Perth's WACA to be remodelled as 10000-capacity boutique venue

The Western Australia Cricket Association’s plans to redevelop its historic WACA ground into a 10,000-seat ‘boutique venue’ looks set to go ahead with the Western Australian Government committing $30 million to the project.

Matching an earlier Federal Government commitment to the redevelopment of the venue, the new funding, which will link with $4 million from Cricket Australia and $10 million raised through the WA Cricket Foundation, aims to “revitalise” the famous venue as a community sport facilities that will continue to provide cricket services.

The long time 'home of cricket' in Western Australia, which has been a Test cricket venue since the 1970s, has been replaced by Perth’s Optus Stadium as the state’s premier international cricket venue.

The redevelopment will see it offer high-performance, training and administration facilities, along with a 10-lane indoor cricket facility, reinvigorated museum and year-round access for locals and serve as a training base for the state’s BBL and Women’s BBL teams.

The Association said it is also exploring an opportunity to partner with the City of Perth to incorporate an aquatic facility into the project, including a 50-metre pool, a learn-to-swim pool and a leisure slide.

Commenting on the funding, Western Australian Minister for Sport and Recreation, Mick Murray stated “with an historic, reimagined WACA Ground sitting just across the river from the ultra-modern Optus Stadium, there will be no better setup in the world for cricket.

“The Ground is a famous sporting icon that needs to be preserved and this commitment will help ensure its future and make it accessible for everyone in the community.”

WACA Chair Terry Waldron added “(this is) a great day for cricket in WA, and this funding will go a long way in helping us bring our vision for the iconic venue to life through the WACA Ground Improvement Project.

“We are now one step closer to transforming the much-loved WACA Ground into a high-quality venue not only for cricket and other sports, but entertainment and community events too, which will help energise the East Perth area. We are committed to raising the remaining A$10m through the WA Cricket Foundation to ensure this development offers incredible experiences and creates long-lasting memories for the WA community into the future.”

In 2015, Australian test legend Dennis Lillee resigned as Chair of the Western Australia Cricket Association because he did not want the WACA to become a 'second-tier' venue.

The funding is part of a $130 million sports facilities package announced by the Western Australian Government.

Funding for the community aquatic centre component is contingent on the City of Perth contributing towards the community project.

Work on the development is set to begin by the end of the year.

Images: Concepts for the redevelopment of the WACA. Courtesy of the Western Australia Cricket Association.