WAFL nod for stadium

Albany’s multimillion-dollar Centennial Stadium has been given the tick of approval by the WAFL and Claremont Football Club ahead of hosting its first WAFL match next month.

The $14 million stadium will host the round 5 WAFL match between the Tigers and South Fremantle on Saturday, April 28, the second State competition match in the region in the past four seasons.

Claremont hosted Swan Districts in 2015 at Sounness Park in Mt Barker but Albany has not hosted a WAFL match since 2009, when South Fremantle last visited the city and took on the Tigers at Collingwood Park.

WAFL governance and compliance manager Luke Sanders visited Albany last Thursday and said the oval surface had little problem complying with the requirements to host a WAFL match.

“Initially it looks very impressive, the surface looks amazing,” he said. “This is just about ready to go.

“There are a couple of minor things that need to be touched up but the surface is in great condition and we are looking forward to bringing the game down here next month.”

Also inspecting the facility, Claremont Football Club football operations manager Darcy Coffey said the club was keen to return to its country heartland.

“In terms of facility, it would be among the top couple in the WAFL at the moment,” he said.

“We always like coming down and because it has been such a wonderful zone for us, the Great Southern, with nearly a third of our list being from regional areas, it’s great for them to get back and it’s great for us to get back and play in our regional zone.’

City of Albany Cr Rob Sutton said he hoped for a large crowd and paid credit to the City ground staff for their work in keeping the new facilities in impressive condition.