Premier hopeful no crowd cap needed at stadium

Premier Mark McGowan is confident an attendance cap at Optus Stadium for a potential Big Bash League semi-final will not be required, following yesterday's successful community open day at the 60,000-seat facility.

Mr McGowan and former premier Colin Barnett officially opened the gates to the venue on Sunday, with more than 100,000 people attending the event across seven sessions throughout the day.

Speaking on Monday, Mr McGowan said he was hopeful a cap would not be needed.

“I had some conversations yesterday at the new stadium with some of the people involved and I’m very keen to ensure that the cap of 40,000 isn’t necessary and that requires just a little bit more work,” he said

“I’m hopeful we’ll be able to make a further announcement on that this week.”

Last week, the state government flagged the possibility of a cap of 45,000 people due to delays in the construction of the Matagarup Bridge and constraints on the public transport system.

According to stadium planning, the bridge is expected to cater for around 14,300 people arriving at the facility.

If Perth hosts a semi-final of the BBL, it would take place at 4pm mid-week in order for east coast viewers to watch the match live.

"During these hours the buses and trains are being used in the wider network, hence the system simply does not have the capacity without the bridge," Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said last week.

"We will evaluate how the transport system operates on the community open day and One Day International before deciding on an appropriate cap in consultation with transport agencies, Optus Stadium and Cricket Australia.”