Medibank Private Stadium
Encyclopedia
Leederville Oval, officially called
Medibank Stadium, is an Australian rules football
ground located in Leederville
, Western Australia
. The ground is currently used as a home ground by two clubs: the East Perth Football Club
and the Subiaco Football Club
, both competing in the West Australian Football League
(WAFL). The ground was also previously used by the West Perth Football Club
, from 1915 to 2003. The ground is serviced by the Joondalup railway line, with the nearest stop being Leederville.
, the land was first established as a recreation reserve by the Leederville Municipality in 1900. The ground was opened in July 1915 with a timber and brick grandstand
as a purpose-built venue for the West Perth Football Club
, who had previously shared the WACA Ground
with the Perth Football Club
. The first match was played on 24 July 1915, with defeating West Perth by fifteen points, 10.9 (69) to 6.18 (54).
A number of other sports were played at Leederville Oval from the early 1920s to the early 1970s. The Western Australian Amateur Athletic Association leased the ground for a number of years, and the Australian Open Track and Field Championships were held there in 1940 (men's), 1947 (women's), 1953 (men's), 1954 (women's) and 1960 (men's). A picture theatre operated at the ground in 1924. Due to a dispute between the Perth City Council
and the WANFL regarding the rental agreement, neither Leederville Oval nor Perth Oval were used during the 1940 WANFL season. West Perth were forced to use Subiaco Oval
and the WACA Ground
for the duration of the season.
The ground underwent extensive redevelopments beginning in 1958 to allow it to be used as a venue for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
in Perth. This involved "shrouding" the timber base of the old grandstand with concrete. The new construction was named the RP Fletcher Stand after the president of the West Perth Football Club from 1946 to 1962. A match between West Perth and East Perth in round 21 of the 1978 season saw 24,567 attend, a ground record.
West Perth vacated the ground in 1993, moving to Arena Joondalup for the 1994 season. At the last West Perth home game held at the ground, in August 1993 against Subiaco, a crowd of 20,112 people attended. A small number of East Perth and Subiaco home matches were played at the ground after 1994; however, these were not well-attended. With the restructure of the City of Perth in 1994, responsibility for the ground was transferred to the newly-formed Town of Vincent. The council's headquarters were located in the Leederville Oval grandstand until its new administrative centre was constructed. The ground hosted two Australian Football League
pre-season matches in February 1995: one between a under-23 and a under-23 side, and one between West Coast and .
After the East Perth and Subiaco Football Clubs agreed to move into the ground, in 2003 and 2004 respectively, a A$4 million redevelopment was announced, funded by the State Government and the Town of Vincent. It was also proposed by the Department of Sport and Recreation
to move some interstate cricket
matches to Leederville Oval from the WACA Ground; however this did not eventuate. In 2006, the Town of Vincent signed a A$
250,000 naming rights
deal with Medibank Private
to rename the ground "Medibank Stadium" for three years. This was renewed in 2009. Leederville Oval hosted Australian Football League
(AFL) pre-season matches in 2006 and 2010, featuring and and West Coast and Carlton respectively, and WAFL inter-league matches in 2004, 2009 and 2010.
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
Medibank Stadium, is an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
ground located in Leederville
Leederville, Western Australia
Leederville is a locality within the City of Vincent within the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia.It is home to Aranmore Catholic College, The Schools of Isolated and Distance Education, Central Institute of Technology Leederville Campus and St Mary's Church.-External...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The ground is currently used as a home ground by two clubs: the East Perth Football Club
East Perth Football Club
The East Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Royals, is an Australian rules football club that is a member of the West Australian Football League...
and the Subiaco Football Club
Subiaco Football Club
The Subiaco Football Club, nicknamed the Lions, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . It was founded in 1896, and admitted to the WAFL in 1901, along with North Fremantle...
, both competing in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WAFL). The ground was also previously used by the West Perth Football Club
West Perth Football Club
The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia, competing in the West Australian Football League . It is the oldest existing Australian rules football club in Western Australia. It competes in the West Australian...
, from 1915 to 2003. The ground is serviced by the Joondalup railway line, with the nearest stop being Leederville.
History
Originally part of the Perth wetlandsPerth Wetlands
The Perth Wetlands, also known as the Perth Great Lakes or the Great Lakes District, was a collection of fresh-water wetlands, swamps and lakes located on the Swan Coastal Plain north of the city of Perth in Western Australia...
, the land was first established as a recreation reserve by the Leederville Municipality in 1900. The ground was opened in July 1915 with a timber and brick grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
as a purpose-built venue for the West Perth Football Club
West Perth Football Club
The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia, competing in the West Australian Football League . It is the oldest existing Australian rules football club in Western Australia. It competes in the West Australian...
, who had previously shared the WACA Ground
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
with the Perth Football Club
Perth Football Club
The Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The club plays its matches at Lathlain Park.-History:...
. The first match was played on 24 July 1915, with defeating West Perth by fifteen points, 10.9 (69) to 6.18 (54).
A number of other sports were played at Leederville Oval from the early 1920s to the early 1970s. The Western Australian Amateur Athletic Association leased the ground for a number of years, and the Australian Open Track and Field Championships were held there in 1940 (men's), 1947 (women's), 1953 (men's), 1954 (women's) and 1960 (men's). A picture theatre operated at the ground in 1924. Due to a dispute between the Perth City Council
City of Perth
The City of Perth is a local government area and body, within the Perth Metropolitan Area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government body is commonly known as Perth City Council. The city covers the Perth central business district and surrounding suburbs...
and the WANFL regarding the rental agreement, neither Leederville Oval nor Perth Oval were used during the 1940 WANFL season. West Perth were forced to use Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
and the WACA Ground
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
for the duration of the season.
The ground underwent extensive redevelopments beginning in 1958 to allow it to be used as a venue for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from 22 November-1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth....
in Perth. This involved "shrouding" the timber base of the old grandstand with concrete. The new construction was named the RP Fletcher Stand after the president of the West Perth Football Club from 1946 to 1962. A match between West Perth and East Perth in round 21 of the 1978 season saw 24,567 attend, a ground record.
West Perth vacated the ground in 1993, moving to Arena Joondalup for the 1994 season. At the last West Perth home game held at the ground, in August 1993 against Subiaco, a crowd of 20,112 people attended. A small number of East Perth and Subiaco home matches were played at the ground after 1994; however, these were not well-attended. With the restructure of the City of Perth in 1994, responsibility for the ground was transferred to the newly-formed Town of Vincent. The council's headquarters were located in the Leederville Oval grandstand until its new administrative centre was constructed. The ground hosted two Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
pre-season matches in February 1995: one between a under-23 and a under-23 side, and one between West Coast and .
After the East Perth and Subiaco Football Clubs agreed to move into the ground, in 2003 and 2004 respectively, a A$4 million redevelopment was announced, funded by the State Government and the Town of Vincent. It was also proposed by the Department of Sport and Recreation
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
to move some interstate cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches to Leederville Oval from the WACA Ground; however this did not eventuate. In 2006, the Town of Vincent signed a A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
250,000 naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
deal with Medibank Private
Medibank Private
Medibank is an Australian government-owned private health insurer, established under the Fraser government in 1976 through the Health Insurance Commission . It is Australia's largest health insurance provider with 3.6 million members under two brands, and the only health insurer present in every...
to rename the ground "Medibank Stadium" for three years. This was renewed in 2009. Leederville Oval hosted Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL) pre-season matches in 2006 and 2010, featuring and and West Coast and Carlton respectively, and WAFL inter-league matches in 2004, 2009 and 2010.