A STOUSH is brewing between West Coast and Fremantle over which club opens Perth Stadium next season, with the Eagles adamant they should host a standalone round one clash.
The Dockers have been pitching to the AFL to play the first home game at the world-class 60,000-seat venue against a big Victorian club as a Saturday twilight fixture.
But under the traditional agreement between the WA clubs, it will be West Coast's turn to play host in next year's season-opener after Freo took on Geelong at Domain Stadium in round one this year.
"It's our turn, so we'll be opening the stadium," West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett said on Friday.
New Perth Stadium's surface a standout
Neither club or the AFL has an appetite for a blockbuster Western Derby to kick off the 2018 campaign.
And the Eagles want round one hosting rights all to themselves, despite AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan flagging the possibility for both sides to play home games in round one next year.
"I think it will be one game and then we'll move forward into the normal season," Nisbett said.
"I don't think it makes sense to have a derby when you can have a big game to open the season.
"And if the Dockers play the next week it will be a big game for them to open the season and then the derby will be another big game during the season.
"The whole idea is to maximise the capacity of the ground and make sure we fill it."
Nisbett insisted football would be played at Perth Stadium next year, although negotiations between the WAFC and state government are dragging on.
He said a deal "absolutely" needed to be done within the next month so the clubs could transition their resources in time.
Meanwhile, the Eagles presented their AFLW bid to the League last Friday and expect to hear within a month whether they will be granted a full licence to join the expanding competition in 2019.
"We think we've done all the work that's needed for a women's team and we're ready to go," Nisbett said.
"We're very confident, but there was no indication on the spot, so we'll just have to wait like everyone else."
The Eagles' women's team would share elite training facilities with the men at the club's new headquarters, which should open for the 2019 campaign.
Construction is set to begin at the $68m Lathlain Park complex next month once a builder is confirmed and should be completed by December next year.
West Coast held a media conference at the venue on Friday to announce a 10-year sponsorship agreement with existing partner Edith Cowan University (ECU), which includes naming rights to the media and broadcast centre, as well as the high performance facility.
The Eagles and the university will collaborate in a variety of areas – including media and sports science – while one ECU student will be granted a scholarship with the club each year.
