New great southern screen to transform fan experience at Stadium Australia

The event experience at Sydney’s Stadium Australia is set to be transformed by the installation of the world’s longest straight-run stadium video screen as part of more than $10 million of fan-focused digital upgrades throughout the venue.

Work on the Great Southern Screen, to be supplied by Daktronics, will commence after NRL Grand Final Day and it will be in place for the start of the 2022 NRL season and more than a year ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Commenting on the addition, NSW Minister for Sport, Natalie Ward stated “when it goes live, (the Great Southern Screen will offer) an unmatched experience for NSW sporting fans.”

At 120m long and 10m high (the equivalent of the length of the football field), the Great Southern Screen will stretch across the entire Athletic Centre end of Stadium Australia.

Venues NSW, which oversees the state’s major stadiums including Stadium Australia, confirmed that Daktronics Australia had been selected to install new video screens at Stadium Australia after a tender process.

Daktronics Australia Region Manager, Blair Robertson commented “having spent more than 15 years servicing large sport venues globally and with over 50 sport installations throughout Australia and New Zealand, the sheer scale and impact of the Great Southern Screen installation at Stadium Australia will undoubtedly be the most exciting to date.

“The 1200 square metre high-definition video display will entertain and amaze fans (and) will generate a live game-day experience that has never been experienced in Australia.”

Integration of the screen into the Stadium Australia fabric has been the result of a design by global sport architects Populous, with the company’s Senior Principal Al Baxter saying the project is a great example of enhancing the event experience and adding flexibility for the event operators at the same time.

Baxter added “the positioning and functionality of this enormous high-definition screen will create a major impact on fans. Whether it’s watching the finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, State of Origin, a Guns N’ Roses concert or for something like the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, every person in the Stadium will be immersed in live feeds, replays, split-screen programming or social media chats.

“Adding the Great Southern Screen seamlessly into the stands takes the view from a 200sq/m screen to a monumental 1200 square metre, creating opportunities for greater event branding, spectator engagement and potential revenue for the stadium hirers.”

In Australia, the biggest high-definition sports video screen currently in operation is at Eagle Farm Racecourse (43.89m x 10.97m), so the Stadium Australia screen will be roughly three times bigger than the next largest video screen in the country.

The Stadium Australia capacity will remain above 80,000 for the biggest sporting events like NRL Grand Final, State of Origin, Bledisloe Cup, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final and football internationals.

Images courtesy of Venues NSW/Stadium Australia/Populous.