Perth Rectangular Stadium

Not to be confused with Perth Stadium.

"HBF Park" redirects here. Not to be confused with HBF Stadium or HBF Arena.

HBF Park

Perth Rectangular Stadium
Full name	HBF Park
Former names	Loton Park Members Equity Stadium ME Bank Stadium nib Stadium Perth Oval
Location	Lord Street Perth, Western Australia
Coordinates	31°56′45″S115°52′12″E / 31.945751°S 115.869924°E / -31.945751; 115.869924 (HBF Park)
Owner	City of Vincent
Operator	VenuesWest
Executive suites	24
Capacity	20,500 (Sports mode) [1]
Record attendance	Overall: 32,000 (Concert, 2015) Sports: 27,473 (Interstate football, 1929)
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	LED Screen
Construction
Built	1910 [1]
Renovated	2004, 2012 and 2023
Tenants
Football Perth SC, Perth Glory FC (NSL, A-League) (1996–present) Australia national football team Rugby Union Western Force (GRR, Super Rugby) (2010–present) Australia national rugby union team Australian Rules East Perth Royals (1910–1939, 1941–1987, 1990–2003) Australia international rules team
Website
www.hbfpark.com.au
Western Australia Heritage Register
Type	State Registered Place
Designated	2 September 1998
Reference no.	2992

Perth Rectangular Stadium (also known as HBF Park under naming rights ^[2] ) is a sports stadium in Perth, the capital of the Australian state of Western Australia. Located close to Perth's central business district, the stadium currently has a maximum capacity of 20,500 people for sporting events and 25,000 people for concerts, with the ground's record attendance of 32,000 people set during an Ed Sheeran concert in 2015. ^[3] The land on which the stadium was built, known as Loton Park, was made a public reserve in 1904, with the main ground developed several years later.

From 1910 until 2003, it was known as Perth Oval and was the home ground of the East Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). It hosted several of the competition's grand finals during that time. In 2004, the ground was redeveloped, altering it from an oval field to a rectangular field. The ground is currently home to two major professional sporting clubs: Perth Glory FC, a soccer team competing in the A-League, and the Western Force, a rugby union team playing in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The ground is also used by the West Coast Pirates, a semi-professional rugby league team competing in the S. G. Ball Cup, as well as for concerts.

Current use

The stadium is currently used for hosting sports events and concerts.

Sport

In sports mode the stadium has a capacity of around 20,500. Soccer club Perth Glory has played at the ground since 1996. The stadium is unusual among modern Australian stadiums for having a standing terrace at the northern end of the ground, called 'The Shed'.

The ground has hosted rugby union team Western Force since 2010. The Force's move to the stadium led to a minor redevelopment of facilities at the ground, including an increase in capacity and improved lighting. ^[4]

For 2008 the stadium hosted WA Reds home matches in the Bundaberg Red Cup.

Since 2009, there have been annual NRL games played at the oval, generally as South Sydney Rabbitohs home games, with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles joining in 2016. The stadium has housed the administrative facilities of the Western Australia Rugby League since 2003. ^[5]

In 2015, the stadium hosted a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Australia and Bangladesh, the first A-international in Perth in over a decade. ^[6]

The stadium was one of the host venues for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Concerts

The capacity for concerts is now over 25,000. ^[7] A record 32,000 crowd attended the Ed Sheeran concert in 2015.

History

Early history

The land on which the stadium is built was known as Loton's Paddock after the previous owner William Loton, Lord Mayor of Perth. ^[8] The Paddock had been reclaimed from part of Stone's Lake, which was part of a lake system known as The Great Lakes District which included Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake. ^[9]

Loton sold the land to the City of Perth in 1904 with the purpose of providing recreation for the residents of the area. After the 2004 redevelopment, part of the ground reverted to public open space and the original name, Loton Park was re-applied, to honour Loton, and Yoordgoorading, the Noongar name for the former lake. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

Lacrosse was one of the main sports played on the oval from the early 1900s to the 1940s, being the home of the WA Lacrosse Association during this time. ^[11] Australian rules football was also occasionally played on the oval from 1905.

In the early 1930s large white entry gates were built on the north west corner of the ground. These have since been heritage listed. ^[9]

Soccer

Perth Glory and North Queensland Fury in 2009 during an A-League match.

Perth Glory and North Queensland Fury in 2010 during an A-League match.

