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Last year the wheels were beginning to turn. The NSW Government and Parramatta Park Trust seemed set to prepare Parramatta Stadium for its first major upgrade.
Opened in 1986, the stadium has had a number of small projects over the past 28 years, the largest being the installation of seats at the southern and northern ends.
However, with a capacity of under 25,000 it’s becoming apparent that the ground is too small for its two major tenants.
The Western Sydney Wanderers have been selling out the ground for two seasons and with the Parramatta Eels enjoying a revival, they recently had a crowd of more than 18,000 attend.
Parramatta is the fastest growing CBD in Australia and is economically booming. It’s becoming one of the most important cities in New South Wales.
It has good infrastructure and the economic growth is virtually unmatched in Australia.
But it seems that the NRL and State Government are going to ignore this. They want to put a roof over Allianz Stadium and upgrade some of the seating at a cost of more than $250 million.
For less than half of that, the Parramatta Trust claim they can increase the stadium capacity to around 32,000 and build a performance centre on site.
The current State Sports Minister is the member for the Penrith area and he wants to upgrade Sportingbet Stadium. Penrith currently sit third and can barely get over 10,000 fans to their home games.
Penrith is also around a one-hour drive from the city with a rather small transport system. They don’t have the current infrastructure or economic growth to warrant a stadium upgrade.
Pirtek Stadium has two teams that are now both performing. It is turning into a multi-purpose venue which, should it receive an upgrade, would be a jewel in the west.
What Sydney is lacking is a stadium in the West with a capacity around 30,000. That capacity can keep the intimacy of the ground while having enough room to accommodate a decent crowd without having to move it to ANZ.
To get a good atmosphere at ANZ Stadium you need a crowd of over 45,000. You won’t get that to regular club games.
Some of the architectural designs for Pirtek Stadium are rather simple. One involves making the southern and northern ends double tiered with a roof over the stands, much like Anfield in England.
That suggestion raises the capacity to more than 30,000.
The fans are kept dry and there is no need for major demolition work like there would be at Sportingbet Stadium.
If the NRL wants to be serious about building a better fan experience, then they need to upgrade Pirtek Stadium.
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