Perth Arena facts for kids
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| Former names | Perth Arena (2012–2018) |
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| Address | 700 Wellington Street |
| Location | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 614: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Owner | VenuesWest |
| Operator | AEG Ogden |
| Capacity | 15,500 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 2007 |
| Opened | 10 November 2012 |
| Construction cost | A$548.7 million |
| Architect | ARM & CCN |
| Builder | WSP Group |
| Project manager | Appian Group |
| Structural engineer | Aurecon |
| Services engineer | Wood & Grieve Engineers |
| General contractor | BGC Construction |
| Main contractors | Buss Construction |
| Tenants | |
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RAC Arena is a super cool place in Perth, Western Australia. It's a big building where people go to watch sports and concerts. You can find it on Wellington Street. It first opened its doors on 10 November 2012. This arena was the first part of a huge city project called the Perth City Link. This project connected the city centre with Northbridge by moving the railway line underground.
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About RAC Arena
The arena is owned by VenuesWest, a group that manages many sports places for the Western Australian Government. It is managed by a company called AEG Ogden.
Some of the main teams that play here are the West Coast Fever (netball) and the Perth Wildcats (basketball). The Hopman Cup tennis tournament also used to be held here.
How the Arena Was Built
Building the arena started in June 2007. Two architecture companies, Ashton Raggatt McDougall and Cameron Chisholm Nicol, designed it together. The design looks a bit like an Eternity puzzle!
The arena can hold lots of people. For tennis, it fits up to 13,910 fans. For basketball, it can have 14,846 people. For big music concerts, up to 15,000 people can watch. It even has a roof that can open and close! There are also fancy rooms for special guests and a big underground car park.
During construction, there were some challenges. The cost ended up being more than first expected, and it took longer to build. For example, the car park was originally planned to be built over the railway line, but it was later decided to build it under the arena instead.
What's in a Name?
For its first six years, the arena was simply called Perth Arena. But in September 2018, it got a new name: RAC Arena. This happened because the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) made a deal to have their name on the building for five years. This kind of deal is called "naming rights."
Awesome Entertainment Events
RAC Arena has hosted many famous performers and exciting events.
- On 8 and 9 November 2013, the amazing Beyoncé performed two sold-out shows. These were the last shows in Australia and New Zealand for her The Mrs Carter Show World Tour.
- The Rolling Stones played two sold-out concerts on 29 October and 1 November 2014. It was their first time in Perth since 1995!
- Australian pop star Kylie Minogue performed here on 14 March 2015 as part of her Kiss Me Once Tour. She returned on 15 February 2025 for her Tension Tour.
- The famous singer Celine Dion performed at the arena for the first time on 4 August 2018.
- On 12 October 2018, American singer and actress Cher also performed here for her Here We Go Again Tour.
- In 2022, RAC Arena became the new home for the Channel Seven Perth Telethon, a big event that raises money for charity.
- On 29 and 30 September 2022, the popular singer-songwriter Billie Eilish played her last two Australian shows for her Happier Than Ever: The World Tour.
- Irish folk-rock band The Corrs performed on 25 October 2023. They were joined by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, Toni Childs, and Germein.
Exciting Sports Action
RAC Arena is a hub for many different sports.
Basketball Games
The first NBL game at RAC Arena was on 16 November 2012. The Perth Wildcats played against the Adelaide 36ers. Over 11,500 fans came to watch, which was a record for an indoor event in Western Australia at the time! The arena has hosted even bigger crowds since then. The current record is 13,615 fans, set on 19 December 2021 when the Wildcats beat the Tasmania Jackjumpers.
RAC Arena is one of the biggest venues used in the NBL. In 2024, it also became the place for the grand final of the NBL1 West basketball league.
Tennis Tournaments
On 2 January 2019, a record 14,064 people watched a 2019 Hopman Cup tennis match between the United States and Switzerland. This was the biggest crowd ever for a tennis match in Western Australia! The arena hosted the Hopman Cup until the tournament ended. It also hosted the 2019 Fed Cup Final. Since 2020, it has been one of the venues for the ATP Cup and the United Cup tournaments, which feature teams from different countries.
Boxing Matches
On 12 May 2024, George Kambosos Jr. and Vasiliy Lomachenko had an important boxing match at RAC Arena. They fought for a lightweight title, and Lomachenko won by a technical knockout.
Mixed Martial Arts (UFC)
The UFC has held several big events here:
- UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold on 11 February 2018.
- UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski on 12 February 2023.
- UFC 305: du Plessis vs. Adesanya on 18 August 2024.
Netball Games
Netball was first played at the arena on 27 April 2013. The home team, the West Coast Fever, played against the Melbourne Vixens. The Fever now plays all their home matches at RAC Arena. A record crowd of 13,722 attended the 2018 Super Netball Grand Final here.
The first international netball game was played at RAC Arena on 30 October 2015. It was between the Australian team and the New Zealand team.
Professional Wrestling
The American professional wrestling company WWE has scheduled their big event, Crown Jewel, to take place at RAC Arena on Saturday, 11 October 2025.
See also
- List of indoor arenas in Australia
