New giant screen unveiled outside Optus Stadium

The Burswood Peninsula’s burgeoning sporting mecca status has been strengthened by the unveiling yesterday of a giant outdoor screen outside Optus Stadium.

The 142sqm LED screen – twice the size of that in Melbourne’s Federation Square – holds its debut broadcast on Saturday evening with a free live-stream of the Bledisloe Cup.

Future West Coast and Fremantle home games will also be broadcast on the screen, providing a free alternative for those unable to secure tickets to the games.

Carrying a $2.5 million price tag, the screen is located opposite a grass sloped in the BHP Amphitheatre with seating capacity for around 1000 people.

The amphitheatre has been here for some time but now we have this really great addition of the screen behind me to really enhance this whole area, make it more user friendly, attract more people into WA and not only that connect with the community.

Sports Minister Mick Murray said he hoped the addition of the screen would help create the kind of electric outdoor environment that accompanies sporting spectacles like the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

“When I saw the screen the first thing that comes to mind is the recent Wimbledon tournament where you see outside the courts the amount of people just sitting there enjoying their lunch – some of them might have been having a champagne or two – but watching on the big screen and enjoying the entertainment that was going on inside,” Mr Murray said.

While the amphitheatre will begin life as an alcohol free zone Mr Murray said there was scope for licensed events at the site in future.

Perth’s first ever Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand comes two years after Rugby Australia axed the Western Force from Super Rugby in favour of the Melbourne Rebels.

The move caused widespread and sustained outrage among the WA rugby community, with many fans swearing they would never support the Wallabies again.

Mr Murray would not reveal how much the State Government had paid Rugby Australia to secure the fixture and said he was confident West Australians would come out in droves to back the national side.

“We are talking about two different levels here (between the Wallabies and the Force),” he said.

“We the world class act that will be here on the weekend, the (Force) was probably a bit lower down in that scheme.”