Optus Stadium, Perth
Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham Hotspur team touch down in Perth (Boorloo) this week. The first Australian head coach of an English Premier League (EPL) team, Postecoglou will lead the Tottenham Hotspur in its pre-season hit out at Optus Stadium.
In what shapes as one of the biggest months’ in Australian football history, as the Matildas aim for FIFA Women’s World Cup Glory on home turf, Postecoglou’s appointment is of astronomical significance for football in Australia.
The much-loved Melburnian is the former coach of the Socceroos and Melbourne Victory, and more recently, Celtic FC in Scotland.
In an Australian exclusive, Tottenham Hotspur plays West Ham United on 18 July and Perth Glory plays West Ham United on 15 July. It’s Tottenham’s first match since Postecoglou’s appointment.
Optus Stadium was named Venue of the Year at the Stadium Business Awards in Manchester 2022, having previously hosted EPL giants Manchester United and Chelsea.
Here are five other legendary sporting memories in Perth:
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The first sporting event of global significance to occur in Perth was the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1962. Now called the Commonwealth Games, 35 nations were represented in Perth - Australia topping the medal tally with 105 total and 38 gold.
1987 America’s Cup
Australia’s 1983 America’s Cup victory was the first success in 25 challenges for the Cup over 132 years, and still stands as one of the most iconic sporting moments in Australian sporting history. Needless to say, the eyes of a nation were firmly on the Western Australian capital city four years later when the defence was held in Gage Roads - the 19-kilometre-wide shipping lane between Fremantle (Walyalup) and Rottnest Island (Wadjemup). While Australia did not retain the Cup, the event left a lasting legacy on Fremantle and Perth’s endless stretch of beaches with myriad of tourism and hospitality infrastructure.
1998 World Swimming Championships
Heading into the Perth event no one knew the name Ian Thorpe. That all changed after eight-days of swimming when the then 14-year-old won gold in the 400 metres freestyle. Thorpe went on to become Australia’s greatest ever male Olympian and one of the all-time great swimmers. Fellow Australian Michael Klim won seven medals, including four gold.
2019 Hopman Cup (picture)
Forever known as ‘Seroger’ or ‘Rogena’, this was the moment Roger Federer and Serena Williams came together for a competitive match - the only occasion in their illustrious careers. The two are widely regarded as the greatest to play men’s and women’s tennis, respectively. The mixed doubles match was won by the Swiss team of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic, while Serena Williams teamed up with fellow American Frances Tiafoe. This was the last iteration of the Hopman Cup in Australia, which has now been replaced by the United Cup mixed tennis event each December.
2021 AFL Grand Final (picture)
2021 will be remembered in AFL circles as the year Perth hosted the AFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium, due to pandemic lockdown measures in other Australian cities. Bathed in the city’s famed sunshine on the last weekend in September (or first weekend of October), 60,000 fans came together to celebrate Australia’s much-loved game. Melbourne Demons emerged victorious over the Western Bulldogs.