105-474: Parramatta Eels ( NRL ) (2019–present) Wests Tigers (NRL) (2019–2023, 2025–) Penrith Panthers (NRL) (2025) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (NRL) (2019–2022) South Sydney Rabbitohs (NRL) (2020–2021) New South Wales Waratahs ( Super Rugby ) (2019–2021) Western Sydney Stadium , currently known as CommBank Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Parramatta , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia. It replaced
210-607: A rugby league match between the Parramatta Eels and the Wests Tigers on Easter Monday, 22 April 2019. Eels halfback Mitchell Moses scored the first try, conversion and field goal in the stadium at NRL level. Parramatta won the game 51–6 in front of a sell-out crowd of 29,047. The first official try to be scored at the ground was when Bevan French scored for the Wentworthville Magpies against Western Suburbs in
315-517: A crowd of 10,605. The Wallabies played host to Samoa on 7 September 2019 in which the Wallabies won 34–15 in front of 16,091. On 1–2 February 2020, the venue hosted the 2020 Sydney Sevens . On 14 November 2020, the venue hosted Argentina versus New Zealand in the 2020 Tri Nations Series . This match was Los Pumas' first win over the All Blacks in 30 attempts. The first soccer game held at
420-550: A dominant regular season, where they scored a total of 839 points and lost only 4 matches, but were defeated by the Newcastle Knights 30–24. The week leading up to the grand final itself is also remembered for The infamous 2001 grand final breakfast where coach Brian Smith and the Parramatta players attended wearing as Newcastle player Mark Hughes described "Miami Vice black suits". Another Newcastle player Ben Kennedy reflected on
525-560: A high-quality public address system . The first major installation of modern safe standing in Australia is included in the design, with three bays totalling 1,000 capacity in the Red & Black Bloc active support area, using an interchange system that allows regular seating to be installed during the winter rugby code season before being swapped for the summer A-League season for the Wanderers. It
630-655: A managers' buyout by HOK Group. In October 2015, Populous relocated to its new Americas headquarters at the newly renovated Board of Trade building at 4800 Main street near the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. In August 2024, the Kansas City Business Journal reported that Populous was moving its Americas headquarters back downtown into the new 1400KC building in the Power and Light District . The company
735-401: A new 30,000-seat stadium. The final home game played at Parramatta Stadium was against The St. George in front of 13,553 spectators. Parramatta went on to beat St. George 30–18. Parramatta's final game of 2016 saw them travel to New Zealand to play The Auckland Warriors. Parramatta won the match 40–18 with Bevan French scoring 3 tries. At the end of the season, Parramatta finished in 14th place on
840-521: A reduced capacity of 21,000. In 2012, with the success of the newly formed Western Sydney Wanderers , which included hosting a sell out crowd for the 2014 AFC Champions League Final , and the ongoing desire of the Parramatta Eels to replace the nearly 30-year-old stadium, the NSW Government canvassed expansion options including an increase to capacity in the north and south ends with a second tier or
945-482: A six-game losing streak against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks . This horror start to the season, and a win rate of less than 25% over almost two seasons with the club, coach Stephen Kearney was forced to resign and Assistant Coach Brad Arthur would become caretaker. The team responded to this producing 3 wins from 4 games, including competition front-runners Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos to give
1050-431: A sold-out crowd. In Round 9 against Melbourne, Parramatta suffered one of their worst ever defeats losing 64–10 at Suncorp Stadium . In the aftermath of the defeat, coach Brad Arthur and the players were placed under intense scrutiny but just a week after the loss, Arthur was given a two-year contract extension by the Parramatta board. The club would then go on to lose against North Queensland and last placed Penrith in
1155-491: A successive rebuild of all four sides. A minor redevelopment of the main stand was completed in early 2015. In September 2015 the decision was made for a knock down rebuild of the entire stadium. Parramatta Stadium's last A-League match was a semi-final between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar where the Wanderers came from a 3–0 deficit to win the game 5–4 in extra time. The Parramatta Eels hosted
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#17330846458041260-531: A tendency to cater new ballparks toward wealthier ticket buyers, such as with expanded numbers of luxury suites . Several writers have noted that upper deck seating at new ballparks may actually be farther away from the field than in the older parks, partly as a result of these new upper decks being pushed higher by rows of luxury suites. One writer in The New Yorker said it is "not quite right to credit or blame Populous" for trends in their new stadiums—as it
1365-633: Is also based in Kansas City. Populous is credited for spearheading a new era of baseball park design in the 1990s, beginning with Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. At Camden Yards, and in other stadiums built by Populous soon thereafter, such as Coors Field in Denver and Progressive Field in Cleveland, the ballpark was designed to incorporate aesthetic elements of the city's history and older " classic ballparks ." Camden Yards's red brick facade emulates
1470-556: Is also designed to have a LEED Gold Energy rating. Demolition work on the old ground began in early 2017 and was completed in February 2017. Site cleanup, excavation and preparatory ground work finished in August. Construction started with concrete foundations being laid down in September 2017, with the main stand complete by mid-2018. The first roof section was assembled and lifted into place at
