Sydney Football Stadium (1988)
Address | Driver Avenue Moore Park Australia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°53′21″S 151°13′31″E / 33.88917°S 151.22528°E |
Owner | Government of New South Wales via the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust |
Operator | Sydney Cricket Ground Trust |
Executive suites | 65 |
Capacity |
|
Record attendance | 44,380 – Sydney Roosters vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, 22 September 2018 |
Field size | 140 metres × 79 metres |
Surface | Grass |
Scoreboard | Yes |
Screens | Yes |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1986 |
Opened | 24 January 1988 |
Closed | 5 October 2018 |
Demolished | 18 December 2019 |
Construction cost | $68 million |
Architect | Philip Cox Richardson & Taylor |
Tenants | |
|
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in the Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rectangular field venue for rugby league, rugby union and football.
Australia's national football teams, the
The NSW Government announced plans in November 2017 for the stadium to be demolished and rebuilt. The stadium closed on 5 October 2018, with the last event being a Michael Bublé concert. Demolition began in early 2019, continuing after several legal challenges and becoming a major issue during the 2019 state election. It was ultimately replaced by the stadium of the same name opening on 28 August 2022.
History
Background
Prior to its construction, major events were usually held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), as it was the largest stadium in Sydney. Although it was used many times for such events, the SCG's oval shape meant it was not ideal for sports like soccer, rugby league and rugby union that require a rectangular field.
Sydney Football Stadium was built upon the former
Its seating capacity was 41,159, but after numerous expansions, finally stood at 45,500 [citation needed], although the record attendance for a sporting event was 44,380 [citation needed], set on 22 September 2018 for, ironically, the last sporting event it ever held: the 2018 NRL Finals Series match between the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Use
The Sydney Football Stadium was the Sydney Roosters' home ground from 1988. It was built on the site of the old Sydney Sports Ground which served as the Roosters home ground for decades, and the old SCG No 2 which served as a secondary ground for some state cricket matches, an additional training ground, and athletics. Both grounds were demolished in 1986 to make way for the SFS.
The first event held at the venue marked the beginning of the 1988 rugby league season, with a match between the then Eastern Suburbs Roosters and the St George Dragons on Friday 4 March 1988. St George won the game 24–14. The Roosters had to wait until Round 5 that season for their first win at the venue, defeating the Gold Coast Giants 28–10.
From 1988 to 1999 and from 2002 to 2005, it also served as the home ground for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[2] The Rabbitohs returned to the ground with a one-off game against the Broncos in Round 25 of the 2015 NRL season.[3]
The SFS has hosted rugby league football
Rugby league also had some memorable moments including: The first grand final in
The last grand final played at the SFS was the 1998 NRL Grand Final between Canterbury and Brisbane. In front of 40,857 fans, the Broncos ran out easy 38-12 winners to win their fourth premiership from four grand Final appearances.
Two standout State Of Origin matches in which
The Sydney Football Stadium has been the venue of some of Australian sport's greatest matches and moments. The final of the 1993 World Youth Cup between Brazil and Ghana was also held at the SFS, Brazil winning 2–1. The 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Australia and Argentina featuring Argentine association football legend Diego Maradona, finishing in a 1–1 draw with goals to Aurelio Vidmar for Australia and Abel Balbo for Argentina. Despite the grounds increase in capacity since 1993, this match retains the record sporting attendance at the SFS and many more were actually in attendance as the gates were thrown open close to kick-off as a safety measure.
It was used as the venue for the 2000 Summer Olympics Women's association football gold medal match between Norway and the United States. Norway defeated the USA 3–2 in front of 22,848 fans.[5]
In 2002, the naming rights were purchased by Aussie Home Loans in a 5-year + 5-year deal. Due to this, the stadium was renamed Aussie Stadium. On 7 July 2007 the stadium reverted to its original Sydney Football Stadium name after Aussie Home Loans and the SCG Trust mutually elected not to extend the naming rights deal.
In 2003, the SFS hosted several matches in the Rugby World Cup: (Ireland v Namibia), (Argentina v Romania), (Scotland v Fiji), (South Africa v Georgia), (Georgia v Uruguay; this match was notable for attracting a crowd of 28,576, despite the low profiles of both teams).
