View source for Leederville Oval

{{Short description|Football stadium in Perth, Western Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Leederville Oval
| former_names = Medibank Stadium
| image = LEEDERVILLE_OVAL.jpg
| fullname = Leederville Oval
| location = 246 [[Vincent Street, North Perth|Vincent Street]], [[Leederville, Western Australia]]
| coordinates = {{coord|31|56|7|S|115|50|38|E|type:landmark|display=it}}
| built = 1915
| expanded = 1958, 2003
| owner = [[City of Vincent]]
| surface = Grass
| capacity = 15,000<ref>{{cite web|title=Leederville Oval|url=http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=203|website=Austadiums.som|publisher=Austadiums|access-date=11 July 2015}}</ref>
| scoreboard = Digital<ref>[http://scoreboardpressure.com/2011/03/26/leederville-western-australia/ Leederville, Western Australia] – scoreboardpressure.com. Posted 26 March 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref>
| record_attendance = 24,567 <small>([[1978 WANFL season|1978]])</small>
| tenants = [[West Perth Football Club]] <small>(1915–1993)</small><br />Western Australian Amateur Athletic Association <small>(1930s–1950s)</small><br />[[East Perth Football Club]] <small>(2003–)</small><br />[[Subiaco Football Club]] <small>(2004–)</small>
}}
'''Leederville Oval''' (known as '''Sullivan Logistics Stadium''' under a [[naming rights]] agreement) is an [[Australian rules football]] ground located in [[Leederville, Western Australia|Leederville]], a suburb of [[Perth]], Western Australia. The ground is used as a home ground by two clubs: the [[East Perth Football Club]] and the [[Subiaco Football Club]], both competing in the [[West Australian Football League]] (WAFL). The ground was previously home to the [[West Perth Football Club]] from 1915 to 1993, before the club moved to [[Arena Joondalup]], its current home ground. The ground is serviced by the [[Yanchep line]], with the nearest stop being [[Leederville railway station|Leederville station]].

==History==
Originally part of a [[Perth Wetlands|series of interconnected wetlands]] north of the [[Perth (suburb)|Perth central business district]], the land now part of the ground was first established as a recreation reserve by the [[Municipality of Leederville]] in 1900.<ref name="vincentheritage">[http://www.vincentheritage.com.au/pdf/leederville2.pdf A Brief History of the Suburb Leederville] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216064644/http://www.vincentheritage.com.au/pdf/leederville2.pdf |date=2011-02-16 }} – vincentheritage.com.au. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> The ground was opened in July 1915 with a timber and brick [[grandstand]] as a purpose-built venue for the [[West Perth Football Club]], who had previously shared the [[WACA Ground]] with the [[Perth Football Club]].<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26949731 NEW LEEDERVILLE OVAL.] – ''[[The West Australian]]''. Published 23 July 1915. Retrieved from [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Trove], 20 November 2011.</ref> The first match was played on 24 July 1915, with {{WAFL|Sub}} defeating West Perth by fifteen points, 10.9 (69) to 6.18 (54).<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32556222 Answers to correspondents] – ''[[The West Australian]]''. Published 14 October 1932. Retrieved from [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Trove], 20 November 2011.</ref>

A number of other sports were played at Leederville Oval from the early 1920s to the early 1970s. The Western Australian Amateur Athletic Association leased the ground for a number of years,<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58994276 Leederville Oval Lease] – ''[[Sunday Times (Western Australia)|The Sunday Times]]''. Published 13 November 1938. Retrieved from [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Trove], 20 November 2011.</ref> and the [[Australian Athletics Championships|Australian Open Track and Field Championships]] were held there in 1940 (men's), 1947 (women's), 1953 (men's), 1954 (women's) and 1960 (men's).<ref>[http://www.athletics.com.au/history/aust_tf/index.htm Results – Australian Open Track and Field Championships] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120728003401/http://www.athletics.com.au/history/aust_tf/index.htm |date=2012-07-28 }} – athletics.com.au. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> A [[movie theatre|picture theatre]] operated at the ground in 1924.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31256249 LEEDERVILLE OVAL.] – ''[[The West Australian]]''. Published 3 October 1924. Retrieved from [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Trove], 20 November 2011.</ref> Due to a dispute between the [[City of Perth|Perth City Council]] and the WANFL regarding the rental agreement, neither Leederville Oval nor [[Perth Oval]] were used during [[1940 WANFL season|the 1940 WANFL season]]. West Perth were forced to use [[Subiaco Oval]] and {{WAFL|EP}} the [[WACA Ground]] for the duration of the season.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47309622 GROUNDS DISPUTE SETTLED.] – ''[[The West Australian]]''. Published 21 February 1941. Retrieved from [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Trove], 20 November 2011.</ref>

