AFTER umpteen false starts a name has finally been chosen for Cockburn’s $109 million sport complex, which includes the the Fremantle Dockers’ new training HQ.

More than 1000 residents were polled, with 52 per cent preferring Cockburn ARC (aquatic and recreation centre) over STAR (sports, training, aquatic and recreation) Centre Cockburn.

The process has been anything but smooth sailing: originally the council consulted just 33 residents on 200 names, with no Aboriginal names on the shortlist. It emerged the council paid The Brand Agency — whose CEO is Dockers’ president Steve Harris —$15,829 to stage just three small focus groups. The council had been set to decide on a name last month, but councillors couldn’t agree and instead commissioned the $6160 phone poll.

Mayor Logan Howlett said the poll was needed because residents had been confused and thought they were choosing a name for the Dockers’ new HQ, not the overall facility.

The Dockers’ HQ will be named independently later.

The flagship recreational centre—including an arena with several pools, a water playground and six basketball courts and gym—is being developed in conjunction with the Dockers and Curtin University and is scheduled for completion mid-2017.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK