Sydney Football Stadium


The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, 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.
The Kangaroos, the Wallabies, and the Socceroos occasionally played at the stadium, while the Sydney Roosters, NSW Waratahs, and Sydney FC were the ground's major tenants. The stadium usually held both National Rugby League semi finals and one preliminary final, and also held the annual pre-season Charity Shield football match between South Sydney and St George Illawarra for a number of years. It hosted all New South Wales Rugby League/Australian Rugby League rugby league grand finals, as well as the first grand final under the NRL banner, between 1988 and 1998.
The NSW Government announced plans in November 2017 for the stadium to be demolished and rebuilt. The stadium closed in October 2018, with the last event being a Michael Buble concert. Demolition began in early 2019, continuing after several legal challenges and becoming a major issue during the 2019 New South Wales state election.

History

Background

Prior to its construction, major events were usually held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as it was the largest stadium in Sydney. But the SCG, being an oval field, was not considered ideal for sports requiring a rectangular field such as soccer, rugby league and rugby union, although it had been used many times for such events.
Sydney Football Stadium was built upon the former Sydney Sports Ground in Moore Park, and the former SCG No 2 adjacent to the existing SCG. Both were owned by the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust. It officially opened by Premier Barrie Unsworth on 24 January 1988. The first sporting event was a rugby league match between the Eastern Suburbs Roosters and St George Dragons on 4 March 1988. Its seating capacity was 41,159, but after numerous expansions, today stands at 45,500, although the venue's official record attendance for a sporting event stands at 44,380, set on 22 September 2018 for the 2018 NRL Finals Series when the Sydney Roosters played 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. The Rabbitohs returned to the ground with a one off game against the Broncos in Round 25 of the 2015 NRL season.
The SFS has hosted rugby league football test matches since its opening in 1988 starting with two matches in Australia's 1988 Ashes series win against Great Britain. The first game of the series saw the Wally Lewis captained, Don Furner coached Australians christen their new Sydney home with a 17–6 win in front of 24,480 fans. That game was also the 100th test match between Australia and either Great Britain or England. The record international Rugby League crowd at the stadium was set for the first Ashes against Great Britain on their 1992 Australasian Tour when Australia won 22–6 in front of 40,141 in what was the first time a test in Sydney had attracted over 40,000 fans since 1974. The stadium has also hosted the Rugby League Tri-Nations, including the Final of the 2006 tournament in which Australia triumphed 16-12 over New Zealand in Golden point extra-time thanks to a try by captain Darren Lockyer.
Rugby league also had some memorable moments including: The first grand final in 1988 saw Canterbury-Bankstown defeat Balmain 24–12 in front of 40,000 fans to send club captain Steve Mortimer into retirement with a premiership. The match had its controversial moment when Bulldogs Terry Lamb hit Tigers English import Ellery Hanley with a high tackle out of the game before the 30th minute: The 1989 NSWRL grand final which was won by the Canberra Raiders over the Balmain Tigers 19-14 thanks to a try by replacement forward Steve Jackson in extra-time for their first premiership: The 1991 NSWRL grand final won by the Penrith Panthers over Canberra 19–12 in which Penrith's Royce Simmons scored 2 tries in his final match giving the Panthers their first title: Brisbane's maiden premiership with a 28–8 win over St. George in 1992 NSWRL grand final, highlighted by a 95-metre try to Broncos Steve Renouf: and the 1997 ARL Grand Final between the Newcastle Knights and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, with the Knights winning their first title with a 22–16 win following a try to Darren Albert in the dying seconds of the game after the Knights had trailed Manly since early in the game. Manly had won their previous 11 games against the Knights prior to that Grand Final.
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 4th premiership from four grand Final appearances.
Two standout State Of Origin matches in which Queensland triumphed over New South Wales with last-minute victories in 1994 and 1998, as well as Michael O'Connor's sideline conversion in driving rain for a NSW win in Game 2 of the 1991 series. Also of note was Queensland's backs to the wall win in Game 2 of the 1989. Despite losing Allan Langer to a broken leg, Mal Meninga with a fractured eye socket and Paul Vautin with an elbow injury in the first half, plus losing winger Michael Hancock to a shoulder injury in the second half, the Maroons triumphed 16-12 to wrap up the series. It was also found out after the game that Queensland's lock forward Bob Lindner had played most of the second half with a fractured ankle.
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.
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:,,,,.
In 2007 the Sydney Roosters High Performance Centre and Administrative departments set up their headquarters at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup's opening ceremony and Group A match between Australia and New Zealand was played at the Stadium. The SFS also hosted one game from the knockout stage: the 2nd Semi-final between Australia and Fiji.
In 2012, Allianz Insurance secured the rights to the naming of the Sydney Football Stadium; the venue is now known as Allianz Stadium.
In 2018, Allianz Stadium hosted one of three AFL pre-season mini competitions called AFLX.

