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World-class stadium in sight

Staff ReporterComment News

Baseball WA, Department of Sport and Recreation, and City of Gosnells have prepared a master plan on the redevelopment of Baseball Park.

Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron said the State Government would provide $500,000 to fund additional toilet facilities and upgrade the media area as part of the master plan’s first stage.

‘Also I have approved funding up to $1 million to upgrade site power and to install new sports lighting to television standard,’ he said.

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‘This funding is conditional on Baseball WA sourcing the balance of funds to deliver the project.’

ABL facility development manager Daniel Amodio said a redevelopment was estimated to cost $20 million during an eight-year timeframe.

He said baseball was an ’emerging’ sport in Australia and it had outgrown Baseball Park.

‘WA has the strongest presence for baseball in this country and we had 3000 people attending the ABL championships there, which was putting a strain on the facility,’ he said.

‘We want to expand it to a capacity of about 7500 seats, which then could be further increased with temporary seating for bigger matches.

‘Perth deserves a world-class calibre baseball stadium because attendances have doubled in recent years.

‘We are hoping for both State and Federal government support for the redevelopment.’

Mr Amodio said ABL was keen to bid for World Baseball Classic matches, scheduled to be contested in 2017.

‘The event is essentially baseball’s world cup and it would be huge for the sport here and for WA’s exposure if international matches were held at Baseball Park,’ he said.

He said it was possible to hold an international match there in 2017.