Stadium Australia Redevelopment

I would like to know if there has been any preliminary options analysis done on the alternative of keeping the current stadium as is in its location and instead construct a new stadium adjacent or at another location. Wouldn't this be better off to have an added asset to the current portfolio of stadiums for the allocated funding while spending lesser budget on updating the current ANZ stadium.

I believe the current proposal is short sighted and will not cater for Sydney's future needs.
The current Stadium is perfectly located close to the geographical centre of Sydney, with much supporting infrastructure already in existence, in particular public transport.
The stadium needs a retractable roof, so as to be ALL weather contingent. The extended 'drip-line' roof will not protect those from stormy (wind-driven) rain.
In particular, large scale concert style events need assurance that they can be staged in inclement weather situations.
The sound system needs to be improved for concert events, so as to be clearly audible from all seats and locations within the stadium.
The rectangular field will not readily cater for the increasing popularity of AFL games. The current Stadium (whilst not ideal) can be reconfigured to accommodate all football codes. Will this still be possible under the new configuration?
By reducing seating capacity to 70,000, Sydney will not be able to bid for large world events such as Soccer and Rugby World Cups (ie: min 80K seating requirement).
There needs to be more investment with the surrounds of the Stadium in terms of restaurants, cafes, licensed premises and other forms for entertainment, so as to make attendance more pleasurable and give people something to do before and after their event.
Improving facilities within the Stadium such as better seating, food and beverage outlets and female toilets is good.

I am writing to object to the downsizing of the current stadium to a stadium that holds less people. In a growing city the current capacity should be kept at about the same. How is city going to attract big events & concerts for people to attend if the new stadium holds 10,000 people less. It means ticket prices for State of Origin and NRL Grand finals will go through the roof making it un-affordable for the average family to attend which is unacceptable. The planners should look to the US who have NFL size stadiums with capacity of over 78,000 people or Wembley stadium in the UK which has a 90,000 seat capacity. I have attended NRL Grand Finals, State of Origin games & U2 concerts at the current stadium with capacity crowds and they are amazing events to attend. Building a smaller stadium does not make sense in a growing city.

Sydney is the home to the 3 rectangular codes.Yet you would not know that judging by the way the above codes stadia requirements have been handled by successive governments. I do not understand why the government is about to spend $800 odd million of taxpayers money on a half a job refurbishment. We the supporters of the rectangular codes ,deserve better than this so called refurbishment. We require a a total knock down and rebuild of the Olympic Stadium as this refurbishment leaves close to 20 000 seats in the same poorly positioned alignment for the rectangular codes.I would have thought that spending this amount of taxpayer money would resulted in every seat moving closer to the field.Why is it that the biggest stadium in the biggest city in the country that is also home to the 3 rectangular codes,gets this 2nd rate treatment. The new stadium should be permanent rectangular,hold 70 000 people seated and should have a retractable roof.Nothing less is acceptable for us Rectangular code supporters.The new stadium should also have the pitch sunken lower like the new Tottenham Hotspur soccer stadium and/or NRG Stadium in Houston,Texas so the first row of seats are above the on field activities instead of being at the same level which not good viewing when your constantly have your view obstructed by camera people,other media,substitute/bench players etc.This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally get this stadium right.I sincerely hope that you take the above seriously and make the changes required for the Rectangular Stadium that Sydney and the Country desperately deserves

Just hoping that sustainability and some thoughts about any future redevelopments are being built into this redevelopment.

For commercial and attendance reasons the stadium should have a fully enclosed roof. It would enable the stadium to be utilised throughout the winter months and provide a nicer environment during hotter summer months.

While I can see the need for a 70,000 seat rectangular stadium I'm wondering why another perfectly good (only 20 years old) round stadium has to be demolished to make way for it. Surely there is enough land in the Homebush precinct where a new stadium can be built while still keeping the Olympic Stadium. If we get rid of the Olympic Stadium we are saying that we can no longer host events such as a Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships or another Olympics. Keeping the Olympic Stadium would also save on demolition costs.

INTIMATE MODE OPTION:

Previous incarnations of the ANZ Redesign included "state-of-the-art technology that will enable it to present in Club Mode, as well as Championship Mode. Technology features will enable the Stadium to be a more intimate venue for club games, which will ensure an exceptional event experience for fans and broadcasters at smaller, mid-sized or large events."

I would urge the government and architects to consider including this option in the initial build or if not allowed within budget then to ensure this technology is easily added in the future.