Development

In 2012 Sydney Cricket Ground Trust announced a master plan to redevelop Sydney Football Stadium, as well as Sydney Cricket Ground and the surrounding area, with a vision "for the SCG and Allianz Stadium is to create an exciting new concept for Sydney’s central sporting precinct - a revitalised, world-class, sports and recreation facility for NSW and Australia". The development of Sydney Football Stadium would have included a new fully covered roof and a new LED facade mesh for the stadium which would allow the exterior to change colours to suit the home team, similar to Munich's Allianz Arena. As well, development to the surrounding area would have included a new public plaza between the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium, new transport infrastructure, new underground car parks and development of the surrounding parkland. The scheduled start date for the project would have commenced after the completion of the Sydney Cricket Ground redevelopment, in January 2014. In early 2015, the video screens were replaced with large High Definition screens similar to the one at the Dally Messenger Stand at the SCG.
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. 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 will 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. 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 stadium to the John Holland Group, with a planned completion date in time for the September 2022 NRL Grand Final.

Sporting events

Grand finals

Since its opening in 1988, the Sydney Football Stadium hosted eleven NSWRL/ARL/NRL grand finals between 1988 and 1998, and has also hosted three A-League grand finals.

Rugby league

Since the A-League's first season in 2006, the Sydney Football Stadium has hosted the A-League grand final on four occasions, including the inaugural grand final between Sydney FC and the Central Coast Mariners.
YearDateResultAttendance
20065 MarchSydney FC 1–0 Central Coast Mariners41,689
200824 FebruaryCentral Coast Mariners 0–1 Newcastle Jets36,354
201321 AprilWestern Sydney Wanderers 0–2 Central Coast Mariners42,102
20177 MaySydney FC 1–1 Melbourne Victory41,546

Rugby league test matches

The Football Stadium has hosted twelve Australia internationals and one involving the Australian Super League. The results were as follows;
DateOpponentsResultAttendancePart of
11 June 198817–624,4801988 Ashes series
100th test match between Australia and Great Britain / England
9 July 198812–2615,9441988 Ashes series
1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup group stage
24 July 199144–034,9111991 Trans-Tasman Test series
12 June 199222–640,1411992 Ashes series
7 July 199520–1027,5681995 Trans-Tasman Test series
25 April 1997*34–2223,8291997 Anzac Test
12 July 200264–1031,844
25 July 200348–630,605
4 November 200612–2324,9532006 Rugby League Tri-Nations
25 November 200616–1227,3252006 Rugby League Tri-Nations Final
26 October 200830–634,1572008 Rugby League World Cup Group A
16 November 200852–015,8552008 Rugby League World Cup Semi-final
2 May 201430–1825,4592014 Anzac Test
11 November 201734-021,1272017 Rugby League World Cup Group A Match

* 1997 Anzac Test match played against the Australian Super League team. The Australian Rugby League and Australian Rugby League Commission do not count this as an official test, though it is counted by the New Zealand Rugby League and the Rugby League International Federation.

