Construction begins on new Western Sydney Stadium

Construction has begun on the 30,000 seat Western Sydney Stadium at Parramatta, with a NSW Government Minister saying that the new venue will offer the “best sporting experience for fans anywhere in the country” when it opens in 2019.

NSW Minister for Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres made the assertion at a ceremony in Parramatta site to turn the first sod on the 30,000 seat stadium, where he was joined by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Western Sydney Wanderers captain Robert Cornthwaite and Parramatta Eels captain Tim Mannah.

Explaining that the Stadium will bring fans closer to the action with the steepest stand of any stadium in the country, Minister Ayres stated “we will provide the best sporting experience for fans anywhere in the country, right here in the heart of western Sydney.

"For too long we've been at the back of the pack as other cities have gone past us ... today that changes."

Cornthwaite was enthusiastic about what the new venue would offer fans, commenting “as Wanderers we've got some of the most passionate fans in the country and to be able to play at this stadium, a unique football stadium, is going to create such a wonderful atmosphere.”

Mannah said the state-of-the-art stadium would be in the heartland of rugby league, adding “as a playing group and as a club we're also excited about the opportunity to be able to have one of the country's greatest sporting facilities at our back door and be able to call it home.”

Coinciding with the sod turning the NSW Government announcing that the Stadium will feature an area for fans to see directly into players’ warm-up areas.

Echoing a similar feature at Simonds Stadium’s Brownlow Stand in Geelong, up to 150 fans of the Eels and the Wanderers will be able to use the area, tentatively named the ‘Field Club’, to look right into the warm-up areas and watch their favourite players get ready for a match.

The space at the Stadium will likely be open to competition winners, special guests or fans willing to pay a premium price, which they can also do if they want the luxury of pitch-side seating.

It has also been revealed that the cost of the new venue has increased to $360 million from its original $300 million budget.

Also speaking at the sod-turning, Premier Berejiklian commented “Western Sydney Stadium is a win for sports fans, revolutionising the spectator experience and injecting millions of dollars into the local economy, and creating 2,000 jobs.

“This stadium will be a major boost for Sydney’s infrastructure and will be another venue that we can use to attract major events to NSW.” 

Images: Artist's impression of the completed Western Sydney Stadium.

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