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Sydney Showground Stadium

Coordinates: 33°50′35″S 151°4′4″E / 33.84306°S 151.06778°E / -33.84306; 151.06778
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Engie Stadium
Sydney Showground Stadium
The Showgrounds
View of the stadium in March 2018
Map
Full nameSydney Showground Stadium
Former namesŠkoda Stadium (2012–2014)[4]
Spotless Stadium (2014–2019)[5]
Giants Stadium (2019–2024)
LocationSydney Olympic Park, New South Wales (Map)
Coordinates33°50′35″S 151°4′4″E / 33.84306°S 151.06778°E / -33.84306; 151.06778
OwnerNew South Wales Government
OperatorRoyal Agricultural Society of NSW
Capacity23,500[1][2]
22,102 (Cricket)
21,500 (1998–2011)
Field size164 m × 128 m (538 ft × 420 ft)[3]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundMay 1996
OpenedFebruary 1998
Renovated2001
Expanded2012
ArchitectPopulous (redevelopment)
Tenants
Regular Tenants
Sydney Royal Easter Show (1998–present)
GWS Giants (AFL) (2012–present)
Sydney Thunder (BBL) (2015–present)

Past Tenants
Sydney Storm (ABL) (1998–1999)
Olympic Games (Baseball/Pentathlon) (2000)
Canterbury Bulldogs (NRL) (2001–2005)
Western Sydney Wanderers (A-League) (2016–2019)
2019 Sydney Sevens
Website
www.sydneyshowground.com.au
Ground information
Home clubSydney Thunder
Capacity24,000
International information
First WT20I21 February 2020:
 Australia v  India
Last WT20I3 March 2020:
 South Africa v  West Indies
As of 7 September 2020
Source: CricketArchive

Sydney Showground Stadium (also known as ENGIE Stadium[a] due to naming rights[6]) is a sports and events stadium located at the Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It hosted the baseball events for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The Showground, including the stadium, is operated by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), under lease from the New South Wales Government.[7]

The stadium hosts flagship events of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, such as the Grand Parade, equestrian competitions and rodeos. The stadium is also used for sport. It is the primary home ground of the Australian Football League's Greater Western Sydney Giants and the home ground of the Big Bash League's Sydney Thunder. It was also the primary home ground of the A-League's Western Sydney Wanderers for 3 years starting with the 2016–17 A-League season. Events and festivals to have been held at the stadium include Soundwave, Big Day Out, Stereosonic and Big Exo Day.

The stadium opened in 1998 as the Sydney Showground Main Arena. In conjunction with an expansion and upgrade in 2011–12, it was renamed Sydney Showground Stadium.[8]

History

[edit]
View of the 2001 Sydney Royal Easter Show Grand Parade, showing the Main Arena prior to redevelopment

The stadium was constructed as part of the development of the new Sydney Showground, it was built to replace the aging Showground at Moore Park and to provide a venue for the 2000 Summer Olympics.

A $65 million upgrade of the stadium to accommodate the GWS Giants was announced on 9 June 2010.[7] Jointly funded by the NSW Government, the AFL and the RAS, the upgrade included two new stands which increased seating capacity from 13,000 to 25,000 (the stadium seated 13,000 but its full pre-redevelopment capacity was listed as 21,500), upgraded hospitality facilities, improved audio and sound systems and new media facilities.[9] The playing surface was also reconfigured.[7] The upgrade was officially opened on 23 May 2012.[10]

The RAS is seeking funding from the New South Wales Government to expand the stadium as part of a major upgrade of the Showground precinct.[11] It has targeted a total post-extension capacity of 30,000 seats but is considering revising the target capacity to 35,000 seats.[12]

