UPGRADES to the historic Leederville Oval, home of the Subiaco Lions and East Perth Royals, are officially complete.
Now branded as Sullivan Logistics Stadium, the oval has been hosting WAFL games since its opening in 1915 and was part of the Cook Labor Government’s commitment to providing modern and fit-for-purpose sporting infrastructure for local communities.
The project cost $5.2 million overall, with the WA government contributing $3.8m to the revamp, and the remainder being picked up by the City of Vincent, AFL, WA Football Commission, Subiaco and East Perth Football Clubs and a Club Night Lights program.
As part of the upgrade, a new playing surface was installed, as well as broadcast quality lighting, replacement goal posts, in-ground sleeves and boundary fence, synthetic grass on the Western boundary, new irrigation and above-ground dugouts.
• The $5.2 million upgrade of Leederville Oval has been finished.
The installation of the broadcast quality lighting increases the opportunities for the WAFL and WAFLW to be able to play matches at night at the venue; providing more fixture options for the 2025 season.
It also enables more opportunities for the ground in the future to host AFLW matches, pre-season AFL and other AFL matches.
Sport and recreation minister Rita Saffioti said the “much needed improvements”, had transformed the historic venue into a “tier two ground capable of attracting more WAFL, WAFLW, AFL and AFLW games.
“This commitment from our government builds on the record amount we are investing in local sporting facilities, which we know provides enormous benefits to the whole community,” she said.
Subiaco colts player Lucas Blair said the new revamp of the oval had brought a more “professional” feel to the venue in such short time and has given it a step closer to AFL standard.
Blair said the upgrades to the playing surface were the most noticeable aspect of the revamp, due to there being “a lot of ditches before.”
The new turf now creates a much more enjoyable playing experience for Blair and his Subiaco teammates.
The new irrigation upgrade to the ground has not gone without notice from the players, despite the minimal rain Perth has experienced so far this year: “The new oval is able to handle water (from the rain) way better than before the upgrades”, Blair said.
The installation of the broadcast-quality lighting has already had impact on the club’s fixtures, with the Lions playing their first night game at the oval a few weeks ago.
The new lighting system has also been “facilitating longer training sessions” whereas the training sessions beforehand in instances were called off due to a lighting shortage.
by LUCAS BORROMEI