The Penrith Panthers have announced that they will be playing eight of their NRL home games at CommBank Stadium in 2025. This move comes as Penrith Stadium undergoes redevelopment, and the club embraces the facilities of the Western Sydney venue.

New challenge

With a seating capacity of 30,000, CommBank Stadium promises to bring fans closer to the action, offering a unique experience. In preparation for the 2025 season, the Panthers plan to Pantherise CommBank Stadium, infusing it with their distinctive colors, themes, and the passionate fan culture that has become synonymous with the club. The transition to this new venue will be smooth, with the club ensuring that members have access to premium seating, convenient travel options, and enhanced game day experiences, including improved corporate offerings. Now newcomers will also be able to come to a stadium in their area and see the team in action, especially those that Australian sports are interested in.

In addition to the matches at CommBank Stadium, the Panthers have revealed their plans for the remaining four home games in 2025. The season will kick off with a historic opener at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, marking a significant milestone for the club. The team will also play at Glen Willow Regional Sports Complex in Mudgee, Carrington Park in Bathurst, and participate in the Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium.

© Bankwest Stadium

Great expectations

Panthers Rugby League CEO Matt Cameron expressed his excitement for the upcoming season, highlighting the opportunities that CommBank Stadium offers. 2025 is set to be an exciting year for the club as we open the season in Las Vegas, before hosting a match at Magic Round, playing twice in the Central West and eight games at a world-class stadium in Western Sydney. CommBank Stadium offers an unparalleled rugby league experience with fans close to the action within an electrifying atmosphere, exceptional facilities, and premier corporate facilities. Playing at CommBank Stadium will open up substantial commercial opportunities, further cementing the Panthers’ status as a leading NRL club, Cameron said.

Venues NSW CEO Kerrie Mather echoed these sentiments, expressing enthusiasm about hosting the reigning premiers and their fans at CommBank Stadium. The partnership between the Panthers and Venues NSW marks a new chapter for the club, with high expectations for continued on-field success.

© Philip Terry Graham (cc: by)

5 years of CommonBank Stadium

Construction of the new football and rugby stadium to replace aged Parramatta Stadium became part of New South Wales' major infrastructure reform back in 2015. This was the first major stadium to undergo reconstruction and the successor hasn't been exactly built on the site of the historical venue, it was moved towards the street, taking out swimming pools at the same time. It now covers 80,000 m2 out of the green Parramatta River bend.

In order to design a friendly and welcoming seating bowl, the lower tier of seating (with 15 rows) was lowered below street level, which offers many people access to their seats without climbing any stairs. But climbing is the right word for the upper tier, which holds 20,000 people and rises 26 rows up, becoming the steepest stand ever built in Australia (rake of nearly 34 degrees). Combined with close proximity to the field (5.5m in rugby configuration), this creates a robust, atmospheric cauldron.

The west stand, externally clad with wood, might not offer many seats overall but houses a tremendous amount of facilities across 5 levels. This includes hospitality areas on each level, starting from the field club that allows 120 guests to watch players warm up. The biggest single lounge can hold 700 guests and, combined with several smaller halls and 38 boxes the stadium offers some 3,000 premium seats.

© Danny J. Palmer (cc: by-nc)

West stand aside, the stadium's structure is modest and simple. The lower tier has catering and sanitary facilities on ground level, while the upper tier rises on bare steel columns. 4,500 tons of structural steel was used to erect the stands and on top of it further 2,600 tons of the roof structure were placed. Its size allows not only to cover all spectators, but also to provide shade for pedestrians in direct vicinity of the stadium.

Entirely covered with membrane, the stadium's roof lets UV rays through to enable unobstructed grass growth. Most of the sheets are translucent PTFE (23,400 m2), while the inner halo is nearly transparent (4,600 m2). A very rare solution utilized in this project is placement of the main membrane below the primary steel structure rather than on top of it, which defines the stadium's outer appearance.

Initially the new home of Western Sydney Wanderers and Parramatta Eels was expected to cost $300 million but ended up with a 360 million price tag. And yet some features advertised initially weren't delivered. This includes LED-illuminated outer mesh which was supposed to wrap the stadium while eventually only adorning the north-eastern corner's rotunda. The north stand was also supposed to have both tiers merge to ensure a better atmosphere, something also not done.