Subiaco Oval
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Subiaco Oval

Subiaco Oval (nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood.

Subiaco Oval was the highest-capacity stadium in Western Australia and one of the main stadiums in Australia, with a final capacity of 43,500 people. It began as the home ground for the Subiaco Football Club, and from the 1930s onward was the home of Australian rules football in Western Australia. It hosted the annual grand final of the West Australian Football League (WAFL), with the ground record attendance of 52,781 set at the 1979 Grand Final. It later served as the home ground of the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Football Club, the two Perth teams in the Australian Football League (AFL). Other events included Socceroos International Friendly Game in 2005, Perth Glory soccer games (including two National Soccer League grand finals), Western Force rugby games, International rules football matches, special National Rugby League fixtures and rock concerts. Under naming rights the stadium was known as Patersons Stadium (2011–2014) and Domain Stadium (2015–2017) in its final years.

The demolition of the stadium was completed in November 2019, though the oval playing surface was retained as part of the school grounds of Bob Hawke College. The refurbished oval was opened to the general public in June 2020.

The ground was first built in 1908, at which point it was known as Mueller Park. In 1969 a three-tier stand was constructed at the western end of the stadium, and in 1981 a two-tier stand on the members' wing was completed. A further redevelopment came in 1995 with the opening of the new two-tier "Town & Country Stand" (later renamed ANZ Stand and NAB Stand) opposite the members' wing. In 1997, light towers were installed at the ground. The last redevelopment, which converted the stadium into an all-seat venue with a capacity of approximately 43,500 was completed in 1999 at a cost of A$35 million.

The three-tier stand was named the Orr-Simons-Hill stand, in honour of three leading figures in the history of WAFL (then known as WANFL). This was proudly and prominently displayed on the exterior western face of the stand right up until the early 1990s, when it was replaced with the logo of a commercial sponsor. There was a small plaque remembering the original naming of the stand, mounted in one of the stairwells, and each tier had a sign on the back interior wall; for example, the first (ground) tier is the R. W. Hill Tier, and the second is the W. R. Orr Tier. (W. R. Orr was secretary of the WANFL in 1932, R. W. Hill was captain of West Perth in 1940 and 1941, and secretary of the WANFL in 1968). The ground was floodlit by four lighting towers.

AFL playing surface:

Fence to fence

Subiaco Oval was the longest ground in the AFL competition, with visiting interstate teams often having to adjust their playing style accordingly. Between 2000 and 2017, the ground was sometimes referred to as "The House of Pain", with many visiting teams losing by lopsided scores.

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