Aussie rules football, and not cricket, looks set to win the race to christen Perth Stadium after a senior government official conceded that the ground is unlikely to be ready to stage next December’s Ashes Test.
The under-construction Perth Stadium is scheduled to open in March 2018 and the debate over which sport it will host first has rumbled on for some time.
The multi-purpose facility is due to serve as the home for AFL Aussie rules teams and Big Bash League cricket franchises, and will also host other sports and live entertainment events.
Former Cricket Australia executives Chris Loftus-Hill and Mike McKenna have recently been appointed to the Perth Stadium management team, and other cricket officials are said to remain confident their sport will be selected to open the ground.
However, Western Australian Sports Minister Mia Davies has admitted that the December 2017 Ashes Test will come too soon. “At the moment the December date for the 2017 Ashes Test is before the expected date the stadium will be ready,” Davies told AFL.com.au.
“If there is an opportunity to get an event such as the Ashes to open the stadium we would welcome it, but not at the expense of design and construction quality or operational planning and efficiency.”
The 2018 completion date also rules out any 2017 AFL finals matches being played at Perth Stadium.
“The first AFL event held at Perth Stadium is yet to be determined,” Davies added. “The state and stadium operator, VenuesLive, will work closely with the AFL to finalise match schedules.
"Construction of the stadium is currently over 65-per-cent complete and remains on track to allow the venue to open, as scheduled, in time for the start of the 2018 AFL season."
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