WAFC in joint bid to run stadium
The WA Football Commission is set to partner global entertainment industry giants Ticketmaster and Delaware North to mount a united bid to the Barnett Government to manage the new major stadium at Burswood.
The WAFC, which controls and manages Patersons Stadium at Subiaco under a peppercorn lease with 76 years to run, is in detailed discussions with the two US-owned companies about a joint bid for exclusive management rights at Burswood.
The WAFC - which owns the licences of West Coast and Fremantle and takes dividends from the AFL clubs and its Patersons Stadium operations to fund junior and community football - is desperate to retain control of WA's major stadium beyond 2017.
The new $1.2 billion stadium project at Burswood, funded by taxpayers and the Government's private consortium partner led by construction giant Brookfield, is due to open for the 2018 AFL season.
It is understood the WAFC believes partnering with Delaware North and Ticketmaster will give added clout and credibility to its bid to win control of the new stadium.
Ticketmaster's involvement would likely extend beyond ticketing services to content for the stadium. Ticketmaster is owned by Los Angeles-based Live Nation, one of the world's biggest concert promoters and artist managers, and the company has signed an agreement with the WAFC to prioritise Patersons Stadium when it brings big touring acts to Perth.
"We are talking to these and other potential partners, including media, about improving our current operations at Patersons Stadium and the joint approach to seeking the operator role at the new Perth Stadium," WAFC chief Gary Walton said. The WAFC has signed a catering deal with Delaware North to run food and beverage operations at Patersons Stadium for the next three years, taking over from Mustard Catering.
However, sources said there were influential voices within the Government sceptical about handing control of the new stadium to football.
Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron said an operator would be appointed by an open tender process, to begin this year.
