The Western Australian government will auction off naming rights to the soon-to-be-opened Perth Stadium, it has been confirmed.
The issue of selling naming rights for the venue, which is due to open early next year, has been a contentious one, and there remain calls for Perth Stadium to retain its current name.
However, Western Australia Treasurer Ben Wyatt has confirmed that a sponsor will be sought, and he believes selling the rights to the 60,000-seat facility will provide a local brand with an opportunity to gain exposure.
“We need to have a name that I think is inoffensive but hopefully a good Western Australian-based company,” he said, according to The West Australian newspaper.
“I think you’ll see perhaps more of a focus on WA-related brands as opposed to tobacco, alcohol or fast food. That’s something I don’t think we’d be keen to consider.
“We do want to have a balance between making sure we can maximise the revenue, but we’re not going to just consider any name regardless of the price you might get for it.”
Rights for the existing Perth Arena, which is located in the city centre, will also be up for grabs. The West Australian said the combined lowest price for the two venues stands at A$10m (€6.7m/$7.9m/£6m).
Wyatt added: “We’d like to keep Perth in the name. Ultimately that will be a consideration as to what the return is on it. This is to maximise the commercial opportunities that we have at Perth Stadium, ensuring that we can.
“Bearing in mind taxpayers put in hundreds of millions of dollars into the asset at the stadium. We do need to make sure we maximise returns on that asset.”
The decision to sell the naming rights to Perth Stadium is not one that sits well with opposition leader Mike Nahan, who said: “The value of the stadium is in the name. That’s why someone is going to pay millions of dollars for it.
“The best name for it is Perth.”
Image: Perth Stadium
