One year of cheers, jeers and unforgettable moments . . . it has been 12 months since Bankwest Stadium opened its gates for the first time and changed the game for the venue experience in Australia.
Since opening on 14 April, 2019, Bankwest Stadium has welcomed almost 700,000 fans through the turnstiles at 42 sport and entertainment events, won several awards and been embraced by the Greater Sydney community.
Bankwest Stadium is owned by Venues NSW on behalf of the NSW Government and operated by VenuesLive, a leading Australian-based provider of management and hospitality services to venues and events.
Designed and constructed by Lendlease in conjunction with architect Populous and engineering company Aurecon and delivered by Infrastructure NSW, the Stadium has quickly become part of the fabric of Western Sydney.
From the Parramatta Eels’ Easter Monday blitz and the Western Sydney Wanderers’ Sydney Derby to Cold Chisel’s unforgettable first concert at the Stadium and Elton John’s emotional Tour closer . . . Bankwest Stadium has played host to some iconic sport and entertainment moments in the past year.
Chairman and Founder of the Western Sydney Business Dialogue, Christopher Brown AM, said recently: “Bankwest Stadium has set a new benchmark when it comes to how we engage and experience sport and entertainment in Western Sydney.
“The stadium has been a massive hit with spectators, users and the community, and the positive economic and social flow-on effects it has delivered has helped validate the NSW Government’s stadium investment strategy and has been a boon to sporting codes and clubs, and especially for the Eels and the Wanderers.”
Not only is the Stadium the new home of sport and entertainment in Sydney’s west, but it has become a place of gathering for the wider community.
More than 30,000 additional people have attended the Stadium for functions, business meetings, community and cultural events since its opening. A kids’ playground and a basketball court were built on the eastern broadwalk and have proved extremely popular with the local community.
Independent economic analysis conducted for the City Council has shown that Bankwest Stadium is bringing a financial benefit of nearly $1 million to Parramatta each time an event is held at the Stadium.
The Stadium has hosted international football, international rugby union, international rugby league, global music acts and a host of domestic sport as well as thousands of business meetings, private functions and community and cultural events.
And the awards are beginning to roll . . . Bankwest Stadium already claiming five awards including joint winner of the BOOMTOWN! Property & Infrastructure 2019 Project of the Year Award and outright winner of the BOOMTOWN! Outstanding Sports & Major Events Project for 2019 Award.
In March, the Stadium was named Silver Medalist at the 2019 Stadium Database Stadium of the Year Awards – a prize awarded by a panel of international experts.
This was quite an accomplishment when you consider the Gold Medal for stadiums built in 2019 went to the magnificent $2.4 billion Japan National Stadium, home of the deferred Tokyo Olympics. By comparison, Bankwest Stadium cost just $360 million.
The judges summed up: “Bankwest Stadium was simply one of the best stadia opened in 2019 and strong contender for Stadium of the Year.
“While Populous have designed many widely praised stadia worldwide, they still managed to create something quite unseen here in Western Sydney.
“The aesthetics of this Stadium is somewhat turned upside down: what is usually hidden by architects, is here exposed – the steel and concrete support structure becomes the Stadium’s main visual strength.
“Meanwhile, the roof’s membrane landed on the bottom of the girders rather than the top. This allowed it to become the illuminated part, also a boost for acoustics inside.
“We’re not done . . . the seating bowl offers as good conditions for football (and the rugby codes) as possible. Steep stands, proximity to the field, extensive hospitality offer and great attention to family-friendliness (including a playground along the east stand), are features that make this Stadium great for fanatics, businesspeople and families alike.”
Bankwest Stadium features the steepest grandstands in Australia at 33.93 degrees which place fans right on top of the action and creates a wall of sound surrounding the pitch.
Bankwest Stadium Crowd Records
- Concert: 30,000 – Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour 07/03/20;
- Rugby League: 29,372 – NRL Elimination Final – Parramatta Eels v Brisbane Broncos 15/09/19;
- Men’s Football: 28,519 – Sydney Derby – Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC 26/10/19;
- Women’s Football: 20,029 – Matildas v Chile 09/11/19;
- Rugby Union: 16,091 – Wallabies v Samoa 07/09/19;
Bankwest Stadium’s List of Awards
- Silver Medal– Stadium Database Stadium of the Year Awards 2019;
- Joint winner– BOOMTOWN! Property & Infrastructure 2019 Project of the Year;
- Outstanding Sports & Major Events Project for 2019– BOOMTOWN! Property & Infrastructure Awards;
- Australia’s Best Rectangular Stadium– Austadiums Stadium Of The Year Awards 2019;
- National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Excellence Award– Stowe Australia for Bankwest Stadium lighting system.
