The third game of the Italian Football Festival, which the state government reportedly spent $11 million to bring to WA, will be moved from Optus Stadium to HBF Park after lacklustre ticket sales.
A media release from acting Sports and Recreation Minister John Carey today revealed the third game of the Italian Football Festival, between Juventus and Palermo, would shift from the 60,000-capacity Optus Stadium to the 20,000-capacity HBF Park.
The media release claimed the shift was "always an option" and that the shift would allow fans "to see these quality teams at a purpose-built rectangular stadium, giving them the ultimate football experience closer to the action".
It also said the move would "help Optus Stadium manage five events across a busy 10 days".
The Fremantle Dockers will play the Western Bulldogs at Optus on Friday, July 31, followed by AC Milan versus Inter Milan on August 5, Juventus versus Inter Milan on August 8, and then the West Coast Eagles versus Collingwood on August 9.
It's unclear what the fifth event the media release refers to was.
It comes after Premier Roger Cook, Sports Minister Rita Saffioti and Tourism Minister Reece Whitby have refused to disclose the price tag for the looming Italian Football Festival featuring three Serie A teams.
The event has been struggling to sell tickets, and the government is now subsidising airfares for fans wanting to travel from the east coast amid reports the three games will cost $11 million.
While the cost has not been revealed, Tourism WA documents exclusively obtained by Business News last week revealed last year's one-off match between Perth Glory and AC Milan cost $4.29 million.
It's also unclear whether that was the total amount for that match, as it was labelled a "milestone payment" in the documents.
Comments made by Mr Carey and acting Tourism Minister Tony Buti in the announcement avoided mentioning the relocation of the game, instead focusing on the 'Casa Juventus' fan house at the Northbridge venue Ice Cream Factory.
"Casa Juventus will give Perth and interstate fans a place to come together in the heart of our city, show their colours and soak up the atmosphere during their stay," Minister Carey said.
"This is only the first of four official fan houses, and there is plenty more to come as we build towards a huge week of football in Western Australia."
Speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mr Cook said he was not aware of low ticket sales, and that the decision had instead been made to benefit the turf.
"I haven't received a briefing (about ticket sales), but I can say that there has (sic) been some concerns expressed in relation to the quality of the turf at Optus Stadium, and the impact that a number of marquee games, whether it's the Italian soccer games, the rugby union test, all the usual rounds of fixtures associated with AFL, is having on the turf," he said.
"And I think they've made the right decision to bring a game to HBF Park. Can I just say, though, I also believe that it's important to utilise HBF Park for these big marquee games, where that's possible.
"It provides a different spectator experience. Many people prefer to see top-level sport at a more intimate venue."