The ground underwent extensive redevelopments beginning in 1958 to allow it to be used as a venue for the [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]] in Perth. This involved "shrouding" the timber base of the old grandstand with concrete. The new construction was named the RP Fletcher Stand after the president of the West Perth Football Club from 1946 to 1962.<ref name="vincentheritage"/> A match between West Perth and East Perth in round 21 of the 1978 season saw 24,567 attend, a ground record.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games/view/2971 Round 21 - 1978 - League] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref>

West Perth vacated the ground in 1993, moving to [[Arena Joondalup]] for the 1994 season. At the last West Perth home game held at the ground, in August 1993 against Subiaco, a crowd of 20,112 people attended.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games/view/4300 Round 21 – 1993 – League] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> A small number of East Perth and Subiaco home matches were played at the ground after 1994; however, these were not well-attended. With the restructure of the City of Perth in 1994, responsibility for the ground was transferred to the newly formed [[Town of Vincent]].<ref>[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/copra1993335/sch3.html CITY OF PERTH RESTRUCTURING ACT 1993 - SCHEDULE 3] – austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> The council's headquarters were located in the Leederville Oval grandstand until its new administrative centre was constructed. The ground hosted two [[Australian Football League]] [[NAB Cup|pre-season]] matches in February 1995: one between a {{AFL WC}} under-23 and a {{AFL BL}} under-23 side, and one between West Coast and {{AFL Syd}}.<ref>[http://limitededitionsports.yolasite.com/afl-practice-matches-and-exhibition-matches.php Eagles Practice, Exhibition and Pre-Season Matches] – limitedetitionsports.yolasite.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref>

After the East Perth and Subiaco Football Clubs agreed to move into the ground, in 2003 and 2004 respectively, a A$4 million redevelopment was announced, funded by the State Government and the Town of Vincent.<ref>[http://www.amnet.net.au/~daveiza/royals/pomr.html Leaving Perth Oval] – Fight On East Perth. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> It was also proposed by the [[Government of Western Australia|Department of Sport and Recreation]] to move some [[Western Australia cricket team|interstate]] [[cricket]] matches to Leederville Oval from the WACA Ground; however this did not eventuate.<ref>[http://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=57 WACA wins turf war with Subiaco] – austadiums.com. Published 21 September 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> In 2006, the Town of Vincent signed a [[Australian dollar|A$]]250,000 [[naming rights]] deal with [[Medibank Private]] to rename the ground "Medibank Stadium" for three years.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181118015846/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-142172889.html Leederville's sweet pill.] – highbeam.com. Published 16 February 2006 in ''[[The West Australian]]''. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> This was renewed in 2009. Leederville Oval hosted [[Australian Football League]] (AFL) pre-season matches in 2006 and 2010, featuring {{AFL WC}} and {{AFL Haw}} and West Coast and Carlton respectively,<ref>[http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums_events.php?id=203 Events at Leederville Oval (Medibank Stadium)] – austadiums.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref> and WAFL inter-league matches in 2004, 2009 and 2010. As well as the WAFL Grand Final in 2022<ref>[http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/vfl-demolish-the-wafl-in-state-league-clash/story-e6frg1wu-1225869976156 VFL demolishes WAFL in State League clash at Leederville Oval] – perthnow.com.au. Published 22 May 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{Austadiums|203}}

{{West Australian Football League}}
{{WAFL Women's}}

[[Category:West Australian Football League grounds]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Perth, Western Australia]]
[[Category:East Perth Football Club]]
[[Category:Subiaco Football Club]]
[[Category:West Perth Football Club]]
[[Category:Vincent Street, North Perth]]
[[Category:AFL Women's grounds]]
[[Category:Leederville, Western Australia]]