1575-489: Is capable of event hosting on each of the four levels with a maximum single-room capacity of 700 in Level 1 function room. When the stadium opened in 2019, it was known as Bankwest Stadium, after Bankwest signed a seven-year deal for the naming rights. In September 2021, Commonwealth Bank , the parent company of Bankwest, secured the naming rights agreement, and the stadium was renamed as CommBank Stadium. The stadium opened with
1680-489: Is one of several Kansas City-based sports design firms that trace their roots to Kivett and Myers which designed the Truman Sports Complex which was one of the first modern large single purpose sports stadiums (previously, stadiums were designed for multipurpose use). Other firms with sports design presence in Kansas City that trace their roots to Kivett include Ellerbe Becket Inc. and HNTB Corp. 360 Architecture
1785-462: Is regarded as "the one that got away" with Manly winning 13-10 despite the Eels crossing for two tries to Manly's one. A dropped pass by winger Neville Glover with the line wide open in the dying moments of the game ultimately costing the Eels a chance to win the game. Had Glover scored the score would have been tied at 13-all giving goal kicking Five-eighth John Peard a sideline conversion attempt to win
1890-556: Is reported to be one of the largest architecture firms in the world. Populous formerly operated as HOK Sport Venue Event , which was part of the HOK Group . In 1983, HOK under Jerry Sincoff created a sports group (initially called the Sports Facilities Group and later changed to HOK Sport Venue Event). The firm initially consisted of eight architects in Kansas City, and grew to employ 185 people by 1996. The HOK Sport studio
1995-662: The 2020 NRL season restarted due to its stoppage for the COVID-19 pandemic, Bankwest Stadium was announced as one of the three NSW venues, alongside Campbelltown Stadium and Central Coast Stadium , which would initially host games. The New South Wales Waratahs hosted the first match of rugby union at the venue against the South African team the Sharks on 27 April 2019 in the Super Rugby competition. The Waratahs lost 15–23 in front of
2100-561: The Australia women's national soccer team ("the Matildas") would play an international friendly match against Chile at the stadium on Saturday 9 November 2019. The stadium also hosts concerts, the first being Cold Chisel , the Hoodoo Gurus and Birds of Tokyo held on 24 January 2020. This was followed by the final stop of Elton John 's Australian tour on 7 March 2020. The Western Grandstand
2205-720: The Australian Rugby League by picking up high-profile players such as Dean Pay , Jason Smith , Jim Dymock and Jarrod McCracken from the 1995 premiership-winning side, the Sydney Bulldogs . In 1997, the Eels remained in the ARL's competition and made the finals for the first time in 11 seasons by finishing third in the Australian Rugby League competition. Parramatta continued into the NRL era which began in 1998, surviving
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#17330846458042310-588: The Canterbury Cup NSW game which was played before the main game. The first NRL finals match at the stadium took place on Sunday, 15 September 2019 with Parramatta defeating the Brisbane Broncos by a record finals margin of 58–0 in front of a stadium-record crowd of 29,372. International Rugby League hosted the Rugby League World 9s tournament on the weekend of 18 & 19 October 2019. After
2415-550: The Gold Coast Titans (a team that Parramatta had never beaten before), 27–2 at SFS and Canterbury-Bankstown , 22–12 in front of a record-breaking non-grand final crowd of 74,549 at ANZ stadium, the Eels qualified for their first grand final since 2001. On 4 October 2009, Parramatta Eels played the deciding game of NRL , against the Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium in front of a crowd of 82,538. The Melbourne Storm defeated
2520-595: The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 1982 and 1983. In 1984 the team once again reached the Grand Final, but lost in a low-scoring game to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6–4. In 1986, the club took out their third minor premiership while also reaching the grand final, beating Canterbury 4–2 in the second lowest-scoring decider in history. This win proved to be most notably among the victories in
2625-400: The Parramatta Eels . The Wanderers host all A-League home matches, FFA Cup home games from the quarter-finals onwards and Asian Champions League games in the seasons they qualify. The Parramatta Eels host most of their NRL matches, including finals, at the stadium. The Wests Tigers and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs also use the stadium as an alternative venue while Canterbury ended using
2730-522: The Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their home ground was Cumberland Oval. After the 1981 grand final win fans damaged Cumberland Oval which was later replaced by Parramatta stadium on the same site. As of 2019, Parramatta's home ground stadium has been rebuilt and they now play as
2835-495: The Wallabies playing against Samoa in the lead up to their 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign. On 2 June 2019, Rugby Australia , the country's national governing body for union, announced that the stadium would become the new host of the country 's stops in the men's World Rugby Sevens Series and World Rugby Women's Sevens Series from the 2019–20 season forward. On 31 August 2019, Football Federation Australia announced that
2940-496: The sightlines were "uniformly excellent." Camden Yards was hugely popular with baseball fans, and its success convinced many cities to invest public funds in their own new ballparks to help revitalize struggling urban neighborhoods. From 1992 to 2012, HOK Sport/Populous were the lead architects on 14 Major League Baseball stadiums and helped renovate four existing stadiums. Populous's designs across Major League Baseball have become so prevalent that some critics have asserted that
