Today the Minister for Sport, the Hon Don Farrell and Member for Parramatta, Julie Owens, announced a major $20 million upgrade to Parramatta Stadium.
Today the Minister for Sport, the Hon Don Farrell and Member for Parramatta, Julie Owens, announced a major $20 million upgrade to Parramatta Stadium.
The investment will include upgrading the Eastern Stand, including a new concourse, new food and drink outlets and better bathrooms. Better facilities for players will be built with new change rooms and bathrooms. 3,300 additional seats will be installed on the Northern and Southern mounds, bringing the stadium capacity to 24,000. Completion of the upgrade will be sometime in 2015.
NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers Executive Chairman, Lyall Gorman, while being unable to attend, was full of praise for today-s announcement.
“We applaud the Commonwealth Government for their vision of the future and their support of the Western Sydney region. This announcement today exemplifies a real partnership model and a continuation of the Government-s determination to enhance infrastructure. Today-s announcement highlights what can be achieved by working with Government in a co-operative way and having a shared vision for the future.
The introduction of the Wanderers as the major tenant of Parramatta Stadium and its clear capacity to become the catalyst for true social impact and change across Western Sydney has grabbed the attention of many including Government at all levels. Many have tried in the past to secure enhanced facilities at Parramatta Stadium without success and it is a testimony to Government and the Wanderers that this outcome has been achieved in the space of a few very short months.
The Wanderers have brought over 174,000 people into the Stadium since its inception with a financial contribution in excess of $18.3 million dollars of additional expenditure into the entertainment and lifestyle precinct of the Parramatta CBD.
The true beneficiaries of today-s announcement will not only be the sporting clubs in the area, but more so the businesses, Government agencies, sporting fans and boys and girls across Western Sydney.
The Western Sydney Wanderers applaud the Governments initiative in extending this grant and looks forward to working with it all levels to ensure the ongoing enhancement of the Stadium into a venue that we can all be rightly proud of and that many will benefit from for years to come. They have been and continue to be wonderful supporters of sport, football and the Wanderers. We thank them and remain very committed to both supporting the venue longer term and consistent with our core vision, continuing to strive to make a real difference to all stakeholders across Western Sydney.”
FFA CEO, David Gallop was also in attendance and believes the planned upgrade “is phenomenal for Western Sydney and the Wanderers fans. Western Sydney is a fertile ground for football in Australia and the support of these fans for the Wanderers was a real catalyst for this upgrade”.
With a growing Wanderers membership base this new development will be key to ensuring that all Wanderers fans can support their team in years to come.
After three weeks on sale, Foundation Membership renewals are at 7,500. New memberships will be available from July 22 and there is continued, very strong interest from fans to join the club once it is open to the public.
Today-s announcement is fantastic for the Wanderers club, Wanderers fans, the game of football and the Western Sydney region at large.