Following its redevelopment, the venue was known as Škoda Stadium from 2012 until 2013 in a deal with car manufacturer Škoda,[4] then as Spotless Stadium from 2014 until 2018 in a deal with cleaning and catering company Spotless Group Holdings.[5] From 2019 to 2024, it was known as Giants Stadium in a deal with its primary AFL tenant, the Greater Western Sydney Giants, making the club the only one in the league to play in a self-branded venue;[13][14] the Giants name was stylised in all caps as GIANTS Stadium, consistent with the manner in which the club self-styles its name in all media.[15] In March 2024, the venue became known as Engie Stadium under a three-year naming rights deal with energy company Engie.[6] In May 2024, the original stadium lighting system was replaced with LED lights at a cost of $4 million.[16]

Australian rules football

[edit]
Patrons play on the surface of the stadium after an AFL game

The venue is the primary home ground for The Greater Western Sydney Giants.[14][17] The club played its first game at the stadium on Saturday, 26 May 2012, Round 9 of the 2012 AFL season.[18] In front of a crowd of 11,887 the Giants lost the match against Essendon by 66 points. The Giants' first win at the stadium occurred on 4 August that year, when they defeated Port Adelaide by 34 points. On 24 September 2016, the ground hosted its first ever AFL finals game with the Giants losing to the Western Bulldogs by six points in a close preliminary final.

Cricket

[edit]

The Sydney Thunder played two games at the stadium during the 2014–15 Big Bash League season when ANZ Stadium was unavailable due to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.[19] In June 2015, the Sydney Thunder announced a 10-year agreement to play all home games at Sydney Showground Stadium until the 2024–25 BBL season.[20]

The opening Sydney Derby of the fifth season (2015–16) of BBL attracted record audience, with more than 1.5 million people tuning in for this match between the Sydney Thunder and the Sydney Sixers.[21] On 28 December 2015, Sydney Thunder defeated Adelaide Strikers at the stadium in front of 21,500 spectators.

The stadium hosted several games of the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

Baseball and 2000 Olympics

[edit]

The stadium hosted the Sydney Storm in the Australian Baseball League for the 1998 and 1999 championship. During the Olympics, it was known as the Sydney Baseball Stadium and was the main baseball venue. The gold medal game played in front of 14,107 saw the USA, managed by Tommy Lasorda, a former two time World Series winning manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers, defeated defending champions Cuba 4–0 to win their first ever Olympic gold medal in baseball.[22]

Since the Olympics, no other baseball game has been played at the venue. Other Olympic events hosted were the riding and running portion of the modern pentathlon competitions.[23]

Rugby league

[edit]

In 2001, the Canterbury Bulldogs of the NRL moved some of their home games to the stadium, playing there until 2005 when they moved to full-time ANZ Stadium. During this period, the ground hosted two finals matches, a 2001 Qualifying Final where the Bulldogs defeated St. George Illawarra Dragons 23-22 in front of 17,975, and a 2003 Qualifying Final where the New Zealand Warriors defeated the Bulldogs 48-22.

Soccer

[edit]
Western Sydney Wanderers celebrating after winning an A-League game

The Western Sydney Wanderers played most of their homes games at the stadium during the 2016–17 A-League season while Parramatta Stadium was rebuilt.[24] Home games against Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory were played at the nearby ANZ Stadium.[25] The Wanderers played their first home game at the ground on 23 October 2016 against the Newcastle Jets.[26]

Rugby sevens

[edit]

The Showground became the new home of Australia's events in the men's and women's versions of the World Rugby Sevens Series effective with the 2018–19 seasons. This change was made because the Sydney Football Stadium, previously host to both events, is to be demolished to make way for a new stadium on the same site.[27]

Motorsport

[edit]

As the Showground was originally built for both the Royal Easter Show and as a baseball venue, the field included a 450 metres (490 yards) long track that surrounded the playing field of the Stadium prior to its removal during the 2011–12 redevelopment. In the tradition of the Sydney Showground Speedway at Moore Park which ran speedway from 1926 until 1996, the track was used as a Speedway venue, mostly for motorcycle racing, though with limited success. In 2007 and 2008 the Stadium hosted a round of the Australian Solo Championships, just as the old Showground had done on 21 separate occasions between 1935 and 1980.[28] The 2007 championship round, which was the opening round of a five-round series, was won by Australia's reigning Speedway World Champion Jason Crump, the son of Phil Crump who won the Australian title at the old Showground in 1975. Jason Crump would go on to win his second Aussie title in 2007, winning three of the five rounds (Sydney, Newcastle Showgrounds, and Borderline Speedway in Mount Gambier), while finishing second in Mildura (Olympic Park Speedway) and the Gillman Speedway in Adelaide.

