Victoria Park Mayor Karen Vernon has sought legal advice over claims the council and community were misled by the West Coast Eagles ahead of its pre-season clash at Lathlain Park on Thursday.

Ms Vernon said council would consider what steps it would take after revelations that its lease agreement with the West Coast Eagles did not include clarification over AFL matches being played at Mineral Resources Park.

Information provided by the Eagles to the Town throughout the development application process indicated training was the only activity to occur at the oval, set in the middle of a residential area.

Camera Icon Victoria Park Mayor Karen Vernon said there are concerns from residents about the crowds for Thursday’s fixture.

There are concerns among residents the ground is not set up to handle large spectator events such as Thursday’s match against Essendon.

“The Town expects to receive the legal advice by the end of next week,” Ms Vernon said.

“The community has expressed concerns about how the large volume of traffic and crowds expected for these events will be managed.

“In response, I requested copies of the 2014 lease agreement between West Coast Eagles and the Town of Victoria Park be available for elected members to review, and subsequently requested the Town obtain legal advice about the permitted uses of Lathlain Park under the lease.

“On Friday, February 21, myself and the CEO Anthony Vuleta met with the CEO of West Coast Eagles to discuss this issue and the community concerns.

“It is not in the best interests of our community for this issue to remain unresolved. We value our partnership with the Eagles; however we want certainty for our community going forward.”

The Eagles have denied the match is an AFL match, saying it is part of the Marsh Community Series of games, which are traditionally played in the suburbs.

Ratepayers Association of the Town of Victoria Park Group chair Vince Maxwell, who was a councillor when the lease was signed, said it was continually stressed that the new facility would be for training purposes only and no matches would be played there.

“This was in the report given to the council on the night the lease was agreed to,” he said.

“WAFL matches were explicitly mentioned in the lease but there is no mention of AFL matches.”