Write down a list of everything you would want from a large scale sports arena, Perth’s Optus Stadium has it. It’s faster to summarise the splendour of Perth’s new sports stadium by working out what is wrong with it.
Even then, there’s an if, but or maybe appended to every nitpick.
You can’t catch an Uber, or have someone drop you off within a leisurely stroll of the venue. But the public transport links are outstanding, capitalising on the city’s underrated asset.
The pitch of the bowl is incredibly steep. But the sight lines, as you’ve no doubt been made aware, need to be seen to be believed.
The venue is incredibly noisy – I had to step out on to one of the many outside concourse areas on the outer of the stadium to take a phone call at one stage – but the scream when a wicket was taken or six was scored was unlike anything I have heard at a Perth stadium.
Seeing as we are starting with the few minuses, it was clear this was Optus Stadium’s first event proper. The queues for food and beverage snaked as long as any at Subiaco Oval. A ten minute line for lunch time sustenance was met with a further ten minute wait for the sustenance itself.
One bar turned away eager punters with a “no beer until 11am” edict, as others were blowing by the four cup limit as soon as the place opened.
Around the stadium I heard stories of chaos on public transport, and there was a noticeable volume of empty seats when Mitch Starc bowled the first delivery of the match.
You know what? It didn’t matter. From the glorious, whole-of-stadium vista exiting the Perth Stadium Train Station to the first glimpse of the pristine outfield as you exit the ground floor concourse and step into the bowl, Optus Stadium is a delight to the eyes. There has been no effort spared to make the venue look and feel like a billion bucks.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
For starters, it is completely open access. The external bowls on level one and level five circle the whole venue, and it takes not much more than five minutes to make your way around. The airy corridors feel very Etihad Stadium-like, but with a bit more room to move laterally.
The outlook over the Swan River and into the eastern part of the Perth CBD feels more rooftop bar than sports ground, but that’s sort of the point. Level five of the venue has at least half a dozen mini venues in addition to the corporate areas – one of which, The Locker Room, was stationed 100 per cent behind the northern side sight screen. Oops.
All have their own niche. Craft Beer Bar and The Tap Room are the clear highlights, serving taps underneath the Stadium’s two big screens (which we’ll get to in a moment) with a view across the majority of the ground.
Ample open spaces dot the walkways, with tables, chairs, nooks and crannies affording an abundance of elbow room. There must be close to one television screen for every patron – you would be hard pressed to find a spot in the venue where you couldn’t watch what was happening on the field.
Speaking of which, the technology employed at Optus Stadium will doubtlessly set a new standard for Australian stadiums. Pristine cellular reception meant the free WiFi network was not a must-do, but as one does at a new venue one gave it a spin: A stable 14mbps connection, with no drop outs and absolute ease of access.
The sound system was deafening – the deep bass and tight snares of David Warner’s entry music more WWE than ODI cricket. On this alone it is clear the venue will be an outstanding complement to Perth Arena’s world-renowned acoustics.
And the big screens live up to their billing as biggest and best in the southern hemisphere. The depth of blacks and vibrant colours were like two IMAX cinema screens floating above the ground; they will look special in the evening.
The stadium’s LED light system was put to the test, flashing a variety of colours and patterns when something happened on the field. Again, this will be a nifty feature at night time. There’s promise of more on the technology front, that may lean against some of the queuing issues that arose.
(Image: Ryan Buckland)
There were no queues for bathrooms. I repeat, there wasn’t a single bathroom queue at the venue. Every wall space that wasn’t a food and beverage outlet or path to somewhere was a bathroom. The stadium even has a significant number of parenting rooms. It sounds like nothing but believe me, it’s something.
Seating was comfortable, although for taller folks could get a little tight in the back with long stretches of sitting. The seats though are light years ahead of both previous Perth stadia – my last trip to the WACA, I was sitting on bolted down high school chairs, sans the metal legs. It is such an upgrade that the screens showed a warning message regarding the ‘flip down’ nature of the seats multiple times through the event.