In 2007 the Sydney Roosters High Performance Centre and Administrative departments set up their headquarters at the Sydney Football Stadium.[6]
The
In 2012, Allianz Insurance secured the rights to the naming of the Sydney Football Stadium; the venue is now known as Allianz Stadium.[7]
In 2018, Allianz Stadium hosted one of three AFL pre-season mini competitions called AFLX.[8]
Development
In 2012
In September 2015, the New South Wales Government announced a proposal to replace the SFS with a new 50,000 to 55,000 seat venue.[9][10] The proposed new stadium was cancelled in April 2016, with the SFS to be refurbished instead.
On 8 March 2019, the NSW government announced that the stadium would be demolished
Rebuilding
In 2017 the NSW Government announced that the Sydney Football Stadium along with Stadium Australia will be demolished and rebuilt at the cost of $2.3 billion.[11] The final event at the stadium was a Michael Bublé concert on 5 October 2018. Demolition began in early 2019. In December 2019, the NSW Government awarded the construction contract for the new Sydney Football Stadium to the John Holland Group, with a planned completion date in time for the September 2022 NRL Grand Final.[12]
Sporting events
- 1988: The stadium hosted the 100th rugby league test match between Great Britain/England.
- 1993: Australia, in which the match was drawn 1–1.
- 1994: Rugby union provided a moment of magic thanks to Australia regained the Bledisloe Cup.
- 19 December 1997: representatives of clubs affiliated with the News Limited's offer of a settlement with the breakaway 'Super League' - eventually voting in favour by 36 votes to 4.
- 27 September 1998: The SFS hosted the Canterbury Bulldogs. It was to be the last rugby league Grand Final the stadium would host, with grand finals moving to the then 110,000 seat Stadium Australiafrom 1999.
- 2 November 2002: The Stadium hosted both Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Gay Games.
- 17 May 2006: the stadium hosted the boxing fight between Danny Green and Anthony Mundine.
- 5 March 2006: the inaugural Central Coast Mariners1–0 in front of 41,689.
- 25 November 2006: the stadium hosted the 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations Final.
- 2010: Qualifying Final between the Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers, where Roosters player Braith Anasta kicked a field goal off the scrum to send the game to golden point, then Roosters player Shaun Kenny-Dowall intercepted a ball and scored in extra time.
- 29 February 2012: Insurer Allianz announces a multi-year partnership with the SCG Trust to see the stadium officially renamed Allianz Stadium.[13]
- 21 April 2013: Western Sydney Wanderers.
- 26 August 2017: 2017 NCAA DI FBS American college football season opening match, between the Owls of Rice University and the Cardinal of Stanford University.[14]
- 7 May 2017: Melbourne Victory.
- 4 November 2017:
- 11 November 2017: RLWC 2017 pool stage match between Australiaand Lebanon
- 21 November 2017: 2017 FFA Cup Final between Sydney FC and Adelaide Unitedwhere Sydney were winners 2–1. Attendance 13,452.
- 17 February 2018: Gold Coast)
- 22 September 2018: The last sporting event at the Sydney Football Stadium prior to demolition, an NRL preliminary final between the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, took place with the Roosters running out 12–4 winners in front of a stadium record crowd of 44,380.[15]
Concerts
- 26 & 27 November 1993: U2 performed during their Zoo TV Tour. The show on the 27th was recorded and released as the concert film, Zoo TV: Live from Sydney.
- 27 February 1998: Popmart Tour.
- 9 & 10 March 2000: Barbra Streisand - Timeless Tour.
- 7 July 2007: Australian concert of Live Earth.
- 22 November 2009: Pearl Jam concert, as listed on their page for the Backspacer Tour.
- 26 February 2010: George Michael performed his first concert in Sydney since 1988.
- 17 18 & 19 December 2010: Bon Jovi - The Circle Tour.
- 2 & 4 December 2011: Eminem - Recovery Tour.
- 8 December 2011: Band Wasting Light World Tour.
- 17 & 18 November 2012: Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto Tour.
- 4 December 2013: Red Tour[16]
- 7 & 8 February 2015: On The Road Again Tour.
- 9 December 2015: Ed Sheeran - X Tour
- 13 & 14 December 2016: Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour.
- 2 December 2017: Sia - Nostalgic for the Present Tour.
- 5 October 2018: Michael Bublé concert, final event before the stadium closed.
Other events
- 2005: the Edinburgh Military Tattoo- A Salute to Australia.
- February 2007: the stadium was recently under renovation, during which the capacity was expanded to 45,500, and a second video screen was added. Renovations were completed.
- 24 February 2008: the SFS hosted the Newcastleand the Central Coast Mariners.
