❓ Ms. Evangel inquired about improvements to nib Stadium following the Western Force's win. The Minister detailed the $95.1 million redevelopment, highlighting enhanced facilities, increased capacity, and benefits for both sporting codes and fans.
AnsweredQoN 28Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NIB STADIUM
28. Ms E. EVANGEL to the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
I refer to the Western Force's recent win against the
Crusaders at nib Stadium, which I understand almost 17 000 people attended.
With this in mind, can the minister please update the house on changes to nib
Stadium that Western Force and Perth Glory supporters are now enjoying?
28. Ms E. EVANGEL to the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
I refer to the Western Force's recent win against the
Crusaders at nib Stadium, which I understand almost 17 000 people attended.
With this in mind, can the minister please update the house on changes to nib
Stadium that Western Force and Perth Glory supporters are now enjoying?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Perth for the question.
Congratulations, member for Perth, on your election result. I am sure we will
see the member for Perth at nib Stadium quite regularly. I also thank the
member for the really positive words she made in her maiden speech last night
regarding sporting facilities in her region.
I was delighted to attend with the Premier the opening of the
new redeveloped nib Stadium on 23 March. Although the Force were not successful
that night, they have certainly done well in recent weeks and their win against
the Crusaders was a fantastic effort.
This $95.1 million redevelopment of nib Stadium is a
recognition by this government of the importance of our rectangular sports,
particularly soccer and rugby, both at their elite level and for the value they
provide at the community level right across Western Australia, and I thank them
for their input. This development has been a real success story for this
government and it really is a credit to all of those who worked on this
project. As I think the fans who go to the ground will attest, the stadium now
offers much greater comfort, much better viewing and much better sightlines and
atmosphere for our rectangular sports—something we have really been
lacking. The development of this ground has been undertaken in a pretty short
time frame and to have the stadium at this level and completed is a wonderful
achievement for all involved.
Members would be aware that the redevelopment involved
replacing the old stands on the eastern side and the southern side with
permanent grandstands—they were not permanent stands previously—and
the facilities that go with them; I will not go through all the facilities. It
is worth just re-emphasising that because the project team did such a good job,
for the $95.1 million, we were able to include the southern stand and there
will be new seating in front of the northern bowl as well, and that is a
testament to what it was able to do. The great thing about the configurations
now is that it is close to the action and I think for Western Force and Perth
Glory in particular it will provide those sporting codes a great opportunity to
offer their fans, supporters and members—those who used to go to see
them and sit out with no cover in terrible temporary seats—a great
stadium. That will certainly benefit not only those sporting groups, but the
fans who go to watch them. The capacity of the ground is now 20 500 and those
going out will be catered for in terrific comfort and they will have great
vision.
I will run through some highlights. There are now 420 open
corporate reserve seats in the eastern stand, giving the clubs the ability to
earn them. There is a new barbecue terrace area behind the stand. We have also
completed the heritage works on the old gate 1, which I think is important.
There are two new 110–square metre LED video scoreboards. The Premier
and I were there that night and they are fantastic. They are the largest in WA
venues and the clarity of those boards is just something to be seen. There is
new stadium lighting and drainage. We have completed the north and corporate
suites as well and the whole stadium now has new public address and
closed-circuit television systems, which is really important because it lowers
the cost for our sports on game day, and that is a significant lowering of the
cost. Just so members know, at the end of the Western Force season we will be
installing a new pitch, so we will be redoing the new pitch as well and we will
have an even higher quality playing surface. That will be ready for Perth Glory
when it starts its next season.
I guess this is just another successful project, on time and
on budget, and it shows the government's real recognition of the need
for good sporting facilities in Western Australia and their flow-on to the
community. I thank the people at the Department of Sport and Recreation, who I
think are doing some fantastic work in this area, and the role of VenuesWest.
It certainly gives me great confidence as we go forward to the major stadium.
Congratulations, member for Perth, on your election result. I am sure we will
see the member for Perth at nib Stadium quite regularly. I also thank the
member for the really positive words she made in her maiden speech last night
regarding sporting facilities in her region.
I was delighted to attend with the Premier the opening of the
new redeveloped nib Stadium on 23 March. Although the Force were not successful
that night, they have certainly done well in recent weeks and their win against
the Crusaders was a fantastic effort.
This $95.1 million redevelopment of nib Stadium is a
recognition by this government of the importance of our rectangular sports,
particularly soccer and rugby, both at their elite level and for the value they
provide at the community level right across Western Australia, and I thank them
for their input. This development has been a real success story for this
government and it really is a credit to all of those who worked on this
project. As I think the fans who go to the ground will attest, the stadium now
offers much greater comfort, much better viewing and much better sightlines and
atmosphere for our rectangular sports—something we have really been
lacking. The development of this ground has been undertaken in a pretty short
time frame and to have the stadium at this level and completed is a wonderful
achievement for all involved.
Members would be aware that the redevelopment involved
replacing the old stands on the eastern side and the southern side with
permanent grandstands—they were not permanent stands previously—and
the facilities that go with them; I will not go through all the facilities. It
is worth just re-emphasising that because the project team did such a good job,
for the $95.1 million, we were able to include the southern stand and there
will be new seating in front of the northern bowl as well, and that is a
testament to what it was able to do. The great thing about the configurations
now is that it is close to the action and I think for Western Force and Perth
Glory in particular it will provide those sporting codes a great opportunity to
offer their fans, supporters and members—those who used to go to see
them and sit out with no cover in terrible temporary seats—a great
stadium. That will certainly benefit not only those sporting groups, but the
fans who go to watch them. The capacity of the ground is now 20 500 and those
going out will be catered for in terrific comfort and they will have great
vision.
I will run through some highlights. There are now 420 open
corporate reserve seats in the eastern stand, giving the clubs the ability to
earn them. There is a new barbecue terrace area behind the stand. We have also
completed the heritage works on the old gate 1, which I think is important.
There are two new 110–square metre LED video scoreboards. The Premier
and I were there that night and they are fantastic. They are the largest in WA
venues and the clarity of those boards is just something to be seen. There is
new stadium lighting and drainage. We have completed the north and corporate
suites as well and the whole stadium now has new public address and
closed-circuit television systems, which is really important because it lowers
the cost for our sports on game day, and that is a significant lowering of the
cost. Just so members know, at the end of the Western Force season we will be
installing a new pitch, so we will be redoing the new pitch as well and we will
have an even higher quality playing surface. That will be ready for Perth Glory
when it starts its next season.
I guess this is just another successful project, on time and
on budget, and it shows the government's real recognition of the need
for good sporting facilities in Western Australia and their flow-on to the
community. I thank the people at the Department of Sport and Recreation, who I
think are doing some fantastic work in this area, and the role of VenuesWest.
It certainly gives me great confidence as we go forward to the major stadium.
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