Soccer was an early tenant at Loton Park, playing regular matches as early as 1903, when over 2,000 spectators attended a Charity Cup match between Olympic FC and Civil Service. ^[12]

In 1905 the land was offered to the WA British Football Association for £2000, but the asking price was considered too high. ^[12]

The venue was the scene of a humiliation in 1927 when the WA state team were thrashed 11–3 by Bohemians, a team representing Czechoslovakia. ^{[12] [13]}

Prior to the 2004 redevelopment, the venue was oval-shaped and, when Perth Glory entered the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1996, temporary stands were moved on to the pitch to get supporters closer to the action. After playing in these conditions for four years, it became apparent that the Glory would need their own rectangular stadium and, after Glory's proposed redevelopment of Leederville Oval was rejected, the Town of Vincent completely overhauled the ground into a rectangular stadium.

The venue hosted the 2014 W-League semi-final and grand final matches involving Perth Glory Women.

2015 saw the return of the Australia national soccer team to Perth after a 10-year absence, with a 5–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier win against Bangladesh on 3 September, in front of a 19,495-strong crowd. ^[14] The following year on 1 September the Socceroos returned for another World Cup qualifier against Iraq, with 18,923 in attendance. The stadium was due to host a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kuwait in 2020 however unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic meant that this did not go ahead. ^[15] In 2024, the stadium will host a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Palestine. ^[16]

Perth Rectangular Stadium was selected to host several group stage matches of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. ^{[17] [18]} The venue received a $32 million upgrade before the tournament, which included new LED floodlighting, upgrades of player and media facilities, pitch improvements, new player races and bench areas, and additional temporary seating for spectators. ^[19]

Men's international soccer

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance	Part of
1	3 September 2015	Australia	5–0	Bangladesh	19,495	2018 World Cup qualification – Second Round
2	1 September 2016	Australia	2–0	Iraq	18,923	2018 World Cup qualification – Third Round
3	11 June 2024	Australia	5–0	Palestine	18,261	2026 World Cup qualification – Second Round

Women's international soccer

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance	Part of
1	26 March 2018	Australia	5–0	Thailand	7,549 [20]	Friendly

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

The venue hosted five group stage matches of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance	Part of
1	22 July 2023	Denmark	1–0	China	16,989	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D
2	26 July 2023	Canada	2–1	Republic of Ireland	17,065	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B
3	29 July 2023	Panama	0–1	Jamaica	15,987	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Group F
4	1 August 2023	Haiti	0–2	Denmark	17,897	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D
5	3 August 2023	Morocco	1–0	Colombia	17,342	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Group H

2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Perth hosted six international matches over three match days as part of the second round of Asian qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. ^[21] Perth Rectangular Stadium was originally scheduled to host all three match days however the second match day involving matches between Philippines and Australia, and Iran and Chinese Taipei was moved to larger capacity Perth Stadium due to strong demand. ^[22]

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance
1	26 October 2023	Chinese Taipei	1–4	Philippines	2,725
2		Australia	2–0	Iran	18,798
5	1 November 2023	Philippines	1–0	Iran	3,111
6		Australia	3–0	Chinese Taipei	19,084

Perth Rectangular Stadium panorama following a Perth Glory match, January 2017

Australian rules football

Christian Brothers College players walking onto Perth Oval in 1919

South Australia vs Western Australia during the 1921 Perth Carnival set a new record crowd of 26,461.

Australian rules football club East Perth Football Club moved to Perth Oval from Wellington Square in 1910, ^[9] and played at the ground until 1999 except in 1940 due to a dispute with the Perth City Council over rents, ^[23] and in 1988 and 1989 when the WAFL attempted an unsuccessful move to the WACA. After the Royals played their last match at the ground, they permanently moved away in 2003. ^[24]

In 1956 the F.D. Book Stand was built as part of East Perth Football Club's golden jubilee celebrations. It was named after administrator Fred Book, who was instrumental in ensuring Perth Oval stayed as a sporting ground during World War II. ^[12]

The ground was briefly used as a home base for East Perth's WAFL rivals West Perth and Perth. ^[9] Six West Australian Football League Grand Finals were played at Perth Oval, the first being in 1912 and the last in 1935. ^[25]

Cricket

The venue was home to Western Australian Grade Cricket teams North Perth and University. North Perth played at the oval between 1910 and 1975 and University between 1913 and 1929. ^[12]

Rugby union

Rugby was played at the venue as early as 1905. ^[26]

The ground has occasionally been used by the Western Australian Rugby Union to host state league finals matches at least as far back as 1940. ^[27]

Perth Spirit played at the venue during the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship. ^[28]

Perth Rectangular Stadium has been the home of the Western Force since 2010.

