Allianz Stadium – construction description

How did the construction of the new Allianz Stadium in Sydney happen?

In September 2015, the New South Wales state government revealed the first plans to build a new arena on the site of the existing Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The new venue would hold around 50,000-55,000 spectators. Further plans were unveiled by the government in 2017, according to which the new stadium would have a capacity similar to its predecessor, around 45,000 seats. These plans were even more surprising given that Allianz Stadium was still a relatively young venue, having been built in 1988. A substantial sum was also planned to be spent on the redevelopment, with estimates at the time predicting an expenditure of around AU$700 million, covered solely from public funds.

Despite the criticism, it was decided to proceed with the project. On 5th October 2018, the last official event in the old stadium took place (Michael Bublé concert), and a week later the architectural concept for the new venue was presented by Cox Architects, the same studio that designed the previous stadium back in 1988. What will the new

Allianz Stadium in Sydney look like?

The design required the complete demolition of the existing facility and the construction of a new arena in its place, also with stands located just behind the end lines of the rectangular field, primarily for football and rugby. Compared to the existing venue, the new stadium was to offer much wider support facilities and greater comfort for spectators, with steeper, two-tiered stands around the entire pitch and a third tier of stands along the sidelines. The auditorium is to be fully covered with a canopy (the outline of which will even extend slightly beyond the first rows of the stands), while large sections of the old stadium remained uncovered.

The new stadium will also look much more impressive. From the outside, the facade will be divided into three zones - the lowest layer will be an LED ribbon display, the middle layer will be made of striking bronze strips giving the impression of flowing waves and the upper layer will be the initial part of the illuminated roof dome. Inside the stadium there will be seating for 42,500 spectators (slightly less than at the old stadium), and the seats will form an interesting pattern of colours, with themes relating to nature and based on Aboriginal culture. The moving curtains to cover the upper sections of the stands (for events with smaller numbers of spectators), which were requested by the clubs that would use the stadium in the future, were not included in the final plans for cost-saving reasons.

How is the construction of Sydney's new stadium progressing?

In December 2018, a deal was signed with the company Lendlease to demolish the old venue and then build a new stadium in its place. The agreement was to carry out all the work for $729 million. In 2019, demolition of the old stadium began. However, in July 2019, when most of the demolition work was already done, the contract with the Lendlease, which demanded a higher amount for carrying out the investment, was terminated. In December 2019, an agreement was signed with a new contractor, John Holland company, which committed to complete the development for $735 million (the total cost of the project thus increased to $828 million).

The works have not been slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic and are proceeding on schedule. In October 2021, the first seats appeared in the stands of the ongoing stadium construction. At the end of 2021, work was estimated to be 80% complete. The facility is expected to be operational in mid-2022.

How will the new Allianz Stadium be used?

The main tenants of the arena will be three teams, one football club Sydney FC, playing in the A-League, and two rugby teams, the Sydney Roosters, competing in the National Rugby League, and the New South Wales Waratahs, a participant in the Super Rugby competition. The venue is also expected to be one of the arenas for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2032 Olympic football tournament. The stadium is also being considered as part of Australia's potential bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. In March 2022, it was announced that the stadium's naming rights would go to insurance company Allianz, as was the case with its predecessor.