This technology was removed from the Allianz Stadium build however ANZ Stadium is much better suited for it with the retention of level 7 seating sure to impact the atmosphere of smaller club games.

see previous press release where the intimate mode is mentioned
https://www.anzstadium.com.au/footer/news-and-media/2017/nsw-government-confirms-anz-stadium-will-be-transformed-into-a-world-class-75-000-seat-rectangular-stadium-from-late-2019/

•Reconfiguring the playing field from an oval to a rectangular shape; STRANGE - LAST NIGHT (NRL) it was used in its RECTANGULAR shape. Therefore it is ALREADY ADAPTABLE.
•Redeveloping the lower and middle seating to increase the steepness of the seating bowl to provide better view; BY CROWD PARTICIPATION LAST NIGHT IT SEEMS EVERYONE HAD A GREAT VIEW
•Reducing capacity from 83,500 to 70,000 (plus 20,000 persons for concerts); WHY?????????????? LAST NIGHT THERE WERE 82,922 SPECTATORS. UNBELIEVABLE THAT YOU WOULD REDUCE CAPACITY. IT SEEMS LIKE THE NRL HAS ENORMOUS 'CONFLICT OF INTEREST' INTEREST IN THIS WASTE OF MONEY. IS IT A VERY OBVIOUS ATTEMPT TO CUT OUT AFL???
•Replacing the northern and southern sections of roof and extending the existing eastern and western sections of the roof; WHY? WORKED FOR OLYMPICS - A WORLD WIDE EVENT - JUST 19 YEARS AGO; AND MANY EVENTS SINCE
•Demolishing portions of the northern and southern façades to provide new entrances at these ends, including new façade and double height concourse; WHY??? WORKED FOR HUGE NUMBERS OF VISITORS FOR OLYMPICS JUST 19 YEARS AGO; AND MANY EVENTS SINCE
•Upgrading concession areas, bathrooms, team facilities, member and corporate facilities, press and broadcast facilities, and back house areas; IF NEED BE I'M SURE THIS COULD BE DONE AT MINIMAL COST AND PAID FOR BY THE NRL WHO OBVIOUSLY ARE THE PUSH BEHIND THIS RIDICULOUS WASTE OF MONEY
•Providing two new advertisement signs, one each at the northern and southern facades; GOOD GRIEF! NOT HARD TO MISS THE STADIUM, AND THOSE WHO ARE ATTENDING KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GOING AND WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO SEE!!!
•Establishing a temporary construction compound, FORGET APPALLING ‘WASTE OF MONEY’ CONSTRUCTION which would include the removal of four trees. YOU ARE JOKING, AREN'T YOU??!! DO YOU REALISE WHAT HOOPS THE 'ORDINARY' CITIZEN HAS TO GO THROUGH TO REMOVE A SINGLE TREE?

MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY ARE NEEDED TO UPGRADE INFRASTRUCTURE ETC ETC - YOU HAVE ALREADY PULLED DOWN A PERFECTLY GOOD STADIUM LEAVING A HOLE IN THE GROUND WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR AT LEAST THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR...UNTIL CONSTRUCTION IS ACTUALLY DUE TO HAPPEN. ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING THE SPEED AT WHICH THAT STADIUM WAS DEMOLISHED PRE-ELECTION. WE NEED CONFIDENCE IN OUR LEADERS THAT THEY ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING BY THE PEOPLE. YOUR STADIUM POLICY IS AN UNBELIEVABLE WASTE OF TAXPAYERS' MONEY.
Hhmmm – WOULD A COUPLE OF BILLION $s GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS BUILDING A PIPE LINE DOWN FROM NORTHERN QLD TO SEND AND STORE WATER TO CONTRIBUTE TO DROUGHT PROOFING THE EASTERN STATES? Now that is something people would not object to. You need to listen to the people who elected you, and don’t say you had a mandate. Liberals got in purely because there wasn’t an alternative.

Please find attached EES response

See attachment

Please DON’T WASTE taxpayers money on a expensive renovation of Olympic Stadium, when it:
1. Actually reduces the seating capacity (by 20,000)
2. Doesn’t improve the acoustics required for make it acceptable as a music venue
3. Its only anyway near full for international sporting events, or State of Origin – but these major sporting events require the current full capacity
4. Quite frankly, it is embarrassing for clubs being incentivised to play at this stadium, away from their supporter base, such as the Rabbitohs… since it makes it far more difficult for supporters to make the journey to watch their team, which in turn leads to smaller crowds & nowhere near enough atmosphere. So ultimately a failure of the intended purpose.
5. Has an unclear vision, given that Bankwest Stadium has just been built, primarly for Parramatta Eels, Sydney Showground Stadium has renovated primarly for Giants
6. Is so painful to get to, unless you live in Western Sydney
7. Surely the stadium was built to last longer than 20years?