- March 2015: The two video screens were replaced with much larger screens. [citation needed]
Attendance records
Record | Attendance | Date | Result | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rugby league | 44,380 | 22 September 2018 | Sydney Roosters def. South Sydney 12–4 | 2018 NRL Finals Series |
Rugby union | 44,085 | 23 June 2018 | Ireland def. Australia 20–16 | Lansdowne Cup |
Soccer | 43,967 | 31 October 1993 | Australia 1–1 Argentina | qualifier
|
As of 23 September 2018[17] |
Grand finals
From its opening in 1988, until 1998, the Sydney Football Stadium was the venue for the
Rugby league
Year | Date | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | 11 September | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs def. Balmain Tigers 24–12 | 40,000 |
1989 | 24 September | Canberra Raiders def. Balmain Tigers 19–14 (ET) | 40,500 |
1990 | 23 September | Canberra Raiders def. Penrith Panthers 18–14 | 41,535 |
1991 | 21 September | Penrith Panthers def. Canberra Raiders 19–12 | 41,815 |
1992 | 27 September | St George Dragons 28–8 |
41,560 |
1993 | 26 September | Brisbane Broncos def. St George Dragons 14–6 | 42,329 |
1994 | 25 September | Canberra Raiders def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 36–12 | 42,234 |
1995 |
24 September | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 17–4 |
41,127 |
1996 |
29 September | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles def. St George Dragons 20–8 | 40,985 |
1997 |
28 September | Newcastle Knights def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22–16 | 42,482 |
1998 | 27 September | Canterbury Bulldogs 38–12 |
40,857 |
*
* Canterbury-Bankstown appeared in the first and last grand finals at the SFS.
* Brisbane's 26 point win over Canterbury-Bankstown in 1998 is the biggest grand final winning margin at the SFS. Canberra's 4 point win over Penrith in 1990 is the smallest winning margin.
A-League
Since the
Year | Date | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | 5 March | Sydney FC 1–0 Central Coast Mariners | 41,689 |
2008 | 24 February | Central Coast Mariners 0–1 Newcastle Jets | 36,354 |
2013 | 21 April | Western Sydney Wanderers 0–2 Central Coast Mariners | 42,102 |
2017 | 7 May | Sydney FC 1–1 (4–2) Melbourne Victory | 41,546 |
Rugby league test matches
The Football Stadium has hosted twelve Australia internationals and one involving the Australian Super League. The results were as follows;[18]
Date | "Home" | "Away" | Result | Attendance | Part of |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 June 1988 | Great Britain | 17–6 | 24,480 | 1988 Ashes series 100th test match between Australia and Great Britain / England | |
9 July 1988 | 12–26 | 15,944 | 1988 Ashes series 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup group stage | ||
27 July 1988 | Rest of the World | 22-10 | 15,301 | 1988 Bicentenary | |
24 July 1991 | New Zealand | 44–0 | 34,911 | 1991 Trans-Tasman Test series | |
12 June 1992 | Great Britain | 22–6 | 40,141 | 1992 Ashes series | |
7 July 1995 | New Zealand | 20–10 | 27,568 | 1995 Trans-Tasman Test series | |
25 April 1997* | New Zealand | 34–22 | 23,829 | 1997 Anzac Test | |
12 July 2002 | Great Britain | 64–10 | 31,844 | ||
25 July 2003 | New Zealand | 48–6 | 30,605 | ||
4 November 2006 | Great Britain | 12–23 | 24,953 | 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations | |
25 November 2006 | New Zealand | 16–12 | 27,325 | 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations Final | |
26 October 2008 | 30–6 | 34,157 | 2008 Rugby League World Cup Group A | ||
16 November 2008 | Fiji | 52–0 | 15,855 | 2008 Rugby League World Cup Semi-final | |
2 May 2014 | New Zealand | 30–18 | 25,459 | 2014 Anzac Test | |
4 November 2017 | England | Lebanon | 29–10 | 10,237 | 2017 Rugby League World Cup Group A Match |
11 November 2017 | Australia | Lebanon | 34–0 | 21,127 | 2017 Rugby League World Cup Group A Match |
* 1997 Anzac Test match played against the Australian Super League team. The