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance	Competition
1	9 September 2017	Australia	23–23	South Africa	17,528	2017 Rugby Championship [29]
2	17 September 2016	Australia	36–20	Argentina	16,202	2016 Rugby Championship [30]

Rugby league

Rugby league has been an annual fixture at Perth Rectangular Stadium since 2009, with South Sydney Rabbitohs hosting a home game once a season until 2017 with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles joining them for 2016 and 2017. The biggest crowds have occurred in games involving the New Zealand Warriors. It was announced in January 2016 that the stadium would host Perth's first rugby league test match between the Australian Kangaroos and the New Zealand Kiwis on 15 October 2016. ^[31]

The venue hosted the 2017 Rugby League World Cup and the 2020 NRL Nines.

List of rugby league test matches played at Perth Rectangular Stadium. ^[32]

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance	Part of
1	15 October 2016	Australia	26–6	New Zealand	20,283	2016 Four Nations
2	12 November 2017	England	36–6	France	14,744	2017 World Cup Group A
3	12 November 2017	Wales	6–34	Ireland	14,744	2017 World Cup Group C

The first game played at the venue was in the 1997 Super League season. The Perth-based Western Reds moved their round 4 game against the Canterbury Bulldogs to the oval due to the unavailability of their usual home ground, the WACA. On that occasion the Reds won 36–6 in what was the venue's smallest rugby league attendance (until 2017) of 7,135. ^[33]

NRL games

Game	Date	Team	Result	Team	Attendance	Part of
1	23 March 1997	Western Reds	36–6	Canterbury Bulldogs	7,135	1997 Super League season
2	7 May 2005	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	28–24	New Zealand Warriors	13,293	2005 NRL season
3	13 June 2009	Melbourne Storm	28–22	South Sydney Rabbitohs	15,197	2009 NRL season
4	26 June 2010	South Sydney Rabbitohs	16–14	Melbourne Storm	13,164	2010 NRL season
5	24 June 2011	South Sydney Rabbitohs	16–12	Brisbane Broncos	15,371	2011 NRL season
6	23 March 2012	Brisbane Broncos	20–12	South Sydney Rabbitohs	15,599	2012 NRL season
7	7 July 2013	South Sydney Rabbitohs	30–13	New Zealand Warriors	20,221	2013 NRL season
8	29 March 2014	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	40–12	Melbourne Storm	12,014	2014 NRL season
9	7 June 2014	South Sydney Rabbitohs	34–18	New Zealand Warriors	20,267	2014 NRL season
10	6 June 2015	South Sydney Rabbitohs	36–4	New Zealand Warriors	20,272	2015 NRL season
11	5 June 2016	Gold Coast Titans	29–28	South Sydney Rabbitohs	13,142	2016 NRL season
12	16 July 2016	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (GP)	15–14	New Zealand Warriors	11,109	2016 NRL season
13	21 May 2017	Melbourne Storm	14–6	South Sydney Rabbitohs	11,433	2017 NRL season
14	1 July 2017	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	26–22	New Zealand Warriors	6,258	2017 NRL season
15	2 August 2024	Sydney Roosters	40–34	Dolphins	20,027	2024 NRL season

Record attendances

The record crowd for the ground is 32,000 for the Ed Sheeran concert on 2 December 2015, overtaking the previous record of 31,997 ^[34] for the last Foo Fighters concert in 2015.

The record sport attendance is 27,473, for an interstate Australian football match between Western Australia and Victoria on 6 July 1929 – which was at the time the record football crowd in Western Australian history. ^[35] The highest crowd for a club match was 26,760 for the 31 May 1969 derby Australian football match between East Perth and West Perth.^{[ citation needed ]}

The record soccer crowd for a match at the ground is 19,495, for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier between the Socceroos and Bangladesh, bettering the previous record of 18,067 in the 1998–99 NSL season game between Perth Glory and South Melbourne FC.

The record rugby union crowd at the venue prior to the 2012–13 redevelopment is an estimated 22,000 in a Super Rugby 2011 Season game between the Western Force and Crusaders on 30 April 2011.

The record sports crowd at the venue since the 2012–13 redevelopment is 20,727 in a 2015 NRL season game between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand Warriors on 6 June 2015.