Rugby union test matches

Since its opening in 1988, the Football Stadium has hosted twenty six Australia rugby union internationals. The results were as follows;
DateOpponentsResultAttendance
1 July 1989British and Irish Lions30–1239,433
15 July 1989British and Irish Lions18–1939,401
9 June 199021–934,572
30 July 199019–2834,776
27 July 199140–1539,681
10 August 199121–1241,565
13 June 199227–1235,535
4 July 199216–1539,870
25 July 199223–2640,438
31 July 199320–2841,190
21 August 199319–1241,877
11 June 199432–1837,239
6 August 199473–330,167
17 August 199420–1641,917
6 May 199530–1327,829
29 July 199523–3439,327
22 June 199642–335,784
13 July 199621–1641,850
21 June 199729–1531,572
12 July 199725–640,132
13 June 199845–336,263
29 August 199819–1440,501
23 June 201220–1942,889
21 June 201439–1343,188
25 June 201640–4444,063
23 June 201816–2044,085

Rugby World Cup

The SFS also hosted five 2003 Rugby World Cup matches but none of them involved Australia. The results were as follows;

International Football

List of international football matches played at the Sydney Football Stadium since 1988.
Test#DateResultAttendance
114 July 1988 4–1 18,985
217 July 1988 0–2 28,161
312 March 1989 4–1 13,621
416 April 1989 1–1 40,320
51 June 1991 0–1 35,743
626 January 1992 0–0 13,456
712 July 1992 0–0 12,735
815 August 1993 2–1 25,982
931 October 1993 1–1 43,967
1012 June 1994 1–0 17,769
1111 February 1995 0–1 15,000
1215 February 1995 2–1 4,541
1318 June 1995 1–0 18,446
1428 February 1996 0–0 13,905
1525 January 1997 1–0 17,429
1611 February 1998 1–0 9,823
179 June 2000 0–0 10,000
1821 May 2004 1–3 28,326
1912 October 2004 6–1 19,208
2016 August 2006 2–0 32,622
2111 October 2006 2–0 36,606
2223 May 2008 1–0 29,914
2310 October 2009 0–0 40,537
249 October 2010 1–0 25,210
2519 November 2013 1–0 20,165
2629 March 2016 5–1 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

Women's tournament

State of Origin

From 1988–1998, the Sydney Football Stadium was the home of the New South Wales rugby league team in the State of Origin series.
Game#DateResultAttendanceYear
117 May 1988 Queensland def. New South Wales 26–1826,4411988
221 June 1988 Queensland def. New South Wales 38–2216,9101988
314 June 1989 Queensland def. New South Wales 16–1240,0001989
49 May 1990 New South Wales def. Queensland 8–041,2351990
59 May 1991 New South Wales def. Queensland 14–1241,5201991
66 May 1992 New South Wales def. Queensland 14–640,0391992
73 June 1992 New South Wales def. Queensland 16–441,8781992
817 May 1993 New South Wales def. Queensland 16–1241,8951993
923 May 1994 Queensland def. New South Wales 16–1241,8591994
1015 May 1995 Queensland def. New South Wales 2–039,8411995
113 June 1996 New South Wales def. Queensland 18–641,9551996
1223 May 1997 Queensland def. New South Wales 18–1233,2411997
1322 May 1998 Queensland def. New South Wales 24–2336,0701998
1419 June 1998 Queensland def. New South Wales 19–439,9521998

Statues

Sydney Football Stadium could be accessed by car, public transport and by walking. The nearest railway station was Central station, three kilometres away. On event days, express shuttle buses ran every five minutes from Chalmers Street at Central station to Moore Park. The buses utilised a bus road off Anzac Parade to improve travel times. In 2015, the Albert Cotter Bridge opened across Anzac Parade opened to improve the pedestrian links between the stadium and Central station and Surry Hills.