WA Basketball Centre

The WA Basketball Centre (also known by its sponsored name, the Bendat Basketball Centre)[2] is a multi-purpose stadium located in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium features eight courts, including two basketball show courts with 1,100 permanent seats and 900 retractable seats, and a six-court sports hall with multi-sport line markings. Facilities cater primarily for basketball, in addition to netball, volleyball and badminton.[3] The stadium also holds a function room on the first floor for up to 270 people, with bar and kitchen facilities.[3][4] The stadium houses the offices of Basketball Western Australia, Perry Lakes Basketball Association, and the Perth Wildcats. The facility is the main training base of the Wildcats, home court of the Perth Lynx, and hosts countless state, junior and social games throughout the year.

Bendat Basketball Centre
Former namesWA Basketball Centre
LocationUnderwood Avenue, Floreat, Western Australia
Coordinates31°56′55″S 115°47′08″E
OwnerGovernment of Western Australia[1]
OperatorCo-managed by Basketball WA and VenuesWest[1]
CapacityBasketball: 2,000 (show court)
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke ground2008
Opened24 January 2010
Construction costA$40m
Tenants
Basketball Western Australia
Perry Lakes Basketball Association
Perth Wildcats

History

In 2008, construction started at AK Reserve in Mount Claremont on new athletics and basketball facilities to replace the crumbling former Commonwealth Games facilities at Perry Lakes. Being built across the road from the old Perry Lakes Athletics Stadium and Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium, the new facilities would join the sports precinct which was already home to Perth Superdrome (more commonly known as Challenge Stadium), the Western Australian Institute of Sport, and UWA Sports Park.[5] While the WA Athletics Stadium opened in 2009,[6] the WA Basketball Centre was officially opened on 24 January 2010.[3] The combined construction cost of the WA Athletics Stadium, WA Basketball Centre and supporting infrastructure was $73 million,[3] with the basketball facilities costing approximately $40 million.[4][7] The WA Rugby Centre later joined the precinct on adjacent land.[3]

On 1 October 2014, Basketball Western Australia took on the day-to-day operations of the stadium under a co-management agreement with VenuesWest, with VenuesWest continuing to maintain the facility after being the sole operator since its opening.[8]

On 6 May 2015, the stadium was renamed Bendat Basketball Centre in a 21-year sponsorship agreement in honour of Perth Wildcats owner Dr. Jack Bendat.[2][9][10]

On 23 March 2020, the stadium was closed to the public indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] The stadium was reopened on 25 May 2020, initially in a limited capacity.[12]

References
  1. "New name for WA Basketball Centre". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  2. "A Name Change for the WA Basketball Centre". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. 6 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  3. "New centre puts bounce in basketball's step". MediaStatements.wa.gov.au. 24 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018.
  4. "WA Basketball Centre". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013.
  5. "New facilities already taking shape at AK Reserve". MediaStatements.wa.gov.au. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  6. Clarke, Tim (8 March 2009). "The other outdoor stadium". WAToday.com.au. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. "WA Basketball Centre renamed Bendat Basketball Centre". ausleisure.com.au. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  8. "VenuesWest and Basketball WA to co-manage premier facility". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  9. "WA Basketball Centre to be renamed in honour of Dr Jack Bendat". Wildcats.com.au. 6 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016.
  10. Robinson, Chris (6 May 2015). "Bendat Basketball Centre the new name for WA's main facility, named after Jack Bendat". PerthNow.com.au. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. "COVID-19 VENUE CLOSURES". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  12. "Welcome back!". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. 21 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
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