Rugby union test matches
Since its opening in 1988, the Football Stadium has hosted twenty seven Australia rugby union internationals. The results were as follows;
Date | Opponents | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|
1 July 1989 | British and Irish Lions |
30–12 | 39,433 |
15 July 1989 | 18–19 | 39,401 | |
9 June 1990 | France | 21–9 | 34,572 |
30 July 1990 | 19–28 | 34,776 | |
27 July 1991 | England | 40–15 | 39,681 |
10 August 1991 | New Zealand | 21–12 | 41,565 |
13 June 1992 | Scotland | 27–12 | 35,535 |
4 July 1992 | New Zealand | 16–15 | 39,870 |
25 July 1992 | 23–26 | 40,438 | |
31 July 1993 | South Africa | 20–28 | 41,190 |
21 August 1993 | 19–12 | 41,877 | |
11 June 1994 | Ireland | 32–18 | 37,239 |
6 August 1994 | Samoa | 73–3 | 30,167 |
17 August 1994 | New Zealand | 20–16 | 41,917 |
6 May 1995 | Argentina | 30–13 | 27,829 |
29 July 1995 | New Zealand | 23–34 | 39,327 |
22 June 1996 | Wales | 42–3 | 35,784 |
13 July 1996 | South Africa | 21–16 | 41,850 |
21 June 1997 | France | 29–15 | 31,572 |
12 July 1997 | England | 25–6 | 40,132 |
13 June 1998 | Scotland | 45–3 | 36,263 |
29 August 1998 | New Zealand | 19–14 | 40,501 |
23 June 2012 | Wales | 20–19 | 42,889 |
21 June 2014 | France | 39–13 | 43,188 |
25 June 2016 | England | 40–44 | 44,063 |
17 June 2017 | Scotland | 19–24 | 30,721 |
23 June 2018 | Ireland | 16–20 | 44,085 |
Rugby World Cup
The SFS also hosted five 2003 Rugby World Cup matches but none of them involved Australia. The results were as follows;
Date | Competition | Home team | Away team | Attendance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool A | Ireland | 64 | Namibia | 7 | 35,382 |
22 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool A | Argentina | 50 | Romania | 3 | 33,673 |
24 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C | South Africa | 46 | Georgia | 19 | 34,308 |
28 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C | Georgia | 12 | Uruguay | 24 | 28,576 |
1 November 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool B | Scotland | 22 | Fiji | 20 | 37,137 |
International soccer
List of international soccer matches played at the Sydney Football Stadium since 1988 (Senior men's games only).
Test# | Date | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 July 1988 | Australia 4–1 Argentina | 18,985 |
2 | 17 July 1988 | Australia 0–2 Brazil | 28,161 |
3 | 12 March 1989 | Australia 4–1 New Zealand | 13,621 |
4 | 16 April 1989 | Australia 1–1 Israel | 40,320 |
5 | 1 June 1991 | Australia 0–1 England | 35,743 |
6 | 26 January 1992 | Australia 0–0 Sweden | 13,456 |
7 | 12 July 1992 | Australia 0–0 Croatia | 12,735 |
8 | 15 August 1993 | Australia 2–1 Canada | 25,982 |
9 | 31 October 1993 | Australia 1–1 Argentina | 43,967 |
10 | 12 June 1994 | Australia 1–0 South Africa | 17,769 |
11 | 11 February 1995 | Australia 0–1 Colombia | 15,000 |
12 | 15 February 1995 | Australia 2–1 Japan | 4,541 |
13 | 18 June 1995 | Australia 1–0 Ghana | 18,446 |
14 | 28 February 1996 | Australia 0–0 Sweden | 13,905 |
15 | 25 January 1997 | Australia 1–0 Norway | 17,429 |
16 | 11 February 1998 | Australia 1–0 South Korea | 9,823 |
17 | 9 June 2000 | Australia 0–0 Paraguay | 10,000 |
18 | 21 May 2004 | Australia 1–3 Turkey | 28,326 |
19 | 12 October 2004 | Australia 6–1 Solomon Islands | 19,208 |
20 | 16 August 2006 | Australia 2–0 Kuwait | 32,622 |
21 | 11 October 2006 | Australia 2–0 Bahrain | 36,606 |
22 | 23 May 2008 | Australia 1–0 Ghana | 29,914 |
23 | 10 October 2009 | Australia 0–0 Netherlands | 40,537 |
24 | 9 October 2010 | Australia 1–0 Paraguay | 25,210 |
25 | 19 November 2013 | Australia 1–0 Costa Rica | 20,165 |
26 | 29 March 2016 | Australia 5–1 Jordan | 24,975 |
2000 Olympic Games
The Football Stadium hosted five games of the 2000 Olympic Games Men's Football tournament including a quarter final, a semi-final and the bronze medal match. It also hosted five matches of the Women's Football tournament including a Semi-final and the bronze and gold medal matches.