The track, which was tight and narrow (a criticism in common with its predecessor) and almost square in shape, was also used for Speedcar racing, also with little success. When the Speedcars raced at the Showground, a temporary fence was put in place on the inside of the track to protect the grass surface from any out of control cars.

The first speedway meeting at the new Showground was held on 1 May 1999 and included an unofficial Solo "Test" between Australia and the United States, won easily by Australia. The program also featured Sidecars, as well as demonstration runs by restored vintage Speedcars and Modifieds which had raced at the old Showground. The speedway was officially opened by 15 time World Champion Ivan Mauger of New Zealand, and the "King of the Royale" (the old Showground Speedway), four time Australian Solo Champion Jim Airey.

Configuration

[edit]

In its present configuration, the stadium is a playing field running north east to south west. The south western half is surrounded by a single grandstand structure. Additional stands are located on either side of the field, directly adjacent the main structure. A single video screen is located at the north-eastern end. When it was installed, the screen was the largest at a stadium in the southern hemisphere,[29] The stands are:[30][31]

Opened 1998:

  • Members Stand
  • Suttor Stand
  • Vincent Fairfax Stand
  • Sinclair Stand
  • Martin & Angus Stand

Opened 2012:

  • Sydney Royal Stand
  • Cumberland Stand
Panoramic view from the Cumberland Stand of the stadium in association football configuration.
Panoramic view of the stadium for an Australian rules football match.

AFL records

[edit]

Players

Teams

Last updated: 24 April 2024[32]

Attendance records

[edit]

Top 10 sports attendance records

[edit]
No. Date Teams Sport Competition Crowd
1 30 December 2023 Sydney Thunder v. Sydney Sixers Cricket 2023–24 BBL season 22,102
2 15 July 2017 Greater Western Sydney v. Sydney Australian football 2017 AFL season 21,924
3 10 August 2001 Canterbury Bulldogs v. Parramatta Eels Rugby league 2001 NRL season 21,895[33]
4 20 December 2016 Sydney Thunder v. Sydney Sixers Cricket 2016–17 BBL season 21,798
5 24 September 2016 Greater Western Sydney v. Western Bulldogs Australian football 2016 AFL finals series 21,790
6 19 December 2017 Sydney Thunder v. Sydney Sixers Cricket 2017–18 BBL season 21,589
7 12 June 2016 Greater Western Sydney v. Sydney Australian football 2016 AFL season 21,541
8 28 December 2015 Sydney Thunder v. Adelaide Strikers Cricket 2015–16 BBL season 21,500
9 18 August 2018 Greater Western Sydney v. Sydney Australian football 2018 AFL season 21,433
10 9 March 2024 Greater Western Sydney v. Collingwood Australian football 2024 AFL season 21,235

Source: Austadiums (2003 crowds onwards)

Top 5 AFL attendance records

[edit]
No. Date Teams Crowd
1 15 July 2017 Greater Western Sydney v. Sydney 21,924
2 24 September 2016 Greater Western Sydney v. Western Bulldogs 21,790
3 12 June 2016 Greater Western Sydney v. Sydney 21,541
4 18 August 2018 Greater Western Sydney v. Sydney 21,433
5 9 March 2024 Greater Western Sydney v. Collingwood 21,235

