WACA redevelopment scrapped

Cameron Voss • Tuesday 17th December 2013
The WACA Ground

As Australia claimed back the Ashes on Tuesday, taking a 3-0 series lead over England, the future of the WACA Ground as an international venue was up in the air with the proposed redevelopment scrapped.

Just a week ago, WA Sports Minister Terry Waldron said the WACA is the home of cricket in Western Australia and will continue to be into the future. However since then, the proposed major redevelopment of the ground has been abandoned, leaving its future unclear.

The $500 million plan that had been in train for almost seven years was officially shelved late on Monday by the WACA. The project had been intended to provide the venue with financial security by linking an upgrade of the ground to the construction of commercial and residential buildings on site, but disappointing pre-sales for that development has led to the scrapping of the plan.

"Despite strong sales up to November and a renewed marketing effort, we have been unable to achieve the pre-sales target required to achieve finance on acceptable terms in time to meet our commitments for the 2015 Cricket World Cup," WACA chairman Sam Gannon said in a statement explaining its decision.

The WACA has been left off the international Test scheduled next summer with the 2015 ICC World Cup meaning the series has been reduced to four Tests. The ground's limited capacity (24,500 with the use of additional temporary seating) was seen as the major factor for missing out.

If it hosts a Test the following summer remains to be seen with Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council united in their belief the venue no longer meets international standards.

The new 60,000-seat multi-purpose stadium across the river at Burswood is due for completion in 2018 however the Western Australian Cricket Association has refused to commit to the new venue.

Some believe Manuka Oval in Canberra could be in line to take the WACA's spot on the Test calendar. While the venue was recently upgraded, it still only has a capacity of around 15,000, with all seating on a single tier.

The loss of the WACA does seem unlikely with it a favourite venue of Australian fans. The traditionally fast and bouncy pitch gives the Aussies a home ground advantage and that was on show during the recent Ashes victory over England. It also receives support from host broadcaster Channel Nine, with the favourable timeslot giving fans prime-time viewing in the Eastern states.

The WACA was last redeveloped in 2002 and has a fixed capacity of 20,000. Temporary seating boosts this to around 24,500 for major fixtures. A number of other temporary facilities such as corporate tents are also erected to meet the demand.

While the immediate future of a WACA redevelopment is unclear, what is known it it'll continue to host all Internationals at least until the new multi-purpose stadium is completed, domestic fixtures including Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash and three fixtures during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

WACA Ground

More News

As Australia claimed back the Ashes on Tuesday, taking a 3-0 series lead over England, the future of the WACA Ground as an international venue was up in the air with the proposed redevelopment scrapped.
The Austadiums website is made possible by displaying some advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker, whitelist us, or DONATE TO US