VenuesWest sets attendance record with over six million patrons in 2022/23

VenuesWest has reported on having staged its most successful ever year, breaking records for attendances, events held and financial support of high performance sport.

During the 2022/23 financial year, VenuesWest welcomed 6.18 million patrons and 194 national and international sporting and entertainment events to its portfolio of 14 venues.

This record-breaking success is the highest annual patronage VenuesWest has ever achieved and is 92,478 above the previous record set in pre-COVID years.

This year, VenuesWest added its 14th venue to the portfolio, announcing the co-management partnership with Football West for the State Football Centre in Queens Park.

Having helped competing teams train during the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the facility will now provide the same opportunities for local teams and players both now and into the future.

With the Western Australian Government having been successful in winning the bid to retain Australia’s High Performance Hockey Program, the current facility at Curtin University is to be transformed into a purpose-built hockey centre as part of the VenuesWest portfolio of venues.

Perth will remain the nation’s Home of Hockey and the program will continue to support grass roots competition to our elite Olympic and World Cup athletes.

The Bruce Prance Dryland Diving Centre opened in May 2023, bringing the facilities at HBF Stadium up to international competition standards for diving.

For the first time, VenuesWest is now compliant with facility standards for national and international competition for 100% of its targeted sports.

RAC Arena celebrated its 10-year birthday and had a busy year hosting the Perth Wildcats and West Coast Fever home season games, the Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final, United Cup Tennis Tournament and the Harlem Globetrotters.

The venue has continued to delight their patrons and deliver exceptional event experiences, achieving an overall satisfaction of 91% for 2022/23.

UFC returned to Perth with over 14,000 fans filling RAC Arena, smashing the record for the highest tickets sales for a single sporting event in the venue’s history.

RAC Arena also hosted a diverse range of world-class entertainment acts over the year, including Midnight Oil, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg.

Optus Stadium marked its five-year anniversary and hosted numerous major sporting events, including the ICON Festival of Football exhibition games, Wallabies v England Rugby Union, T20 International cricket, and AFL matches.

The Ed Sheeran concert set a new attendance record for both Optus Stadium and Western Australian venues, with over 73,000 fans and a 95% customer satisfaction rating.

The Big Bash League Grand Final at Optus Stadium was attended by nearly 54,000 fans, setting a new cricket attendance record for any BBL final in history and the largest crowd to ever attend a cricket match in Perth.

HBF Park (known as the Perth Rectangular Stadium during the tournament) was in preparation mode for the world’s biggest sporting event in 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

HBF Stadium hosted five concerts in the space of two weeks, welcoming Jack Harlow, Glass Animals, Louis Tomlinson, Sticky Fingers, and Liam Gallagher to the stage.

Five national championship sporting events were held across multiple VenuesWest venues, including the Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint Championships, Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint Championships, Australian Rowing Championships, Hancock Prospecting Artistic Swimming Championships, and the Diving Australia National Championships.

More than 11,000 patrons were surveyed across 11 venues, reporting a 91% average satisfaction rating for 2022/23.

High performance users rated their satisfaction with the venues at 85% overall, with feedback helping to guide capital investment decisions to further support Western Australia’s high performance athletes.

Image: VenuesWest Chair Mary Anne Stephens (top, credit: VenuesWest) and the RAC Arena prepares for UFC 284 (below, credit: VenuesWest).