Every creature comfort is catered for. From the aforementioned rest areas dotting the venue, to the shade cloth that kept at least three quarters of the venue under cover for the entirety of the game.
In saying that I didn’t venture to the eastern side of the ground as the afternoon dragged on and the setting sun appears to drive patrons to the standing areas.
The food was ahead of the Subiaco or WACA offerings, but no different to my experience at the MCG or Etihad Stadium. There was, however, four types of hot dogs on offer, as well as fish and chips, salt and pepper squid, and ‘popcorn chicken’ – which must be some kind of trademark infringement at the cricket.
Beverage choices were a clear upgrade, however. The selection of Gage Roads as the tap beer provider is inspired, and the local craft brewery has put together mid strength versions of their favourite drops that satisfy on every level. Roads’ Atomic Pale Ale was the clear stand out, so popular that the Skyview Lounge ran out of it before England’s inning was out.
For it all, Optus Stadium still afforded an equivocally ‘Perth’ day out at the cricket. There was a beer snake by 1:30 (and west versus east duelling snakes just before 6), a Mexican wave not long after, and an agile streaker to cap it off (the minutes after the streaker was carted off, after the worryingly middling response of ground staff, was the first time I noticed internet connectivity heaved a little).
Beach balls were in no short supply, and the WACA members reserve was closed off to those without a lanyard.
(Your intrepid reporter managed to sneak in, and can confirm there is nothing beyond the velvet rope that is not available to the mortals in the outer).
The game itself carried on at a pace that afforded the opportunity for legs to be stretched, drinks to be consumed, and pictures to be taken. Andrew Tye’s fifth wicket in his five-wicket haul was the clear highlight, the rapturous noise shaking the stadium in a way no Perth venue has shaken before.
Indeed, the general hum of the crowd was noticeably louder than at either of the city’s two obsolete venues. That might have been the design of the stadium itself. But I suspect it was a product of the pleasure of the place.
Teething problems aside, Perth’s new stadium lives up to the hype, and deserves to be considered Australia’s best.
A Day at Optus Stadium
2x tickets – $160.0
4x train fares – no charge
1x Water bottle refill – no charge
2x Gage Roads Atomic Pale Ale 3.5% – $19.0
2x Gage Roads ‘Alby’ – $17.0
1x Stadium Burger – $9.0
1x Mrs Macs Beef Pie – $5.2
2x Large Chips – $12.0
2x Gage Roads Single Finn Summer Ale 3.5% – $19.0
2x Gage Roads Single Finn Summer Ale 3.5% – $19.0
2x Gage Roads Atomic Pale Ale 3.5% – $19.0
Total – $279.2
Leonard
Guest
'Write down a list of everything you would want from a large scale sports arena": that our stadiums be called by their traditional, locale or 'real' names. There - I've written it down. Now, how about independent, without-fear-or-favour, self-respecting journos practising it.
Don Freo
Guest
I'm with you on that Reg. Optus could be anywhere. It doesn't register with me as Perth...yet. I expect it could become Yakult Stadium or Nutri-Grain Stadium. Let the commerce folk worry about that. Fans can just go, "Perth", in the same way Patterson and whatever the last one was. It was Subi to us.
Bakkies
Guest
How often do you get rain delays for Cricket in Perth?
Bakkies
Guest
Waverley Park's biggest weakness was the lack of direct public transport options.
Reg
Guest
Call it Docklands I hate it when its called a sponsor's name. Same with the media with Perth as Optus.
Don Freo
Guest
You're reading what you want to read and not quoting anything that tells the real story. Tell me...What makes you think you can critucise and put down everyone and everything that is not you, yet have a cry when people speak directly to you about your shortcomings? Precious little bloke.
