Bankwest Stadium celebrates two years since official opening
Two years of cheers, jeers and unforgettable moments . . . today marks two years since Bankwest Stadium opened its gates for the first time and changed the venue experience in Australia.
Since opening on 14 April, 2019, Bankwest Stadium has welcomed more than 900,000 fans through the turnstiles at more than 100 sport and entertainment events, won a host of 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 win 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 two years.
But it hasn’t been challenge-free, with the COVID-19 pandemic having a major impact on the sports and entertainment industry.
Out of the gloom rose opportunity with Bankwest Stadium becoming one of the first venues in the world to be deemed COVID Safe and able to return to hosting events, and was soon called upon to help the NRL and A-League complete their seasons under strict COVID Safe protocols.
The Stadium diversified during the pandemic, hosting unique, COVID Safe community events like the Disney+ Drive-In and Pixar Putt.
With fans returning and venues now at 100% capacity, Bankwest Stadium is back doing what it does best: hosting events and delivering an unparalleled event experience for fans.
But the Stadium isn’t just for sport and entertainment in Sydney’s west . . . it has also 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 boardwalk and have proved extremely popular with the local community.
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.
Since opening in 2019 the Stadium has also won 13 awards, including being the first Stadium in the world to announce the LEED v4 Gold standard for sustainable design.
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
- Australian Steel Institute’s NSW Steel Excellence Award for large projects;
- Master Builder Association of NSW Award for Sporting Facilities;
- Master Builder Association of NSW Award for Excellence in Environment;
- Good Design Award Gold Accolade in the Architectural Design Commercial and Residential category;
- Best Commercial Architecture: 2020 NSW Architecture Awards;
- Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture: 2020 NSW Architecture Awards;
- NSW People’s Choice Award for Life in 2020: NSW Architecture Awards;
- LEED v4 Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council: First Stadium in the world to announce LEED v4 Gold standard for sustainable design.
- Silver Medal: Stadium Database Stadium of the Year Awards 2019:
- 2019 Project of the Year – Joint Winner: BOOMTOWN! Property & Infrastructure Awards;
- 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.
