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The new Western Sydney stadium will be a game-changer for the A-League, and the Wanderers are lucky they have a CEO who understands that.
Having announced back in September 2015 that Parramatta Stadium would be knocked down and rebuilt, the New South Wales government was then conspicuously silent on the matter.
But the wait for information seems like it will all have been worth it judging by the announcement of the winning design.
Not only will supporters sit closer to the action than in any other stadium in Australia, but fans will also enjoy a match day experience unparalleled in the A-League.
And with the stadium to be built by Lendlease in partnership with architectural firm Populous – designers of some of the best venues in world sport – the news should excite A-League fans well beyond the borders of Parramatta.
The best news to come out of the announcement is that a safe standing area has been factored in to the construction.
For that, the Wanderers can thank a chief executive in John Tsatsimas who not only understands his supporter base, but who actually lobbies powerbrokers on their behalf.
“Predominantly, one prime consideration for us is the safe standing. We will hope that it will be in there but we will wait to see the specifics of that,” Tsatsimas said.
“We’re still waiting on the specifics of that stadium and the plan as such, but we’ve had some great input into the design of the stadium and we will wait to see what elements are integrated into that plan.”
The Wanderers have evidently lobbied hard for the inclusion of safe standing areas, with initial reports suggesting that up to 1000 spaces could be included behind the goal.
One of the sticking points is the fact the venue will be ground-shared with NRL club the Parramatta Eels, and Wanderers fans would do well to keep a couple of important factors in mind.
There’s no doubt the Wanderers have been a massive boon to the A-League, but with some 23,000 members, it’s not like the Eels are the little brother to push around.
Like it or not, the Eels are a popular part of the local landscape and more importantly, they’re going to be at the forefront of premier Mike Baird’s thinking.
That’s an important consideration to take into account, because Baird is unlikely to be familiar with the A-League and has a penchant for ignoring popular consensus anyway.
That’s where Tsatsimas and his undoubted football nous can help, with the Wanderers chief executive smartly labelling the new ground “a stadium for the people of Western Sydney” rather than the Wanderers’ home ground.
Baird’s shaky standing as New South Wales premier could yet have an impact on the stadium’s construction, because the opposition Labor party has slammed the venue owing to the fact Parramatta Pool will be closed to accommodate it.
There’s already a rally planned to protest the pool’s closure, and with the City of Parramatta Council said to be mulling over its options, it’s clear the construction of the new stadium is not a fait accompli.
However, it’s also clear the Wanderers have provided a major boost to the local economy – particularly on match days.
And when the Wanderers won the AFC Champions League in 2014, they put Parramatta on the map across Asia in a way the Eels never could.
The Wanderers are one of the best things to have happened to football in Australia, and they deserve a stadium to match their ambitions.
Their move to Spotless Stadium has yielded some temporary headaches, but it will all be worth it when the club has a new custom-built stadium to call home.
If you thought Parramatta Stadium was loud, just imagine how incredible the atmosphere will be the first time the Wanderers run out at the new Western Sydney stadium.