ANZ Stadium celebrates a year of sporting dreams

2013 has been a massive year for Sydney's ANZ Stadium with the former Olympic venue hosting the Socceroos' World Cup qualification, Manchester United, NRL clubs playing home games, State of Origin, the NRL Grand Final, Bledisloe Cup, key Super Rugby and AFL fixtures, T20 international cricket and legendary entertainment acts.

And 2014 is set to continue trend with more than 40 major sporting and entertainment events confirmed in the Stadium's 2014 Event Calendar and ongoing negotiations to bring world-class football games and front-line entertainers to the venue.

2014 events already confirmed include:

• Sydney's only T20 international between Australia and England, Sunday 2nd February;

• Rapture featuring rap king Eminem, Saturday 22nd February;

• A spectacular NRL opening weekend triple-header Rabbitohs v Roosters (Thursday 6th March), Bulldogs v Broncos (Friday 7th March) and Dragons v Tigers (Sunday 9th March);

• Buddy Franklin's first home game for the Sydney Swans, Saturday 29th March; and two other Swans classics against Franklin's former club Hawthorn (Friday 9th May) and Richmond (weekend of 29th to 31st August);

• Six Sunday afternoon NRL games including the Mother's Day derby between the Dragons and the Bulldogs (Sunday 11th May); and a total of 13 Sydney v Sydney blockbusters featuring reciprocal rights for Members of competing clubs;

• The crucial Game II of State of Origin, Blues v Maroons, Wednesday 18th June;

• The Waratahs' two biggest Super Rugby games against the Reds (Saturday 1st March) and the Brumbies (Saturday 28th June);

• The opening Bledisloe Cup match, Wallabies v All Blacks (Saturday 16th August);

• NRL Grand Final, Sunday 5th October;

• Monster Jam monster trucks spectacular, Saturday 18th October.

In addition, the Stadium is poised to host NRL and AFL finals, Big Bash League T20 cricket and exciting possibilities around world-class football fixtures.

Assessing the Stadium's performance, ANZ Managing Director Daryl Kerry explained "2013 was our biggest year of events since the 2000 Olympics with more than 1.6 million fans coming though the Stadium gates and the foundations are in place for another mighty year in 2014.

"We are in discussions with FFA about a potential Socceroos farewell game in the lead-up to the World Cup, and on the back of the success of the Manchester United game, we are also involved in talks with some of the superpowers of world football and are hopeful that we will host more major European clubs in coming years.

"Of course, also already confirmed is the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, one of the world's biggest football tournaments, with seven matches scheduled for ANZ Stadium in January, including a semi-final and the final."

ANZ Stadium sporting ambassador Israel Folau said he was excited for the fans that another bumper year of sporting events was to be rolled out at Sydney Olympic Park in 2014.

Folau stated "I'll never forget the excitement around the Wallabies Test against the British & Irish Lions at ANZ Stadium last season and hopefully I will be back at the Stadium in the gold jumper against the All Blacks in August.

"We're now busy preparing for a big season with Waratahs and our two games at ANZ Stadium will be very important for our push for the Super Rugby finals."

"I've had the pleasure of playing some of the biggest games of my career across three football codes at ANZ Stadium and it's exciting for everyone that Sydney will again host so many major sporting events in 2014."

The event experience at ANZ Stadium will be greatly enhanced in 2014 by a cutting edge Cisco connected Wi-Fi solution, to be introduced in time for the NRL kickoff.

Fans can also immerse themselves in the action in the comfort of their Centreline Seat and Zone Box, complete with prime viewing, exclusive meal and dining options, access to VIP areas and more.

For more information go to www.anzstadium.com.au

6th June 2013 - ANZ STADIUM WELCOMES BIGGEST GAME I CROWD IN STATE OF ORIGIN HISTORY