Music

Roger Waters performing on his Dark Side Of The Moon Live tour in 2007

Perth Rectangular Stadium has been the venue of major music concerts, including:

Concerts

Year	Date	Artist/s
2005	15 February	Tom Jones & John Farnham
	19 February	Moonlight Music and Wine Festival
	29 October	Luciano Pavarotti
2007	9 February	Roger Waters
	11 February	Eric Clapton
2008	1 February	The Police
	2 February
	5 March	Rod Stewart
	29 March	Jack Johnson
	8 April	Celine Dion
	10 May	Elton John
	31 October	Def Leppard
	1 November	Eros Ramazzotti
	23 November	Billy Joel
2009	4 April	The Who
	14 November	Pearl Jam
	11 December	Fleetwood Mac
	12 December
2010	25 January	Raggamuffin
	18 April	Supafest
	24 November	Leonard Cohen
	4 December	Jack Johnson
	10 December	Eagles
2011	29 March	Neil Diamond
	6 April	Lionel Richie
	15 October	Def Leppard
	22 October	Meat Loaf
	19 November	Kings of Leon
	28 November	Foo Fighters
2012	4 February	Rod Stewart
2013	11 December	Taylor Swift
2015	8 March	Foo Fighters
	2 December	Ed Sheeran
2016	20 November	RNB Fridays Live
2017	6 March	Justin Bieber
	14 October	RNB Fridays Live
	2 December	Paul McCartney
2018	20 January	Foo Fighters
	9 November	RNB Fridays Live
2019	5 March	Red Hot Chili Peppers
	8 November	RNB Fridays Live
	30 November	Elton John
	1 December
2022	5 November	Fridayz Live
2023	20 February	Harry Styles
	29 November	Foo Fighters

Additionally, in September 2020 Tame Impala performed on the pitch in the empty park amid the COVID-19 pandemic in promotion of EA Sports FIFA 21. ^[36]

See also

• List of soccer stadiums in Australia
• Lists of stadiums

References

1. "Functions Perth – Events Perth – nib Stadium". venueswest.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
2. "Perth's leading rectangular venue to be renamed HBF Park | VenuesWest". VenuesWest. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
3. "Ed Sheeran Concert Breaks Record at nib Stadium". Venues West. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
4. "The Force gets new home stadium for 2010". Rugby Week. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
6. "Socceroos to play World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh in Perth". socceroos.com.au. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
7. Collins, Simon; Zuel, Bernard (8 July 2011). "Foo Fighters to start Oz tour in Perth". The West Australian. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
8. "New public land surrounding Perth Oval to be co-named after original" (PDF). Town of Vincent. 9 April 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
9. "Register of Heritage Places" (PDF). Heritage Council of Western Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
10. "A new recreation ground – handing over the titles". The Daily News. 8 November 1904. Retrieved 29 November 2013– via National Library of Australia.
11. "LACROSSE ASSOCIATION". New Call And Bailey's Weekly . No. 1032. Western Australia. 27 May 1937. p. 15. Retrieved 2 May 2022– via National Library of Australia.
12. "Brief History of Perth Oval". Fight On East Perth. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
13. "why is there a kangaroo in the emblem of the central european club???". oleole.com. 15 May 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
14. "Five-star Socceroos overwhelm Bangladesh". socceroos.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
15. "Socceroos' visit to Perth postponed". The West Australian. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
16. "Subway Socceroos return to Western Australia for final Second Round qualifier | Socceroos". www.socceroos.com.au. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
17. "Perth Rectangular Stadium". fifa.com. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
18. "Perth Rectangular Stadium". hospitality.fifa.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
19. "$32m boost for HBF Park ahead of Women's World Cup". Austadiums. 18 August 2021.
20. "Social media reaction to classy Matildas' thumping win in Perth". Matildas. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
21. "Matildas coming to Perth for three Olympic Qualifier matches | Western Australian Government". www.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
22. "Strong demand moves CommBank Matildas to Optus Stadium | Matildas". www.matildas.com.au. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
23. "Football: City Council Grounds for Practice"; The West Australian , 12 March 1940, p. 9
24. "History". East Perth Football Club . Retrieved 28 April 2009.
25. "History". West Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
26. "Rugby Notes". The Sunday Times. 21 May 1905. Retrieved 8 May 2011– via National Library of Australia.
27. "Rugby – Matches at Perth Oval". The West Australian. 13 September 1940. p. 9. Retrieved 8 July 2011– via National Library of Australia.
28. "Rugby WA launches Perth Spirit". The Australian. 21 March 2007. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
29. "Wallabies blow lead to draw Boks". Wide World of Sports. Nine Entertainment Co. Australian Associated Press. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
30. "Wallabies make it two in a row with 36-20 win over Argentina". ABC News. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
31. Perth to host October test match National Rugby League
32. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Perth Oval – Current Name: nib Stadium – Rugby League Project". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
33. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Super League 1997 – Round 4 – Rugby League Project". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
34. "News".
35. "Football carnival". The West Australian. Perth, WA. 16 August 1937. p. 15.
36. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Tame Impala – FIFA 21 World Premiere". YouTube . October 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Perth Rectangular Stadium at Austadiums