Key decisions on new stadium announced

• Stadium dimensions determined after consultation with major sports
• Design to allow for expansion in the future

Premier Colin Barnett today announced the size and orientation of the new major stadium at Burswood and confirmed the initial capacity.

The Liberal-National Government has committed itself to providing regular updates on progress with planning the new stadium with the following three major decisions being made:

• The stadium will have an east:west orientation - the same as Patersons Stadium and the MCG.  The orientation meets the requirements of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for international cricket and will provide optimal viewing for rectangular based sports such as rugby and soccer
• The field will be 165m long and 130m wide, meaning Perth's AFL stadium will remain one of the longer grounds in Australia
• The capacity of the stadium will be 60,000 initially as previously announced but it will be designed to allow expansion in the future. The ultimate capacity will need to be supported by future demand but could expand to 70,000 or even 80,000 by putting additional seating along the wings which is the optimum viewing for all sports.

"The important thing about these announcements is that they form the foundation for all of the other design requirements for the stadium," Mr Barnett said.

Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron said these decisions were a result of consultation with sporting bodies combined with the State Government's desire to achieve a 'Fan First' outcome.

"One design innovation being considered is the inclusion of 'field clubs' - onfield hospitality facilities at ground level bringing the fans much closer to the action zone," Mr Waldron said.

Mr Waldron said the project definition phase of the project was progressing well and he was expecting the report to Government to be completed by the middle of the year.

      Fact File

• Stadium field of play to be 165m x 130m (5m longer than MCG and Etihad. Patersons Stadium is 175m x 122m)
• Stadium orientation to be east:west (same as Patersons Stadium and the MCG). The orientation also means that only one set of media facilities is required, compared to two for north:south orientation
• Stadium will have third-biggest capacity in Australia and become second-biggest AFL home stadium
• For more information go to http://www.perthstadium.com.au

Premier's office:  6552 5000
Sport and Recreation Minister's office:  6552 6100