PERTH GLORY
Pre-Season Match, Optus Stadium, Saturday 15 July 2022, 6pm AWST (11am BST)
West Ham United kick-off the Club's two-match pre-season tour to Western Australia by taking on A-League side Perth Glory.
The Hammers return to Australia for just the second time, having previously visited as part of the Club's centenary celebrations in 1995, when Harry Redknapp's squad contested four matches in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
This time, the Irons will play both games in Perth, the vibrant capital of Western Australia and home to Perth Glory, who have twice finished as runners-up in both the A-League and Australia Cup.
Glory usually play their home games at 20,500-capacity Perth Rectangular Stadium, but West Ham's visit will be played at the spectacular 60,000-plus seater Optus Stadium, situated on the other side of the Swan River in the suburb of Burswood.
The stage is set for an unique and memorable match.
How to get there…
With Perth being situated over 1,000 miles from the next nearest city, Adelaide, pretty much the only way of getting there is to fly.
Direct flights from London are available, while you can also fly via Dubai with a number of different airlines. Total travel time will be about 20 hours if you take an indirect flight. When you land at Perth Airport, you can take a train, bus or taxi to the city centre, with a journey time of less than 20 minutes.
To get to Optus Stadium, take a suburban train to Perth Stadium Station, or a bus to Perth Stadium Bus Station. Again, journey times from the city centre are short. For full public transport information, click here.
Where to stay…
Most major hotels are situated in the city centre, with a wide range of recognisable brands and options to suit most budgets available.
Perth is a walkable city, so if you opt to stay in any of the accommodations in and around the city centre, you will be able to visit the major landmarks, shops, bars and restaurants easily.
Perth Station is also situated in the city centre, with a journey time by train of less than ten minutes to Perth Stadium Station.
Alternatively, you could stay at Crown Perth, a resort with three hotels, dozens of restaurants and bars, a nightclub and a casino situated within walking distance of Optus Stadium.
What to do…
There is A LOT to do in Perth and the surrounding area for visitors.
The city itself is full of history, with buildings dating back to its foundation in the mid 19th century alongside the towering modern skyscrapers. Among the landmarks are Government House and Perth Mint, which was the centre of the Gold Rush on which Perth's wealth was built.
Further afield, Rottnest Island is situated eleven miles off the coast and is home to the rare quokka, a cat-sized relative of the kangaroo and wallaby.
The coastal suburb of Fremantle is where to catch the ferry to Rottnest Island from, and also a popular tourist destination in its own right, with its historic 1850s prison built by convicts, markets, museums and beaches.
For fans who are in Perth for the weekend, why not head to Optus Stadium on Sunday afternoon to watch West Coast Eagles in Australian rules football action against Richmond Tigers?
What’s happened there before…
As mentioned, the Irons have been to Perth just once before in the Club's 128-year history - to celebrate its centenary in May 1995.
Five days after holding Alex Ferguson's Manchester United to a 1-1 draw that denied them the Premier League title at Blackburn Rovers' expense, the Hammers were in action 9,000 miles away at the famous Western Australian Cricket Association Ground (WACA) in East Perth.
Tim Breacker, Steve Potts and Don Hutchison all started both games, while Martin Allen and Simon Webster, who had appeared as substitutes against Manchester United, were also in the team to face a Western Australia select XI featuring Socceroos Robert Zabica, Bobby Despotovski and a certain Stan Lazaridis.
Winger Lazaridis impressed manager Harry Redknapp in a competitive 2-2 draw to such an extent that the Australia international winger joined for a bargain £300,000 a few weeks later!
