WACA Profile
LOCATION: East Perth |
COUNTRY: Australia |
YEAR OPENED: 1890 |
CAPACITY: 24,500 |
OWNER: Western Australian Cricket Association |
GAME: Cricket |
The WACA Ground is famous cricketing venue in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.
The WACA has been Western Australia's "home of cricket" since the early 1890s, with Test cricket played at the ground since the 1970–71 season.The ground is the home venue of Western Australia's first-class cricket team, the Western Warriors, and a Women's National Cricket League side, the Western Fury. The Perth Scorchers, a Big Bash League franchise, also plays at the ground, which is branded #TheFurnace for those matches.
The pitch at the WACA is regarded as one of the quickest and bounciest in the world, the outfield is also exceptionally fast. These characteristics, in combination with the afternoon sea-breezes which regularly pass the ground (the Fremantle Doctor), have historically made the ground an attractive place for pace and swing bowlers. The ground has also seen some very fast scoring – as of December 2014, four of the eight fastest Test centuries have been scored at the WACA.
Throughout its history, the ground has also been used for a range of other sports, including athletics carnivals, Australian rules football, baseball, soccer, rugby league, rugby union, and international rules football. However, recent years have seen most of these activities relocated to other venues. It has also been used for major rock concerts.