Sydney Football Stadium

"Allianz Stadium" redirects here. For the stadium in Munich, Germany, see Allianz Arena. For the stadium in London known as Allianz Park, see Barnet Copthall.

Allianz Stadium

Sydney Football Stadium
Former names	Aussie Stadium (2002-2009)
Location	Sydney, Australia
Coordinates	33°53′21″S 151°13′31″E
Owner	Sydney Cricket Ground Trust
Operator	Sydney Cricket Ground Trust
Executive suites	65
Capacity	45,500 (venue capacity) 44,000 (seated capacity)
Field size	140 x 79 metres
Surface	Grass Pitch
Construction
Broke ground	1986
Opened	1988
Construction cost	A$68m
Architect	Philip Cox, Richardson and Taylor
Tenants
Sydney Roosters (NRL) (1988–present) New South Wales Waratahs (Super Rugby) (1996–present) Sydney FC (A-League) (2005–present) Wests Tigers (NRL) (2009–2013) South Sydney Rabbitohs (NRL) (1988–99, 2002–05, 2015-present) New South Wales rugby league team (1988–1998)

Sydney Football Stadium (SFS), currently known by its sponsorship name Allianz Stadium, is a football stadium located in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988, the stadium is Sydney's premier rectangular field venue for rugby league, rugby union and association football. The Kangaroos, the Wallabies and the Socceroos occasionally play at the stadium, while the Sydney Roosters, NSW Waratahs and Sydney FC are the ground's major tenants.

Sydney Football Stadium usually hosts both NRL 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. All NSWRL / ARL Rugby League Grand Finals as well as the first Grand Final under the NRL banner were played there between 1988 and 1998.

The stadium is located next to the Sydney Cricket Ground.

History

Background

Sydney Sports Ground at Moore Park (1937)

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 like 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 SCG Trust. 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 43,967, set on 31 October 1993 for the 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier when the Socceroos played Argentina who were captained by Diego Maradona.

Usage

The Sydney Football Stadium has been the Sydney Roosters' home ground since 1988. It is 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.

From 1988 to 1999 and from 2002 to 2005 it served as the home ground for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs are set to return 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. 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. 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 legend Steve Mortimer into retirement with a premiership. The match had its controversial moment when Bulldogs Five-eighth Terry Lamb hit Tigers English import Centre 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 Centre 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.

The final 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. Broncos forward Gordon Tallis winning the Clive Churchill Medal.

Two standout State Of Origin matches in which QLD triumphed over NSW 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.

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 won 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. This match retains the record 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.

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: (Ireland v Namibia), (Argentina v Romania), (Scotland v Fiji), (South Africa v Georgia), (Georgia v Uruguay; this match was notable for attracting a crowd of 28,576, despite the low profiles of both teams).

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 Sydney Football 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.

Development

In 2012 Sydney Cricket Ground Trust announced a master plan to redevelopment 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 will include a new fully covered roof and a new LED façade mesh for the stadium which would allow the exterior to change colours to suit the home team, similar to Allianz Arena. As well, development to the surrounding area would include a new public plaza between the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium, new transport infrastructure, new underground car parks (4,100 cars) and develop the surrounding park-land. The scheduled start date for the project will commence after the completion of the Sydney Cricket Ground redevelopment, in January 2014.

Notable events

• 1993: Irish band U2 performed their Zoo TV concert, as recorded on the concert film, Zoo TV: Live from Sydney.
• 1993: Argentinian superstar Diego Maradona played here in the World Cup qualifier against Australia, in which the match was drawn 1-1. As of 2014, the attendance of 43,967 remains the stadiums largest for a sporting event.
• 1994: Rugby union provided a moment of magic thanks to George Gregan's last second match-winning tackle on NZ's Jeff Wilson in which Australia regained the Bledisloe Cup.
• 19 December 1997: representatives of clubs affiliated with the Australian Rugby League gathered at the SFS to decide whether to accept News Limited's offer of a settlement with the breakaway 'Super League' - eventually voting in favour by 36 votes to 4.
• 27 September 1998: The SFS hosted the inaugural NRL Grand Final between the Brisbane Broncos and Canterbury Bulldogs. It was to be the last rugby league Grand Final the stadium would host, with Grand Finals moving to the then 110,000 seat Stadium Australia from 1999.
• 2005: the Edinburgh Military Tattoo - A Salute to Australia.
• 17 May 2006: the stadium hosted the boxing fight between Danny Green and Anthony Mundine.
• 5 March 2006: the inaugural A-League Grand Final was held here.
• February 2007: the stadium was recently under renovation, during which the capacity was expanded to 45,500, and a second video screen was added. Renovations were completed in.
• 25 November 2006: the stadium hosted the 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations Grand Final.
• 7 July 2007: Australian concert of Live Earth.
• 22 November 2009: Pearl Jam concert, as listed on their page for the Backspacer Tour.
• 14 February 2010: Sydney FC take out the 2009/2010 Premiership.
• 26 February 2010: George Michael performed his first concert in Sydney since 1988.
• 17 18 & 19 December 2010: Bon Jovi played three nights as part of The Circle Tour.
• 2010: Qualifying Final between the Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers, where Roosters player Braith Anasta kicked a miracle field goal off the scrum to send the game to golden point, then Roosters player Shaun Kenny-Dowall intercepted a ball and scored in extra time.
• 2 & 4 December 2011: American rapper/hip-hop artist Eminem performed as part of his brief Recovery Tour.
• 8 December 2011 : American rockers Foo Fighters performed as part of their Wasting Light World Tour.
• 29 February 2012: Insurer Allianz announces a multi-year partnership with the SCG Trust to see the stadium officially renamed Allianz Stadium.
• 17 & 18 November 2012: British rockers Coldplay performed as part of their Mylo Xyloto Tour.
• 2013: Allianz Stadium celebrates its 25th anniversary since opening in 1988.
• 21 April 2013: 2013 A-League Grand Final
• 4 December 2013: American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performed as part of her Red Tour, becoming the first female artist in history to sell out the stadium.

