Perth Wildcats receive commitment from government to build a training facility that will be the best in NBL

Perth Wildcats will soon be transformed from having the worst training facilities in the NBL to the best after the Labor government committed $16 million for a new high performance venue at Warwick Stadium. The Wildcats have been sharing the Bendat Basketball Centre with community teams for over a decade and use the same gym as the Western Force. The club also doesn’t have a recovery pool for the players and is running out of space for their coaches and administration. But the new facility at Warwick Stadium, which will also become home for the Perth Lynx, will include three courts, gym, recovery facilities, player and staff locker rooms, lounge and kitchen, staff offices and a large function room. Wildcats owner Mark Arena said getting a new facility would be a game-changing moment for the club. “This was one of the most frustrating things I have come across since taking over the Wildcats - the sporting facilities and training facilities that we’ve got. We’re going from probably the equal worst facilities to the best in the NBL and the best in Australia,” he said. The facility will cost $26 million to build and still requires more funding but the public also will benefit from it with the stadium set to get changerooms, public toilets, community space, lifts and stairs. It will take several years to be completed but Wildcats captain Jesse Wagstaff said it would make a massive difference. “The NBL today and for the last decade has been so competitive. Clubs are looking for every edge so hopefully this could be the game changer if you’re looking for that extra one per cent or extra 10 per cent.. It might be the difference between a championship and second. If you go ahead and get these facilities it is huge,” Wagstaff said. “Hopefully that increases performance and and increases the ability for our front office to recruit.”