Perth Glory

Seniors of a certain age will remember the old song, Hey, hey baby – I wanna know if you’ll be my girl. It’s an old favourite of mine but I’ll never be able to hear it again without these words coming to mind:

Hey, hey, hey Glory (OOOH AAH) I wanna know if you’ll score a goal!

Yes we went along to Round 19 of the A-League soccer competition to watch Perth Glory play Brisbane Roar at the HBF Park (formerly the NIB stadium) in Pier Street. Glory fans at the standing area of the ground, known as The Shed were providing the pre-game entertainment putting their own spin on songs such as .’When Johnny comes marching home (dedicated to star winger Diego Castro) and Walking in a winter wonderland (Walking in a Glory wonderland).

It was a terrific atmosphere with more than 10,000 fans turning out to watch the game. Not many supporters made the journey from Brisbane to Perth. Maybe Brisbane’s status of ninth in the league table had a lot to do with there only being two fans in an empty opposition stand.

Fans will certainly not go hungry at the HBF Park – fast food is the name of this game with plenty of outlets selling the usual burger and chips etc – also several area selling coffee and of course the bar which serves mid-strength beer and wine.

We paid $27.50 per person for a Seniors Silver general admission price whilst the normal adult price is $32.50. There are a variety of options to watch the game – sit on the grassy area near the main gate, in the seated areas ($37.50, $42.50 or $70), standing in The Shed or sitting in the stands. We chose the stands almost opposite the players’ tunnel that gave us a great view of the game. But there are a lot of stairs to climb to get to the top area. It’s certainly not suitable for those with mobility issues or vertigo.

As for the game itself – Perth Glory won 4-0, cementing their position at the top of the A-League table. It would have been a much bigger score but for the heroics of the Brisbane goalkeeper who is surely too good to languish with a team playing so badly.

During the half-time interval several teams of local school kids came onto the field to play mini-games of soccer at each corner of the ground and that was also fun to watch.

A good night out, some good soccer on display and we all really enjoyed the evening but I’m not sure that it would be so comfortable on a rainy night in winter!

Toilets are clean and easily accessible. There is a lot of parking around the stadium but fans need to get to the ground very early to snag a space. Bus and train tickets are included in the price of a Glory ticket and this is the easiest way to get to the HBF Park – either a 15-minute walk from Perth Underground or a ten-minute walk from Claisebrook Station. After the game, there is a flotilla of taxis waiting to take happy yet tired punters back home.

The next Perth Glory home game is on March 30. Kick off is at 7pm. Tickets available from Ticketmaster

Address: HBF Park, 310 Pier Street, Perth

Phone: 08 9227 087

Entertainment Book: One general admission

Website: www.perthglory.com.au

About the Author
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About Hazel Broomhead

My name is Hazel and I am a Perth senior!

Originally from Edinburgh in Scotland, my husband and I moved to New Zealand with our children in 1974. As my husband is in the oil business, we moved to several other countries including the Sultanate of Oman, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, the USA, Russia and Kazakhstan during the next 36 years before retiring to Perth.

We have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who live in different parts of the globe – New Zealand, Scotland and Colombia - which makes a great excuse for us to travel and visit.

My career background is in radio and print journalism in Scotland and New Zealand as well as public relations in various other countries.

We love to eat out, walk, travel and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle here in Western Australia.