HBF Park named an A League stadium of the season

Perth Glory’s HBF Park has been voted by the players as one of the PFA A-League Men Stadiums of the Season for the second straight year. 

Go Media Stadium and HBF Park received the highest average rating by the players for atmosphere and pitch quality, respectively.  

Perth Glory’s HBF Park received the best pitch quality on average for consecutive seasons, scoring 4.7 from the 12 games surveyed by the players.  This score reflects a slight increase on last year’s average score of 4.4. 

“We’re delighted to see the venue that we proudly call home recognised as the best in the country for pitch quality for a second consecutive season,” Perth Glory Chief Executive Officer Anthony Radich said. 

“This honour is deserved recognition of the outstanding work of the HBF Park venue management and grounds team, whose dedication and attention to detail has set a benchmark for excellence across the industry.  

“We are very grateful for their great care and professionalism and wish to congratulate all concerned” 

VenuesWest CEO, Janis Carrin said “VenuesWest is thrilled that HBF Park has again been recognised by A‑League Men’s players for its outstanding pitch quality.

 

“These are professional athletes who demand the highest standards, and we are proud they see that reflected in the consistency and quality delivered by our team at HBF Park and our turf managers Green by Nature, particularly at a multi‑purpose venue that balances elite sport with a busy events calendar.” 

Stadiums with capacities of 25,000 or less, typically referred to as ‘boutique venues’ scored well in the atmosphere stakes. These included the 17,000 capacity Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium (pitch: 4.4, atmosphere: 4.3), Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval (pitch 4.3, atmosphere 4.3), and Brisbane’s Kayo Stadum (pitch 4.3, atmosphere 4.3). 

Melbourne’s AAMI Park also scored strongly receiving a 3.8 for pitch quality and an average of 3.5 for atmosphere across Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City matches.  

 

Victory’s home games scored markedly stronger than City’s averaging 4.1 while City averaged 2.8. 

Meanwhile, Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch also scored strongly in the one match played there in April, receiving 4.0 for both pitch quality and atmosphere. Brisbane Roar’s solitary game in the Sunshine Coast received a strong score for atmosphere of 4.0, but a slightly slower score for pitch quality with 3.0.  

These contrast with the results of Roar’s main stadium, Suncorp, which had an average pitch quality rating of 2.8 across eight matches surveyed, and a 2.5 atmosphere rating. This was an improvement on the 1.8 atmosphere rating the previous season.