Don Freo
Guest
You're going to 'upgrade' the underground station at Subiaco? It would be fun hearing how you'd do that. You really have no idea. Next thing you'll be saying New York has greater 'density' than Fremantle. What a newsbreaker!
anon
Roar Pro
No, it does not depend. This is evidence, science and facts. You need to think of it as a reverse of the libs awful NBN model. You have your crappy old-school copper tech (roads) to get people to transport nodes, and then public transport (fibre) takes them all to the central location. Many parts of the world there simply isn't the room to have people driving to an event. It's much more efficient to move these people by public transport. Stop citing Tokyo and London, it is now common practice the whole world over that new stadiums are designed with mass transit solutions incorporated in, continuing to insist cars have a role leaves you looking like ScoMo holding a lump of coal. Perth is different in that it is a city with the lowest population density on Earth. Look, if there simply was nowhere else to build a stadium in Perth but on a virtually inaccessible peninsula, then yes I would see the merit in building there and forcing everyone to take public transport. But the stadium could have been build in Subiaco. It's in a precinct with many entertainment option pre and post game, plenty of parking in the surrounding areas, and good public transportation infrastructure. Far superior option. Would you build Waverley Park and not allow any parking? Force everyone onto public transport? Of course not. If you won’t concede public transport is clearly a superior option for transporting thousands of people rapidly to/from a single location, in agreement with all the evidence, there’s no point me wasting any further time on you. It's location dependent. It was certainly quicker for someone attending Subiaco Oval to drive and walk than to take public transportation. Those are the facts. That's even though Subiaco Oval was well serviced by trains and buses. 70% still preferred to not use public transportation.
Paul D
Roar Guru
No, it does not depend. This is evidence, science and facts. You need to think of it as a reverse of the libs awful NBN model. You have your crappy old-school copper tech (roads) to get people to transport nodes, and then public transport (fibre) takes them all to the central location. Stop citing Tokyo and London, it is now common practice the whole world over that new stadiums are designed with mass transit solutions incorporated in, continuing to insist cars have a role leaves you looking like ScoMo holding a lump of coal. If you won’t concede public transport is clearly a superior option for transporting thousands of people rapidly to/from a single location, in agreement with all the evidence, there’s no point me wasting any further time on you.
anon
Roar Pro
Cars are great for when lots of people want to go to lots of different locations at different times. When a lot of people want to go to the same location at the SAME time – public transport is clearly the best option, all science and traffic modelling supports this. It depends. A solution that is optimal for Tokyo or London might not be optimal for a low density city like Perth. Anyways, you keep arguing for your hypothetical world where Subiaco got an upgrade that included 70,000 parking spaces, and I’ll keep arguing for the real world where Perth gets an amazing stadium and a glimpse of what the future looks like. Any delays with public transport will be improved on over time as the system beds down and people become more familiar with the idea. It doesn't need 70k parking spaces (it's a 60k seater for a start...) 30% of people took public transportation to Subiaco Oval and that worked well for the 70% who didn't. An upgraded train station at Subiaco could have accounted for the additional 15k capacity quite easily. Most matches are not going to have 58k attend it might be 50k or less with Fremantle games. Finally I’ll just say the reason parking isn’t offered at Optus is that if say the government had put in 5000 parking spaces, what’s to stop 30,000 people all choosing to drive in isolation on a hot day and winding up with a god-awful shemozzle where no-one can find a park. You have to remove the option for people to drive to see genuine results. You sound like you hate it, but you never go to stadiums anyway, you just google stuff to complain about it and pretend to be someone you’re not. Parking directly surrounding a stadium creates a traffic jam. Parking works well somewhere like Etihad Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Subiaco Oval, where you have plenty of parking available spread out in the surrounding areas. You want people getting in their cars at staggered times.