Source: AFL Tables

Top 5 BBL attendance records

[edit]
No. Date Teams Crowd
1 30 December 2023 Sydney Thunder v. Sydney Sixers 22,102
2 20 December 2016 Sydney Thunder v. Sydney Sixers 21,798
3 19 December 2017 Sydney Thunder v. Sydney Sixers 21,589
4 28 December 2015 Sydney Thunder v. Adelaide Strikers 21,500
5 18 January 2017 Sydney Thunder v. Adelaide Strikers 20,642
6 28 December 2016 Sydney Thunder v. Brisbane Heat 20,234

Source Austadiums

Top 5 NRL attendance records

[edit]
No. Date Teams Crowd
1 10 August 2001 Canterbury Bulldogs v. Parramatta Eels 21,895
2 29 August 2003 Canterbury Bulldogs v. Canberra Raiders 20,016
3 16 August 2002 Canterbury Bulldogs v. Parramatta Eels 19,346
4 13 September 2003 Canterbury Bulldogs v. New Zealand Warriors 18,312
5 4 March 2001 Canterbury Bulldogs v. Newcastle Knights 18,109

Last updated on 1 January 2017[33]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Stylised as ENGIE Stadium

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Giants Stadium". austadiums.com. Austadiums. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Spotless Stadium reverts to Sydney Showground Stadium". Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  3. ^ Atkinson, Cody; Lawson, Sean (15 June 2022). "From the SCG to Kardinia Park — do ground sizes contribute to the end result in AFL games?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Spotless takes AFL naming rights at Sydney Showgrounds". Sport Business Sponsorship. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Sydney Showground Stadium loses Spotless naming rights but experiences record breaking summer". Australian Leisure Management. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Welcome to ENGIE Stadium". GWS Giants. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Main Arena Upgrade – Overview Archived 22 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Sydney Showground Stadium upgrade on track". 29 November 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  9. ^ New Stadium: FAQs Archived 30 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "$65 million redeveloped Sydney Showground Stadium opens". www.sopa.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  11. ^ "The RAS is seeking funding from the New South Wales Government to expand the stadium to a 30,000-seat venue as part of a major upgrade of the Showground precinct". The Daily Telegraph. 10 May 2016. [dead link]
  12. ^ Horne, Ben (21 September 2016). "Increasing capacity of Spotless Stadium to 35,000 in pipeline so fans won't be turned away". The Daily Telegraph.
  13. ^ "GIANTS announce new stadium deal". AFL NSW/ACT. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  14. ^ a b "This is GIANTS Stadium". GWS Giants. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  15. ^ Matt Thompson (9 April 2018). "Name changer: Have the Giants dropped GWS?". Australian Football League. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  16. ^ "LED lighting upgrade for Engie Stadium". austadiums.com. Austadiums. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Giants Stadium". austadiums.com. Austadiums. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  18. ^ "AFL Fixture 2012". Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  19. ^ Adno, Carly (26 June 2014). "Sydney Thunder to play two BBL fixtures at Sydney Showground when ANZ Stadium hosts Asia Cup matches". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  20. ^ Sydney Thunder Announce Spotless Stadium As New Home Ground Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ #SydneySmash breaks ratings record cricket.com.au. Retrieved on 18 Dec 2015
  22. ^ "Boxscore" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  23. ^ 2000 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 9 November 2000 at the Wayback Machine Volume 1. p. 371.
  24. ^ Hassett, Sebastian (29 March 2016). "Western Sydney Wanderers lock in Sydney Olympic Park for home matches next season". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  25. ^ Stadium, ANZ. "WANDERERS TO HOST BLOCKBUSTER ROUND 1 SYDNEY DERBY AT ANZ STADIUM - ANZ Stadium". www.anzstadium.com.au. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  26. ^ "Fixtures – Western Sydney Wanderers Membership". www.wanderland.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  27. ^ "Sydney 7s has a new home in 2019" (Press release). Rugby Australia. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Titles". www.vintagespeedway.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  29. ^ "SKODA Stadium Sydney Showground". APP. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  30. ^ afl.com.au[dead link]
  31. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  32. ^ "AFL Tables - Sydney Showground". afltables.com. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Crowds - Sydney Showground". Rugby League Tables. 31 December 2017.
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