Wouldn’t it make sense to see how the new Bankwest Stadium, Sydney Showground Stadium (refreshed) & Sydney Football Stadium go, take in the learnings from these, then assess what the future vision of the Olympic Stadium needs to be going forward? I have never seen so much money committed to stadiums anywhere in the world, unless associated with a major international sporting event, eg Olympics or Football World Cup!

This money is far better spent on improving & increasing facilities for grass roots sports for all?

Alternatively the money could be spent other infrastructure projects such as a Chatswood tunnel or bypass to address the embarrassing lack of suitable freeway link from North Sydney to Pymble (or possibly via another tunnel junction off Lane Cove Tunnel – which might in turn increase the use of this tunnel?)??

The rennovation of facilities would be sufficient to uplift the user experience & should not require expensive structural change, eg converting the look & feel to something more like the Sydney Showground Stadium outlets or the SCG

I have seen many events at Stadium Australia over the years since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and I believe NSW will benefit greatly from a large capacity refurbished rectangular stadium to support football, rugby league and rugby union.

The Western Sydney Business Chamber and the Sydney Olympic Park Business Association support the redevelopment of Stadium Australia into a world class 70,000-seat rectangular stadium.
The Western Sydney Business Chamber is a not for profit member-based business organisation representing more than 115 of Western Sydney’s business, government and community organisations.
The Sydney Olympic Park Business Association is an independent membership-based body representing the interests of companies, organisations and stakeholders of Sydney Olympic Park and surrounding suburbs.
Our two organisations work in partnership to advocate for the continuing economic growth and development of the Olympic Peninsula to reach its full potential as a lifestyle super precinct. The continuing success of sporting and major events infrastructure such as Stadium Australia is paramount to the ongoing viability of the precinct.
The upgrade of Stadium Australia was included as a major priority in our policy blue print, “Relight the Flame: A Five Point Plan to Complete the Sydney Olympic Vision” launched in February 2019. Our plan called for the funding and delivery of the redevelopment of Stadium Australia by 2022. As a result, we are pleased that the project has proceeded to the Environmental Impact Statement stage with work scheduled to commence in mid-2020.
Community polling undertaken as part of the research for our five point plan highlighted majority support for Stadium Australia continuing as the lead venue for major events in Sydney (69 per cent). Improving Stadium Australia to ensure that Sydney continues to host major sporting events such as the NRL Grand Final, State of Origin and World Cups was a clear priority (56 per cent) and that it is important to the future of Sydney Olympic Park (54 per cent).
In 2018, the Stadium welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors with 55 events. As a result the Stadium is an important component of the Western Sydney and NSW visitor economy. The venue employees an estimated 2,200 people (full time and casual) with the majority being Western Sydney residents.
Our organisations understand that the $810 million redevelopment of Stadium Australia will reconfigure the current 83,500-seat oval shape stadium into a 70,000-seat rectangular stadium.
The redevelopment when completed will bring 46,000 seats closer to the playing field providing a much improved spectator experience. We understand that the extended roof line coverage will improve weather protection and deliver a superior atmosphere during matches and major events.
We understand and support that the redevelopment of Stadium Australia will also include new food and beverage facilities; modernised amenities and back of house facilities; new members and corporate hospitality suites; and upgraded information and communication technology.
Our organisations recognise and support the long term benefit to the local and state economies of redeveloping Stadium Australia into a facility that delivers the modern expectations of audiences for major events. We would like to highlight the short term impact that the closure of the Stadium for 30 months will have on the local economy.
We have recently written to the Minister for Planning offering to work with the NSW Government to develop a disruption strategy to assist the local business community in Sydney Olympic Park during the construction period and the decline in expected visitor numbers. We recommend that a disruption strategy be developed and put in place ahead of the closure of the Stadium in mid-2020.
We commend the redevelopment of Stadium Australia into a modern rectangular stadium and look forward to the economic benefits that will flow to the local and state economies as a result.

Regarding the Redevelopment of Stadium Australia, although I am completely supportive of this build, I am worried this current proposed redevelopment is a half attempt in creating a world class stadium for Sydney and Australia. I say half attempt because in the proposed plans I feel this rebuild would only be half done to what could be completed to make this the best stadium in Australia. I have no doubt this half development will create problems in the not too distant future.

