names	Mueller Park
Location	Subiaco, Perth
Owner	Western Australian Government
Operator	West Australian Football Commission
Capacity	42,922
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	1908
Opened	1908
Closed	Open
Construction cost	1991 Rebuild - $45million
Architect	Various
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)

Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. It is located in the suburb of Subiaco, a few kilometres west of Perth's city centre. 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. The ground is also occasionally used for West Australian Football League matches. 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. It became the home ground for Perth's Super 14 rugby union team, the Western Force, in 2006.

The ground was first built in 1908, at which point it was known as Mueller Park. 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 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).

Subiaco Oval's capacity is 42,922 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.

• Length: 175m
• Width: 122m
• 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. This ground is sometimes referred to as "The House of Pain", with many teams losing by lopsided scores ^[1][2].

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. 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).

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. 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 been 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.

The Government of Western Australia 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. 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.^[4] Control of the new stadium is also at 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]

Since the passing of notable Perth-based sports broadcaster Wally Foreman in November 2006, speculation has arisen a new stadium will be called "Wally Foreman Stadium." Foreman was a vocal advocate over a period of many years for the improvement of sports stadia in Western Australia. However, naming a stadium after a particular individual rather than a paid sponsor impacts on the operators ability to generate revenue to fund stadium operations by selling naming rights.

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]

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
• Neil Diamond in March 2005
• Pearl Jam in November 2006
• Robbie Williams in December 2006
• Bon Jovi in January 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. It is often chosen for large concerts because there are no other venues of comparable capacity in Perth.

The oval is served by Subiaco and West Leederville train stations, which have been upgraded to handle more passengers. 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.^[6]

• Subiaco Oval at Austadiums
• Satellite image of Subiaco Oval

31°56′40.48″S 115°49′48.44″E / 31.9445778°S 115.8301222°E / -31.9445778; 115.8301222