Questions over Allianz Stadium construction after playing surface drainage issue

The failure of the playing surface at Sydney's Allianz Stadium to drain after a rain event during an NRL match yesterday evening has led to questions over the below field engineering at the $828 million venue.

Spectators and broadcast viewers witness farcical scenes during last night’s clash between the Roosters and the Parramatta Eels after 11.5 millimetres of rain in 15 minutes left much of the playing surface under water. Water remained on the surface for the entirety of the contest and was later lying on the playing surface more than two hours after the rain stopped.

In a statement issued this morning, a Venues NSW spokesperson advised "this is a brand new stadium, and it shouldn’t have happened.

“We are taking this seriously and have already commenced a thorough investigation to identify the cause to ensure the issue is rectified. The review will be completed by the end of this week and further updates will be provided.

“A thorough investigation is now under way to understand the cause of the drainage issue to ensure it’s rectified for upcoming events.”

Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould said “I haven’t seen a waterlogged ground like that in the NRL for a long time.”

With finals matches to be played at the venue in less than a month, the NRL is also demanding answers.

NRL Head of Football, Graham Annesley noted “Allianz Stadium has expert ground staff that do a great job week in and week out preparing a first-class pitch, but we will discuss the issue with them to understand what occurred and how it can be improved."

Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson added "it was one of the worst fields I’ve played on for a while, especially with the grounds these days - they normally (drain) pretty quick, and I didn’t think it rained that much.

“It was hard to play in … we didn’t know it was that bad until we got out there and your feet were fully underwater."