 Lathlain Park in 2019 | |
 Interactive map of Lathlain Park | |
| Full name | Lathlain Park Oval |
|---|---|
| Former names | Eftel Oval, Brownes Stadium |
| Location | Lathlain, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°58′21″S115°54′27″E / 31.97250°S 115.90750°E /-31.97250; 115.90750 |
| Owner | Town of Victoria Park |
| Capacity | 6,500[1] |
| Record attendance | 19,541(1967) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Electronic |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1959 |
| Opened | 25 August 1959 (1959-08-25) |
| Tenants | |
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  Lathlain Park (Perth) | |
Lathlain Park (also known asMineral Resources Park underground sponsorship arrangements) is anAustralian rules football ground, located inLathlain, an inner-eastern suburb ofPerth, Western Australia.[2] Since its opening in 1959, it has been the home ground for thePerth Football Club of theWest Australian Football League (WAFL). Since 2019 it has been the administrative and training headquarters of professionalAustralian Football League (AFL) club theWest Coast Eagles.[1]
The venue was known as Lathlain Park until 2003 when the naming rights were sold toEftel, an internet company, for a period of five years or more.[3]
In 2011, Eftel decided not to renew their contract, which gave Western Australian dairy companyBrownes the naming rights of Lathlain Park, and so for the next three years its sponsored name was Brownes Stadium.
In 2019, the naming rights were soldmining companyMineral Resources for an undisclosed amount, as AFL club theWest Coast Eagles moved to the ground permanently for training and administration.[4]
The oval is primarily used forAustralian rules football and has been the home ground ofPerth in theWest Australian Football League (WAFL) since 1959 (with the exception of 1987 and 1988 when they played home matches at theWACA Ground). The ground record attendance of 19,541 people was set in round 6 of the1967 WANFL season for the rematch of the 1966 Grand Final between Perth andEast Perth.[5][6] The redevelopment of the ground to cater for the West Coast Eagles reduced the capacity from 15,000 to 6,500 patrons.[1]
Lathlain Park was also used by theSunday Football League (SFL) for Australian football as the headquarters for their league and as a home ground for South Perth Raiders in the SFL. The ground has also occasionally been used forrugby league matches. On 17 February1977, the ground hosted anAmco Cup game betweenWestern Australia and theNorthern Territory, the locals winning 23-18. The next time the ground was used for rugby league was 10 years later when two matches of the1987 National Panasonic Cup were held there. Western Australia defeatedSouth Australia 18-16 on 5 April, before following that a week later with a 28-10 win againstVictoria.[7] In 1999, the ground hosted its only rugby league premiership match, withMelbourne defeatingWests 64-6.[8]
In September 2013Australian Football League (AFL) teamWest Coast Eagles entered into a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with the Town ofVictoria Park to develop a new home for the club at Lathlain Park with plans to build a $50 million state-of-the-art headquarters, one of the premier sporting club facilities in Australia.[9][10] The eventual cost of the completed project ended up being $60 million.[11] construction began on the main building in 2017.[12]
The Eagles began moving their training and administration base from theSubiaco Oval, where it had been based since 1987, into the new upgraded facility at Lathlain Park in 2019.[13] The upgraded facility features two ovals, one the size of theMelbourne Cricket Ground and the other the size ofPerth Stadium (the home ground of the Eagles), a running track, indoor training field, a gymnasium, swimming and recovery pools, elite medical and function facilities, a West Coast Eagles Football Club museum, public cafe and administrative offices.[11] The facility also houses the Waalitj Foundation.[14] The Perth Football Club continue to play home matches at the venue.
