Investing in a modern facility located in New South Wales proved to be too expensive. However, the government of Australia's oldest and most populous state has another idea on how to improve the quality of stadium infrastructure in the region.

Penrith is a small town within the Sydney Central Business District which has a rich rugby tradition. These could have been realised with the construction of Penrith Park, now known as BlueBet Stadium. The arena opened in April 1967 and still serves the Penrith Panthers team playing in the National Rugby League. The club definitely cannot complain about a lack of success. The Panthers are four-time and current NRL champions. Their excellent form translates into huge supporters’ interest and high attendance at their home ground. If fans expect even more, they can take advantage, as many do, of online entertainment - for this they should check out crypto & Bitcoin eSports betting sites.

The club's success and fan interest has not escaped the attention of the New South Wales government. The local authorities have announced that they will be looking to build a new arena in Penrith. As such, a project has been drawn up which would cost AUD 309 million to complete. Before this could happen, Chris Minns became the new NSW Premier. His government announced a continuation of the plans outlined by his predecessors. As it turned out, they eventually had to withdraw from them.

© Jason L (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In 2022, the worldwide economic collapse, also followed by inflation and the disruption of supply chains, as well as the still uncontrollable effects of the pandemic, caused a drastic change in calculations as to the funds needed to build a new stadium. It was estimated that the cost of the investment would rise to AUD 900 million. Things were also not made any easier by the fact that the previous government had committed to buying land from the owners of the Penrith Paceway horse racing track. This is where the designed arena was to stand.

In view of these developments, it was decided to undertake a major refurbishment of BlueBet Stadium and not to build a successor at all. However, the problem became the breaking of commitments that had been made before the previous NSW government. As a result, the NSW Infrastructure Agency sent a letter to Penrith Paceway confirming the change of plans and the abandonment of the acquisition of the horse track land. A spokesperson for the institution confirmed that, thanks to certain provisions in the agreement previously reached, it had been possible to walk away from the deal. The decision to redevelop BlueBet Stadium is also linked to the fact that the existing facility will not be replaced by the new municipal park that was planned.

© Penrith Panthers