Bakkies
Guest
'Australian cities are some of the least dense on Earth. Cars are far more efficient and practical for many people than public transportation' Not everyone can drive or afford to pay over $1.40 a litre for petrol with exorbitant parking fees on top of that.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Cars are great for when lots of people want to go to lots of different locations at different times. When a lot of people want to go to the same location at the SAME time – public transport is clearly the best option, all science and traffic modelling supports this. Anyways, you keep arguing for your hypothetical world where Subiaco got an upgrade that included 70,000 parking spaces, and I’ll keep arguing for the real world where Perth gets an amazing stadium and a glimpse of what the future looks like. Any delays with public transport will be improved on over time as the system beds down and people become more familiar with the idea. Finally I’ll just say the reason parking isn’t offered at Optus is that if say the government had put in 5000 parking spaces, what’s to stop 30,000 people all choosing to drive in isolation on a hot day and winding up with a god-awful shemozzle where no-one can find a park. You have to remove the option for people to drive to see genuine results. You sound like you hate it, but you never go to stadiums anyway, you just google stuff to complain about it and pretend to be someone you’re not.
anon
Roar Pro
Cars and car parking at stadiums is dead anon. Let it go. I think you’re overexaggerating Subiaco and downplaying Optus anyway, I’ve heard several people here say what a nightmare it is to get out of a crowded Subiaco. Don't be ridiciulous. Australian cities are some of the least dense on Earth. Cars are far more efficient and practical for many people than public transportation. From what I'm reading, only 30% of people took public transportation to Subiaco Oval and that's a 43k seater. Optus Stadium had 53k attend on the weekend with some people waiting up to 90 minutes to get on a train. It's conceivable that upgraded train stations at Subiaco could have easily handled the additional traffic created by 55k crowds. The majority of people could have continued parking in the surrounding areas of Subiaco Oval.
anon
Roar Pro
The Stadium station has been purpose built to handle such numbers. It is a massive layout. You seem to think it is a little suburban station with one platform going one way and the other side going the other way. You always choose to comment on things you haven’t seen, don’t know or have guessed. You really are pretty stup1d. No need for ad hominem attacks. I read that it took 90 minutes to clear everyone from the train station. Granted, there will be hiccups, but even best case scenario for a capacity crowd is to clear everyone in one hour. Translated, people will be queuing for up to an hour to get on a train after a match. That gets old with people really quickly.
Don Freo
Guest
The Stadium station has been purpose built to handle such numbers. It is a massive layout. You seem to think it is a little suburban station with one platform going one way and the other side going the other way. You always choose to comment on things you haven't seen, don't know or have guessed. You really are pretty stup1d.
Haydos
Guest
The area around the stadium before this was a golf course, before that a rubbish tip. Now that there's something decent on the site it can develop and attract things around it, give it time. In years to come it could kill anything Subi had to offer. It's 2 stations away from the city within walking distance of the Casino (Crown in Perth is a massive place with a couple of dozen eating options, bars, theatre, multiple hotels etc. and still growing if you haven't been before) and Claisebrook Cove in East Perth which has restaurants on the waterfront where ferrys/boats can enter. Hopefully a future ferry terminal will happen at the stadium. The under construction footbridge and train station along with possible future Belmont Park residential development should see it grow into something unrecognisable to what it was a couple of years ago.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Cars and car parking at stadiums is dead anon. Let it go. I think you're overexaggerating Subiaco and downplaying Optus anyway, I've heard several people here say what a nightmare it is to get out of a crowded Subiaco.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Love & Rockets, Velvet Cigar and Honey Bees are all located in the immediate vicinity There are not 'dozens' of eateries open. A dozen, maybe.
anon
Roar Pro
It makes sense for some people to do that as they would have done at Subiaco Oval. If you have 40,000 people converging on a train station at the conclusion of a match you get long horrible queues as experienced at ANZ Stadium. Even worse at Optus Stadium because there's no parking at all (unless you are upper class you don't have to mix with the masses). Subiaco Oval didn't face these issues and was able to deal with a 65k crowd last year despite no infrastructure improvements this century.
Paul D
Roar Guru
So it doesn’t make sense to say have people drive their cars to public transport locations all over Perth, and then utilise public transport to take them to the ground from those locations? Not sure what density has to do with anything when people can park & ride. Brisbane has been doing it for decades. Please don't bother replying to the rest if that's the best you can come up with.