WACA Ground

The WACA (pronounced wakka) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.

The WACA ground has been the ‘home’ of cricket in Western Australia since the early 1890s. The first Test match was played at the the ground in 1970. The WACA has also been the home ground of the state of Western Australia’s domestic cricket team, currently known as the Western Warriors.

The pitch at the WACA has historically been regarded as one of the quickest and bounciest in the world. These characteristics, in combination with the afternoon sea-breezes which regularly pass the ground (the Fremantle Doctor), have generally made the ground an attractive place for pace and swing bowlers.

Throughout its history, the ground has also been used for a range of activities other than cricket, including Australian rules football, Soccer, Rugby, International Rules and music concerts. However, recent years have seen many of these activities relocate to other venues, and today the ground is rarely used for activities other than cricket. Membership currently sits at around 7,000.

The Western Australian Cricket Association was officially established on November 25, 1885 under the Presidency of JCH James. In 1893, the WACA ground was officially opened, and the first match played on the turf wickets took place in February 1894.

The Association has freehold title to the ground. Originally the title was for 29 acres (117,000 m²). However, part was sold to the Trotting Association in the early 1920s.

Ground developments

In 1895 the first grandstand was built at the WACA Ground, seating 500 people and incorporating dressing rooms, a dining room, bathrooms, members` rooms and bars. In 1931 the the Farley Stand was opened, named after WJ Farley (Association President 1915-1916 to 1916-17 and Secretary 1917-1918 to 1928-1929). In the 1960s the Players Pavilion was built to provide facilities for the players and the WACA administration. Seating was later added to provide extra seating for the the WACA’s inaugural Test Match in 1970.

In 1954 the scoreboard was built, a donation from the North West Murchison Cricket Association. In 1970 the Inverarity Stand, named after Western Australian, South Australian and Australian player John Inverarity, was opened to celebrate the first Test Match to be played at the WACA.

From 1984 to 1988 the WACA underwent major renovations, including a complete resurfacing of the ground and the construction of new terracing and seating in the outer. Also built were the three tiered Prindiville grandstand and two tiered Lillee-Marsh grandstand, which increased the ground’s seating capacity. Six large light towers were also installed in 1986 at a cost of $4.2 million, allowing for night time sports such as day-night cricket matches to be played at the ground. An icon of the WACA, the floodlights are 70 metres high and cost $600 per hour to run.

These redevelopments also made the venue an attractive venue for sports other than cricket, and it was during the late 1980s and early 1990s that the ground saw its greatest use as a multi-sports venue. From 1987 to 2000, the ground was used by the West Coast Eagles, and from 1995 by the Fremantle Dockers, both Perth-based AFL teams. 72 AFL matches were held at the ground during this time. From 1995 to 1997 the WACA also served as the home ground for the Western Reds rugby league team. In the late 1990s the ground played host to the Perth Heat in the former Australian Baseball League.

However, for various reasons these sports moved away from the WACA (in the case of football, to Subiaco Oval), and as a consequence the WACA was again redeveloped in 2002. This redevelopment resulted in much improved facilities for both players and spectators. The capacity of the ground was reduced to around 20,000 and the dimensions of the playing arena were also decreased by a total of 31 metres at the eastern and western boundaries, meaning Australian rules football can no longer be played at the ground.

(source .. wikipedia) reproduced under GFDL

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