Mining company BHP Billiton has secured naming rights for the sporting precinct at the new Perth Stadium in Australia.
BHP Billiton has committed A$5m (€3.17m/$3.5m) towards developing a boardwalk and amphitheatre at the 60,000-seat venue, which is due to open in time for the 2018 AFL Aussie rules football season and will replace the iconic Waca Ground as the Perth host for major international cricket and Big Bash League Twenty20 matches.
The boardwalk will be more than 200 metres long and will link the amphitheatre in the south of the sports precinct to the community oval in the north. It will feature a series of interpretive story boards celebrating indigenous culture in Western Australia.
The amphitheatre will seat around 1,000 people and host events such as outdoor movies, children’s plays and concerts.
Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett said: “The Stadium site, located on Noongar Country, is of significant indigenous importance. The design of the recreational precinct surrounding the Stadium was inspired by Dreamtime stories and its connection with the Swan River.”
Barnett has previously said that the stadium itself will not bear a corporate name. BHP Billiton’s involvement at Perth Stadium comes under an agreement with the Westadium consortium, which is responsible for the design, build, finance and maintenance of the A$1bn facility.