ANZ stadium "will get a roof" and the Sydney Cricket Ground "will become a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment district" as part of a A$500M ($465M) overhaul of Sydney’s sporting venues, according to Rebecca Wilson of the SUNDAY TELEGRAPH.
The two new "super stadium projects are at the heart of a dramatic plan to be unveiled by the state government within weeks that will put Sydney ahead of Melbourne in the race for major sporting events."
A consortium "led by Australia’s leading retailer, Gerry Harvey, and advertising guru John Singleton is expected to be the successful tenderer to revamp the SCG Entertainment Quarter." Much of the funding "will come from a sport and cultural fund that is part of the Rebuilding NSW Plan recently announced by Premier Mike Baird." ANZ stadium "will have a state of the art roof constructed over it." Seating "will not change, however, meaning spectators will still be sitting the same distance from the field." Brookvale Oval "will be the other major beneficiary in the plan," attracting A$10M "for a renovation of its outdated facilities." Leichhardt "is likely to be the big loser, failing so far to attract any money for stadium redevelopment." It is unclear if Penrith "will be included in any redevelopments," but NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayers’ acknowledgment that "the west of Sydney does need a Tier 2 redevelopment is promising for his home electorate of Penrith."
Parramatta has already been pencilled in for a A$29M upgrade (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 8/24).
