Perth Lynx move to HBF Stadium receives high praise as the entertainment and basketball experience soars

Perth Lynx will attempt to schedule finals games at HBF Stadium this season after coach Ryan Petrik said the club’s first match there reminded him of being at a NBA venue.

The second placed Lynx beat Geelong United 96-71 on Monday night in what was the first of three regular season games to be played at HBF Stadium. The club has traditionally played matches at the Bendat Basketball Centre.

HBF Stadium was renovated in the build up to HoopsFest with broadcast screens added to both ends of the newly laid court and additional lighting installed. The outside of the stadium was also lit up in red.

Lynx coach Ryan Petrik said the innovations reminded him of being at a NBA game.

“It was fantastic. Elite. It’s so good and it will be really, really good,” he said.

“Clearly you can see it’s a pro venue. The LEDs at both ends are really good with the screens. The fact you can light the court and darken the rest — it feels like a Knicks or Lakers venue. Obviously it’s a much smaller capacity version of it.

“But with the stage lighting - any time you can find a basketball court that is lit and the crowd is dark, it looks so much better. We love it.”

The Lynx are currently in second spot on the WNBL ladder with a 9-3 record. They will play two more games at HBF Stadium on January 5 and 18 before returning to the Bendat Basketball Centre for their last home game on February 7.

HBF Stadium is already booked for other events during some dates which the WNBL have scheduled for finals, but if the Lynx qualify, their preference will be to play games at the stadium. The Lynx are also planning to make HBF Stadium their home in future season.

Lynx co-captain Amy Atwell won an Olympic bronze medal during 2024 and also played the latter stages of the WNBA season at some of America’s big stadiums. She said HBF Stadium was clearly the best option for the club.

“Me and Steph (Gorman) were joking pre-game when they were doing the call-outs that we feel like a professional team now,” she said.

“Bendat has been a great venue but the enclosure and the lighting and the one per centers felt great to be out there. It creates a better atmosphere.”

But it wasn’t only the Lynx that were impressed. Geelong coach Chris Lucas and captain Keely Froling raved about the facilities saying there was no doubt the Lynx should play more games there.

“They should be playing here all the time. It’s fantastic,” Lucas said.

“It’s just a great venue for women’s basketball. They should be playing here every week. It looks great.”