WACA supports review

The WA Cricket Association is at odds with its football counterpart after endorsing Sport Minister Bob Kucera's review of Perth's sporting facilities.

The WACA supports the review and has an "open mind" on one day moving to a new 55,000 seat stadium.

Taking the opposite view to WA Football Commission chairman Neale Fong, who predicted the Kucera review would find a new stadium too expensive, the WACA this week resolved to give unreserved support to the facilities review.

Fong suggested the Government would be better off spending $40 million to upgrade Subiaco Oval's capacity from 42,500 to more than 50,000.

"We don't agree with Fong that the viability of a new stadium is a foregone conclusion," WACA chairman David Williams said. "The WACA fully supports the Government's major stadium project group.

"We believe in keeping an open mind on the matter and think it is an important concept to deal with."

The Kucera review is likely to determine whether Perth should have a new $400 million sports stadium capable of hosting football and cricket as well as boosting WA's push for international sporting events. It will examine Perth's stadium requirements for the next 20 years and assess the merits of investing more public money into Subiaco Oval and the WACA Ground against the cost of building on a third site.

The review is also likely to produce a preferred model if it finds a new stadium is viable.

A critical factor will be the willingness of cricket and football agreeing to come together after two decades of separate development.

Williams said the WACA's preferred position was to play major matches at its present headquarters.

The WACA and WAFC last year looked at hosting cricket internationals at Subiaco Oval but it is understood the financial modelling indicated regular matches were not feasible.

The location of a potential new stadium has not been determined.

Candidates included Belmont Park, which is now planning a $1 billion redevelopment, Claremont Showground and a site at Cockburn.

A dark horse is the army barracks at Karrakatta. That site is situated on the Fremantle railway line and would be close to the Mt Claremont sporting precinct which includes Challenge Stadium and the University of WA's sports facilities.