Men's tournament
Date | Time (AEST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 September 2000 | 20:00 | Australia | 2–3 | Nigeria | Group A | 38,080 |
19 September 2000 | 20:00 | Australia | 1–2 | Honduras | Group A | 37,788 |
23 September 2000 | 20:00 | Italy | 0–1 | Spain | Quarter-final 3 | 38,134 |
26 September 2000 | 20:00 | Spain | 3–1 | United States | Semi-final 1 | 39,800 |
29 September 2000 | 20:00 | United States | 0–2 | Chile |
Bronze medal match | 26,381 |
Women's tournament
Date | Time (AEST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 September 2000 | 17:00 | Australia | 1–1 | Sweden | Group E | 33,600 |
19 September 2000 | 17:00 | Australia | 1–2 | Brazil | Group E | 29,400 |
24 September 2000 | 17:30 | Germany | 0–1 | Norway | Semi-final 1 | 16,710 |
28 September 2000 | 17:00 | Germany | 2–0 | Brazil | Bronze Medal match | 11,200 |
28 September 2000 | 20:00 | Norway | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | United States | Gold Medal match | 22,848 |
See also
- Stadium Australia, another multi purpose stadium in Sydney
State of Origin
From 1988 to 1998, the Sydney Football Stadium was the home of the New South Wales rugby league team in the State of Origin series.
Game# | Date | Result | Attendance | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 May 1988 | Queensland def. New South Wales 26–18 |
26,441 | 1988 |
2 | 21 June 1988 | Queensland def. New South Wales 38–22 |
16,910 | |
3 | 14 June 1989 | Queensland def. New South Wales 16–12 |
40,000 | 1989 |
4 | 9 May 1990 | Queensland 8–0 |
41,235 | 1990 |
5 | 9 May 1991 | Queensland 14–12 |
41,520 | 1991 |
6 | 6 May 1992 | Queensland 14–6 |
40,039 | 1992 |
7 | 3 June 1992 | Queensland 16–4 |
41,878 | |
8 | 17 May 1993 | Queensland 16–12 |
41,895 | 1993 |
9 | 23 May 1994 | Queensland def. New South Wales 16–12 |
41,859 | 1994 |
10 | 15 May 1995 | Queensland def. New South Wales 2–0 |
39,841 | 1995 |
11 | 3 June 1996 | Queensland 18–6 |
41,955 | 1996 |
12 | 23 May 1997 | Queensland def. New South Wales 18–12 |
33,241 | 1997 |
13 | 22 May 1998 | Queensland def. New South Wales 24–23 |
36,070 | 1998 |
14 | 19 June 1998 | Queensland def. New South Wales 19–4 |
39,952 |
Statues
- Trevor Allan (rugby union and rugby league)
- Ken Catchpole (rugby union)
- Reg Gasnier (rugby league)
- Dally Messenger (rugby league)
- Johnny Warren (soccer)
- Betty Cuthbert (sprint)
- Marlene Mathews (sprint)
Transport
Sydney Football Stadium could be accessed by car, public transport and by walking. The nearest railway station was
References
- ^ "Allianz Stadium". Structurae. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Club Records Archived 19 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine at rabbitohs.com.au
- ^ "2015 Draw & Results". www.nrl.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-7022-3410-1.
- ^ 2000 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. p. 385.
- ^ "SCG Trust Timeline". sydneycricketground.com.au. Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ^ "Sydney FC's Home Ground Has A New Name". FFA. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "The full AFLX fixture revealed". NewsComAu. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "New 30,000-seat Parramatta stadium among premier's $1.6b promises". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 September 2015.
- ^ "$1 billion for Sydney stadiums". New South Wales Government. 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ "Olympic Stadium and the Sydney Football Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt". ABC News. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Sydney Football Stadium Redevelopment : John Holland". www.johnholland.com.au. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "SFS re-names Allianz Stadium". 29 February 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ "The Rice Owls and Stanford Cardinal Will Battle in Sydney Australia to open 2017 Season". beIN SPORTS USA. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "The final countdown". www.scgt.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Is First Female Artist In History to Sell Out Sydney's Allianz Stadium". 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- ^ "Allianz Stadium Record Crowds". scgt.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ SFS results @ Rugby League Project
- ^ Shared path bridge over Anzac Parade at Moore Park Archived 20 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Road & Maritime Services
External links
- Old Sydney Football Stadium at Austadiums.com