Panorama of Sydney Football Stadium

Attendance records

Record	Attendance	Date	Event
Concert	52,838	9 December 2006	Close Encounters Tour - Robbie Williams
Association football	43,967	31 October 1993	World Cup qualifier (Australia drew with Argentina 1-1)
Rugby Union	43,188	21 June 2014	France rugby union tour of Australia (Australia def. France 39-13)
Rugby league	42,482	28 September 1997	ARL Grand Final (Newcastle def. Manly-Warringah 22-16)
As of 22 November 2013

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

Year	Date	Result	Attendance
1988	11 September	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs def. Balmain Tigers 24-12	40,000
1989	24 September	Canberra Raiders def. Balmain Tigers 19-14	40,500
1990	23 September	Canberra Raiders def. Penrith Panthers 18-14	41,535
1991	21 September	Penrith Panthers def. Canberra Raiders 18-12	41,815
1992	27 September	Brisbane Broncos def. St George Dragons 28-8	41,560
1993	26 September	Brisbane Broncos def. St George Dragons 14-6	42,329
1994	25 September	Canberra Raiders def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 36-12	42,234
1995	24 September	Sydney Bulldogs def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 17-4	41,127
1996	29 September	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles def. St George Dragons 20-8	40,985
1997	28 September	Newcastle Knights def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22-16	42,482
1998	27 September	Brisbane Broncos def. Canterbury Bulldogs 38-12	40,857

* Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders hold the record for the most Grand Final appearances at the stadium with four each. The Bulldogs appeared as Canterbury-Bankstown in 1988 and 1994, as the Sydney Bulldogs in 1995 and as the Canterbury Bulldogs in 1998
* Canberra and the Brisbane Broncos hold the record for most Grand Final wins at the stadium with three each.
* Brisbane and the Newcastle Knights are the only teams to win each of their Grand Finals played at the stadium.
* St George and Balmain are the only clubs who failed to win in any of their Grand Final appearances at the stadium.
* The 1997 Grand Final attendance of 42,482 remains the record rugby league crowd at the stadium and the third largest sporting attendance in the stadiums 26 year history.
* Canterbury-Bankstown appeared in the first and last Grand Finals at the SFS.
* Brisbane's 24 point win over Canterbury-Bankstown in 1998 is the biggest Grand Final winning margin at the SFS. Canberra's 4 point win over Penrith in 1990 is the smallest winning margin.

A-League

Since the A-League's first season in 2006, the Sydney Football Stadium has hosted the A-League Grand Final on three occasions, including the inaugural Grand Final between Sydney FC and the Central Coast Mariners.

Year	Date	Result	Attendance
2006	5 March	Sydney FC def. Central Coast Mariners 1-0	41,689
2008	24 February	Newcastle Jets def. Central Coast Mariners 1-0	36,354
2013	21 April	Central Coast Mariners def. Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0	42,102

Rugby league test matches

List of rugby league test and World Cup matches played at the Football Stadium since 1988.

Test#	Date	Result	Attendance
1	11 June 1988*	Australia def. Great Britain 17-6	24,480
2	9 July 1988**	Great Britain def. Australia 26-12	15,944
3	24 July 1991	Australia def. New Zealand 44-0	34,911
4	12 June 1992	Australia def. Great Britain 22-6	40,141
5	7 July 1995	Australia def. New Zealand 20-10	27,568
6	25 April 1997†	Australia (SL) def. New Zealand 34-22	23,829
7	12 July 2002	Australia def. Great Britain 64-10	31,844
8	25 July 2003	Australia def. New Zealand 48-6	30,605
9	4 November 2006♦	Great Britain def. Australia 23-12	24,953
10	25 November 2006♦	Australia def. New Zealand 16-12	27,325
11	26 October 2008♦♦	Australia def. New Zealand 30-6	34,157
12	16 November 2008♦♦	Australia def. Fiji 52-0	15,855
13	2 May 2014	Australia def. New Zealand 30-18	25,459