I have three issues about the current proposed redevelopment-

Seating redevelopment:
In the redevelopment plans, it describes only the ‘lower and middle sections would be redeveloped so the seating bowl is steeper and gives people a better view of the field, while bringing them closer to the action’. By rejecting the redevelopment of the upper section of the stadium to also bring forward and closer to the field, you are only fixing half the problem. I have personally viewed a rugby league game from the upper stands and it is a terrible view for watching rectangular ground sports, you are just too far away. The redevelopment should include all sections of the seating tiers to create a total bowl effect bringing all seats closer to the rectangular field. Excluding the upper section will only ensure problems and complaints within the space of a few years which is why getting this redevelopment right for the seating the first time is paramount to the success of the stadium for the continuing decades to come.

Roof:
The implementation of a portable or permanent roof for the redevelopment of Stadium Australia is paramount and essential in making the stadium the best in Australia. The effectiveness of having a roof provides spectators the highest possible comfort for all weather conditions, better for the football codes as ball handling in Sydney at night is strongly effected by dewy conditions creating a better spectacle for spectators and opens opportunities for more events to be held throughout the year that require to be conducted indoors.

I have a network who works within the AFL, Marvel Stadium department (AFL own Marvel Stadium), and they have told me that events such as the recent two game basketball series between Team USA vs Australia and UFC 234, the first preference of these organisations was to have these events in Sydney, but currently now the only place in Australia to stage specific indoor stadium shows is in Melbourne. Sydney is continuously missing out to Melbourne and Marvel Stadium (which by the way is terrible for viewing being an oval size stadium) for staging major events because currently Sydney does not support a stadium with a roof. Not only do these events generate larges amount of money for the city, but as they are truly global events, they allow you to sell your city as a destination to the rest of the world.

If you notice the current development trends of new stadium builds in the US (Las Vegas Stadium, LA Stadium, Cowboys Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, etc), they all have either permanent or portable roofs for their stadiums as they know they can maximise the efficiently of the stadium per year more effectively than without a roof. This obviously brings in more events to their respected cities, thus generating more money for their cities.

Having a roof at the stadium, as mentioned earlier, increases the efficiency of the stadium, allowing you to extend the use of the stadium per year beyond the original thinking of just for all the football codes and music events to use.

Seating Capacity:
Reducing the capacity from 80,000+ to 70,000 is a mistake and limits the efficiency the stadium can produce particularly as the stadium will draw more sold out events per year due to the redevelopment. To be a world class stadium and to maximise total dollars the stadium can generate, the stadium should stay at least 80,000 or above. The world class stadiums around the world are 80,000 or above capacity, capable of holding the biggest events be it sporting or entertainment. The 80,000 or above capacity is viable because you can guarantee holding this capacity for many events throughout a year, an event number that will grow year on year the better known and positive reputation the stadium receives.

This original plan from around 2014 - 2016, I feel is the right direction for this stadium. It clearly captures the implementation of brining in all seating creating a bowl effect and a portable roof for the stadium. Although I would have the capacity again 80,000 or above.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/more-sports/anz-stadium-demolition-plans-scrapped/news-story/d50c8691424041c0520ddf61a4340602
*video at top of article

In summary, if you only complete this current proposed redevelopment, I know that after two or three years once the shine of the stadium mellows, I have no doubt criticism will raise its head at these three issues I have mentioned, especially the distance from the action of the upper seating, and the effect of not providing maximal fan comfortability and missing out on major events from not having a roof at the stadium.

I understand the huge price tag the government has provided to build/redevelop the three rectangular stadiums in Sydney, with the new Western Sydney Stadium and soon to be built Moore Park Stadium great additions to the stadium infrastructure. But with Stadium Australia, I feel this stadium needs to be the standout of the three to make this total investment a complete success. Thinking big, Stadium Australia if built to its full potential, can become the best stadium in the southern hemisphere. Due to the large investment, the Stadium Australia redevelopment needs to be something the Sydney community can really be proud of. Rather than a half attempt at redevelopment, it is important this redevelopment is done right the first time and the stadium is built to its maximum potential with all seating sections closer to the rectangular field, providing a portable or permeant roof and having a capacity of at least 80,000. Once the project is finished people with stop complaining about the money invested in the project and will become proud of the stadium and convinced of the impact it will have on the city for decades to come. It will give Sydney and it’s people a huge lift and will assist in making Sydney the major events city in Australia.

Thank you

Hi Andy

We have spoken to our colleagues in RMS and agreed to have a joint submission. Please note our comments will be incorporated into the RMS submission.

Many thanks,
Billy Yung
Senior Transport Planner | Land Use Planning & Development
Customer Strategy & Technology
Transport for NSW

Not sure if all this work to make a rectangular stadium represents value for money for the tax payer.

Please find attached information regarding this proposed development.

Hello please see attached combined response from RMS and TfNSW.

Please see the EPA's letter attached.