The demolition of Parramatta Stadium has begun, "with drone footage showing seats ripped out, stands torn down" and the site almost leveled to make way for Sydney's "future home of sport." As it is almost 31 years to the day the stadium was first opened, the demolition is "bittersweet," NSW Sport Minister Stuart Ayres said, but "the buzz continues to build around the new Western Sydney Stadium." The new "world-class" rectangular Western Sydney Stadium will hold 30,000 people and will "employ about 2,000 during construction" (ABC, 2/28).
League Championship side
Brentford started work on the
Lionel Road site and is "still hoping" to be in the new stadium by the start of the '19-20 season. It has been a "long road to reach this moment," with planning permission being granted in Dec. '13 by Hounslow Council. Rugby Football Union Championship side London Irish "have been granted permission to use the Lionel Road site" once it is built (
GET WEST LONDON, 3/1).
The Gaelic Athletic Association submitted a new planning application to build a "controversial" stadium at Casement Park in west Belfast. The new stadium has a proposed capacity of 34,186 -- "down by almost 4,000 on the GAA's original plan" (BBC, 2/28).
EPL side West Ham's London Stadium was included on the 10-strong shortlist for Stadium of the Year. West Ham moved from Upton Park into the converted 2012 Olympic Stadium for the start of the '16-17 season. Others on the shortlist include Beşiktaş' new Vodafone Arena in Istanbul, Serie A side Udinese's Dacia Arena and the NFL Miami Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium (London INDEPENDENT, 2/28).
