Perth Wildcats could be forced to move final matches because of Kylie Minogue concert

The Perth Wildcats will be forced to play their home playoff games outside of Perth Arena if they finish third or fifth in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) regular season due to a scheduling conflict with a Kylie Minogue concert. The Wildcats, currently sitting third, will host Adelaide on Friday night in their final regular season game of the year.

With Bryan Adams performing at Perth Arena on Sunday, the venue will then be handed over to Minogue to prepare for her show on February 15. If the Wildcats were able to host playoff games at Perth Arena, they would expect to draw over 13,000 fans. However, due to the scheduling clash, the most successful club in NBL history may have to move their games to the Perth High Performance Centre, which has a capacity of approximately 4,500.

Minogue had locked in Perth Arena as the venue for her first show when she announced her Australian tour last September. On Monday, Wildcats owner Mark Arena expressed strong dissatisfaction with Perth Arena management over the scheduling conflict. Arena said in a club statement: “While it’s not 100 per cent, basically she (Minogue) is playing on the Saturday night, and they (Perth Arena) have booked out the whole week." He added: "Perth Arena have ‘wisely’ decided to book out the entire first week of the playoffs. I’m incredibly disappointed, incredibly angry. We’re the major tenant there.”

Arena continued: “You perform well on the ladder, you want home-court advantage, and we might be going to the Perth High Performance Centre.” The Wildcats have not played at the Perth High Performance Centre since the end of the 2011/12 season. The venue was used for two NBL games between visiting teams during the league's inaugural HoopsFest in September last year. The Wildcats have 10,837 members and have averaged 13,125 fans at their four home games in 2025. Arena also said, “I feel terribly sorry for those members who might not be able to attend, I’m as angry as they are.” He also revealed that he had a “pretty robust conversation” with Perth Arena and stated, “I’m incredibly frustrated by it, we should be the major tenant there, and I don’t feel like we’re being treated like that.”

The Wildcats' position on the ladder could fluctuate between second and fifth before the final round of the regular season. If they finish second, they would not need to play a home playoff game before Minogue's show date.