The Penrith Panthers are set to honor their home ground by renaming BlueBet Stadium to its original name, Penrith Park, for their Round 27 game against the Gold Coast.

Special date

This match on September 7 will mark the final home game before the stadium undergoes significant redevelopment under the management of Venues NSW. Although there's a chance the Panthers might play a home final at BlueBet Stadium the following week, it would be managed by the NRL.

BlueBet has endorsed the decision to revert to the Penrith Park name for this game. BlueBet CEO Bill Richmond stated, BlueBet appreciates the history synonymous with BlueBet Stadium since the team’s inception into the NSWRL in 1967. We’re proud to give fans another opportunity to create lifelong memories at Penrith Park one more time.

Fans are obviously interested in the changes that will take place at the stadium, and it is not the only venue in Australia to undergo renovation. However, many fans are not as interested in stadiums as they are in athletes. They prefer to find out about the results achieved by, for example, famous Australian female athletes or men's sports teams.

The popularity of women's sports has surged globally, attracting large audiences and sponsorships, and inspiring future female athletes. Australian women's sports teams have particularly stood out, showcasing their talent and determination on national and international stages.

These achievements have transformed Australia's sports landscape and challenged global perceptions of women's sports. The success of Australian female athletes inspires young girls and promotes greater visibility and recognition for women's sports, advancing gender equality in the field.

Back to the subject of the stadium, the Panthers will wear a heritage jersey for the match, reminiscent of the one worn during their inaugural 1967 season in the NSWRL, featuring the club’s original logo on the sleeves.

© S.A.Mc9 (CC BY-SA 3.0) | BlueBet Stadium

57 years of Penrith Park

The first match at Penrith Park was played on April 8, 1967, when the Penrith Panthers and Newtown Jets teams faced each other (16:10). The official inauguration of the facility took place a little later, on April 23, 1967, and was opened by Harold Matthews, Vice President of the NSW Rugby League. From the outset, the stadium primarily served the Penrith Panthers rugby league team, for whom the 1967 season was the inaugural season in the New South Wales Rugby League (the precursor to the National Rugby League).

The facility was originally shaped like an oval. It was surrounded by undersized earth embankments and the modest main stand was on the west side. The stadium completely changed its appearance in the 1980s, when the playing field was turned into a rectangle and new stands were built along the pitch. The last major expansion took place in 2006, when the west stand was enlarged by a new segment on the south side and new boxes were built.

© Penrith Panthers | BlueBet Stadium

Other stadium plans in Australia - Tasmania

With Australian football being hugely popular in Tasmania and the local community lacking a regional representative, a new team, the Tasmanian Football Club, is planned to join the Australian Football League. However, for the idea to come to reality, one of the crucial requirements for a Tasmanian team to join as the 19th team is the construction of a new, big and modern stadium.

After consultation with AFL league officials, a change was made and Macquarie Point was chosen as the preferred location in September 2022. The site is not far from Regatta Point, where was the second preferred location for the new venue. The choice of this site eliminates the need for an artificial wharf.

The abandonment of the movable roof and the reduction in capacity to 23,000 were intended to reduce costs. These have indeed been reduced, although relatively little, as this time the cost of Macquarie Point Stadium is estimated at A$715m ($475m).

© AFL | Macquarie Point Stadium

Design details

Australian firm COX Architecture has been appointed as the lead design consultant for the stadium. It won a tender worth around $38 million. The enterprise has in the past designed sports venues such as Optus Stadium in Perth, Allianz Stadium in Sydney and redesigned Adelaide Oval.

The new architects promise a changed face for the arena, claiming the old concept does not fit their vision, and director Alastair Richardson said his firm has a few ideas for potential designs. When you look at the renders done last year it was seen a lot as a solid mass. The aim is that it will not be a solid mass - he said.

The team that will build the new arena includes local Tasmanian architecture firm Cumulus Studio as well as specialist engineers, technicians, local experts and international partner Schlaich Bergermann Partners (SBP), which brings experience in world-leading projects such as SoFi Stadium in California. In addition, during construction, more than 10 architecture students working in the design offices will get an additional internship.

This building needs to be scaled, transparent, open, something that actually has an engagement with the city and not a concrete wall, sort of blocking off its access.Richardson said that to add lightness to the arena, the roof would also need to be transparent. One of the key things we want to do is to really make sure that this engages with the streetscape, that this engages with people walking around he said. The construction will be carried out in such a way that the Cenotaph Second World War military monument is left untouched.

© AFL | Macquarie Point Stadium