Is there such a thing as love at first sight? And what if that love was for a stadium, even for one that isn’t yet completed?
To read the full article visit: www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/a-game-changer-an-exclusive-first-look-inside-western-sydney-stadium-20180614-p4zlg3.html
The first thing you notice when you are introduced to the artist formerly known as Parramatta Stadium is how steep the seating is.
Your humble columnist (Andrew Webster, Sydney Morning Herald) was given an exclusive look on Thursday at the new Western Sydney Stadium and, well, it’s love, baby. L.O.V.E.
The playing field is sunk seven metres below ground level, and rising out of that is 30,000 seats at a 34-degree angle. That is the steepest in the world and more than Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, which is considered the best rectangular stadium in the country despite it being most often filled with Queenslanders.
If you’ve been to Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, or even La Bombonera, the home of Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, you’ll understand how close supporters feel to the pitch and players. This stadium already has a similar feel, even if it is a construction site.
There’s an LED big screen in one corner and a wide, open concourse that wraps around the entire stadium, allowing fans to buy a beer and some hot chips and then turn around and look directly below at the footy.
It is, in every sense, a modern-day coliseum.
Other features of the stadium include state-of-the-art technology under the playing surface that works like a vacuum cleaner, sucking moisture out if there has been too much rain; a standing area for the Red & Black Bloc; vast female-friendly amenities, which means no more lines snaking out into the carpark; and plenty of space around the stadium, allowing for big crowds and activation areas.
So, in summary, if you want to know what love is, this stadium can show you.
To read the full article visit: www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/a-game-changer-an-exclusive-first-look-inside-western-sydney-stadium-20180614-p4zlg3.html
