New South Wales state premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed he will push support for suburban grounds over big stadiums.
It has been something of a controversial issue in NRL circles, with the government previously committing to redevelopments of both the Sydney Football Stadium and Stadium Australia.
While the Sydney Football Stadium - home of the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and multiple other clubs in various sporting competitions - is currently being rebuilt from the ground up, the planned mega renovations of Stadium Australia at Homebush has been seemingly pulled from the table.
The planned rebuild of the former Olympic Stadium, which is only a little over 20 years old, drew debate and criticism from all corners of the state and nation.
Instead, the government and NRL are now set to work on a stadium policy which will favour suburban grounds and other versions of the most recently completed Western Sydney Stadium, now known as CommBank Stadium and home of the Parramatta Eels.
It had been previously understood that the historic Jubilee Oval at Kogarah was among the grounds at the top of the redevelopment list, however, that focus now seems to have shifted to Brookvale, Penrith and a new ground at Liverpool, according to a The Daily Telegraph report.
Liverpool would need to be an entirely new facility, while Brookvale and Penrith would be redevelopment.
It's been previously mentioned a Liverpool-based facility could host both the Wests Tigers and Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL, while the new Macarthur A-League team would also play out of the venue.
Dominic Perrottet has mentioned however that facilities - redeveloped or new - would cater for multiple sports to ensure maximum usage.
“As a diehard Wests Tigers fan, I appreciate there is nothing like watching a match from one of our iconic suburban stadiums,” Perrottet said.
“We’re committed to revitalising sporting stadiums across Sydney to make sure they are match-fit for the community’s changing needs.”
“Any redevelopments would need to include the creation of multi-use facilities that benefit as many people and local communities as possible, and a final business case for the work would need to stack up before we’d consider going ahead.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has previously spoken of his desire to have games at suburban grounds, with fans walking away from bigger venues, Stadium Australia in particular often struggling to generate atmosphere when sitting over 75 per cent empty for a majority of regular-season games played at the venue.
“Having families in Sydney attend suburban grounds is imperative to the future popularity of the game,” V’landys told the publication.
“That’s what tribalism is about. Suburban grounds have an important role to play and should be upgraded for today’s entertainment venue standards.”