* 100th test match between Australia and Great Britain
** Match counted towards the 1985-1988 World Cup
† 1997 Super League Anzac Test not counted as a test match by the Australian Rugby League (ARL), but is by the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) and the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF)
♦ Matches were part of the 2006 Tri-Nations. Australia vs New Zealand on 25 November was the Tri-Nations Final.
♦♦ Matches were part of the 2008 World Cup

Rugby union test matches

List of rugby union test matches matches played at the Football Stadium since 1988. Table includes matches played as part of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

Test#	Date	Result	Attendance
1	1 July 1989	Australia def. British and Irish Lions 30-12	39,433
2	15 July 1989	British and Irish Lions def. Australia 19-18	39,401
3	9 June 1990	Australia def. France 21-9	34,572
4	30 July 1990	France def. Australia 28-19	34,776
5	27 July 1991	Australia def. England 40-15	39,681
6	10 August 1991	Australia def. New Zealand 21-12	41,565
7	13 June 1992	Australia def. Scotland 27-12	35,535
8	4 July 1992	Australia def. New Zealand 16-15	39,870
9	25 July 1992	New Zealand def. Australia 26-23	40,438
10	31 July 1993	South Africa def. Australia 28-20	41,190
11	21 August 1993	Australia def. South Africa 19-12	41,877
12	11 June 1994	Australia def. Ireland 32-18	37,239
13	25 June 1994	Australia def. Italy 20-7	15,539
14	6 August 1994	Australia def. Samoa 73-3	30,167
15	17 August 1994	Australia def. New Zealand 20-16	41,917
16	6 May 1995	Australia def. Argentina 30-13	27,829
17	29 July 1995	New Zealand def. Australia 34-23	39,327
18	22 June 1996	Australia def. Wales 42-3	35,784
19	13 July 1996	Australia def. South Africa 21-16	41,850
20	21 June 1997	Australia def. France 29-15	31,572
21	12 July 1997	Australia def. England 25-6	40,132
22	13 June 1998	Australia def. Scotland 45-3	36,263
23	29 August 1998	Australia def. New Zealand 19-14	40,501
24	19 October 2003	Ireland def. Namibia 64-7	35,382
25	22 October 2003	Argentina def. Romania 50-3	33,673
26	24 October 2003	South Africa def. Georgia 46-19	34,308
27	28 October 2003	Uruguay def. Georgia 24-12	28,576
28	1 November 2003	Scotland def. Fiji 22-20	37,137
29	23 June 2012	Australia def. Wales 20-19	42,889
30	21 June 2014	Australia def. France 39-13	43,188

Soccer internationals

List of international soccer matches played at the Football Stadium since 1988 (Senior games only).

Test#	Date	Result	Attendance
1	14 July 1988	Australia def. Argentina 4-1	18,985
2	17 July 1988	Brazil def. Australia 2-0	28,161
3	12 March 1989	Australia def. New Zealand 4-1	13,621
4	16 April 1989	Australia drew with Israel 1-1	40,320
5	1 June 1991	England def. Australia 1-0	35,743
6	26 January 1992	Australia drew with Sweden 0-0	13,456
7	12 July 1992	Australia drew with Croatia 0-0	12,735
8	15 August 1993	Australia def. Canada 2-1	25,982
9	31 October 1993	Australia def Argentina 1-0	43,967
10	12 June 1994	Australia def. South Africa 1-0	17,769
11	11 February 1995	Colombia def. Australia 1-0	15,000
12	15 February 1995	Australia def. Japan 2-1	4,541
13	18 June 1995	Australia def. Ghana 1-0	18,446
14	28 February 1996	Australia drew with Sweden 0-0	13,905
15	25 January 1997	Australia def. Norway 1-0	17,429
16	11 February 1998	Australia def. South Korea 1-0	9,823
17	9 June 2000	Australia drew with Paraguay 0-0	10,000
18	21 May 2004	Turkey def. Australia 3-1	28,326
19	12 October 2004	Australia def. Solomon Islands 6-1	19,208
20	16 August 2006	Australia def. Kuwait 2-0	32,622
21	11 October 2006	Australia def. Bahrain 2-0	36,606
22	23 May 2008	Australia def. Ghana	29,914
23	10 October 2009	Australia drew with Netherlands 0-0	40,537
24	9 October 2010	Australia def. Paraguay 1-0	25,210
25	19 November 2013	Australia def. Costa Rica 1-0	20,165
26	6 January 2015	Australia vs Colombia

Statues

• Trevor Allan (Rugby Union)
• Ken Catchpole (Rugby Union)
• Reg Gasnier (Rugby League)
• Dally Messenger (Rugby League)

Transport

Sydney Football Stadium can be accessed by car, public transport and by walking. The nearest train station is Central Station, 3 kilometers away. On event days, express shuttle buses run every five minutes from Chalmers St at Central Station to Moore Park. The buses use special bus only lanes to ensure a speedy trip.

See also

• 2000 Summer Olympics venues

External links

• Allianz Stadium
• Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust
• Austadiums - Allianz Stadium