3045-516: The 19th century with the formation of the Parramatta Rugby Club in 1879. With the advent of a Sydney District competition in 1900, the Parramatta club merged with Western Suburbs and played some of its matches at Cumberland Oval . On a local level, rugby league began to be played in 1910 when a district competition was formed. Other clubs in the Parramatta district also emerged; over the ensuing decades, clubs established in suburbs throughout
3150-475: The 2011 season, coach Stephen Kearney motioned several reshuffles of the Parramatta side, the most high-profile change being fullback Jarryd Hayne's switch to five-eighth after his ball-playing abilities were considered by several experts including the NSW State of Origin coach Ricky Stuart, as his strongest point. Other switches include the moving of Luke Burt to fullback, second-rower Ben Smith to right centre, and
3255-467: The 2011 season. In the forwards, the Eels added former Queensland centre Carl Webb and former Bulldogs and Cronulla as well as one-time Kangaroo Reni Maitua . To bolster the backs after the retirement of Eric Grothe Jr and the departure of Timana Tahu , the Eels signed the experienced pair of Chris Walker and Chris Hicks . The 2011 season was to be considered a year of "almosts" for Parramatta, with
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3360-416: The 2013 season. Another wooden spoon followed at the end of 2013, with the club suffering their second biggest loss ever (4–64 to Melbourne in round 24), and conceding three other scores of 50 or more. On 12 September 2013, it was announced Ricky Stuart would leave Parramatta to take up the head coaching role at Canberra for the 2014 season. Parramatta were determined to continue their rebuilding process in
3465-415: The 2018 season, Parramatta were predicted by many before the season to finish in the top 8 and challenge for the premiership. Those predictions were matched in the opening round of the season as Parramatta lead Penrith 14–0 early on but after a second half capitulation lost the game 24–14. In Round 2, Parramatta were humiliated 54–0 by Manly at Brookvale Oval . Parramatta went on to lose the opening 6 games of
3570-467: The 90 minutes. On 31 August 2019 APIA Leichhardt FC won the 2019 Men's NSW National Premier League Grand Final at the stadium, defeating Sydney United 58 FC 2–1, with Adrian Ucchino scoring the winning goal in extra time. The Wanderers hosted their first A-League game at the stadium on 12 October 2019, a come from behind 2–1 win against the Central Coast Mariners FC , with captain of
3675-537: The Eels 23–16, ending what critics called "the Parramatta Fairytale" and winning the NRL Premiership . Such was the euphoria at the time with Parramatta making an incredible run to the 2009 grand final that the then NSW Premier Nathan Rees pledged that if Parramatta were to win the premiership he would rename two of the new trains due to be rolled out across The Sydney network the following year. The names of
3780-605: The Eels as $ 151 outsiders to win the NRL Premiership. Though beginning in Round 19, upset victories against the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs set the platform for an unexpected 10 wins from the next 11 games, which propelled the Eels into the Top 8 and consequently, premiership contention. This unanticipated winning streak was directly attributed by many sporting experts including Rugby League legend Andrew Johns to
3885-453: The NRL ladder, the club finishing in 14th position. The 2012 season saw the retirement of Parramatta legends Luke Burt and Nathan Hindmarsh . It would also mark the first time since 1972 that the team would succumb to the dreaded wooden spoon. Parramatta struggled all year, securing just their first win of the season in Round 5 against defending premiers Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles before ending
3990-714: The NRL. On 3 May 2016, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg announced that the club would be docked the twelve competition points they have accrued so far this season, as well as fined $ 1 million and stripped of the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines title it won in February. In addition, the NRL also announced that the Eels would not be able to accrue any further competition points until they fall under the salary cap, which they were reported to be $ 500,000 over as of 3 May 2016. Five officials, including chairman Steve Sharp, deputy chairman Tom Issa, director Peter Serrao, chief executive John Boulous and football manager Daniel Anderson, were also sacked. On 9 July, after over 2 months of club officials contesting
4095-519: The New South Wales Government announced that the stadium would be replaced with a new 30,000-seat venue on the same site. Expressions of interest were requested in June 2016, with four shortlisted to bid: The four groups were Populous & Lendlease , Cox Architecture & John Holland , Hassell & Brookfield Multiplex and, lastly, BVN & Laing O'Rourke . The contract was awarded to
4200-564: The Parramatta Leagues Club board was sacked by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority, and an administrator appointed. This effectively also removed the Parramatta board as the seven directors on both boards were the same people. Max Donnelly, of Ferrier Hodgson was appointed as administrator. At the time of the 12-point deduction, Parramatta were sitting 5th on the ladder but then found themselves at 14th position. Prior to
4305-452: The Parramatta club were picked at the beginning of the year by many leading betting agencies to take out the premiership for 2010 following their surge of form which took them to the grand final in 2009. But, after a relatively poor start to the season, and then a 4-game winning streak, the Parramatta side once again returned to the inconsistent form of past seasons. This inconsistent form, recognised by all Rugby League fans, saw them miss out on
Western Sydney Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-510: The Populous and Lendlease consortium in December 2016, with Aurecon enlisted as enginneering consultants. As a requirement of the expanded footprint of the stadium, the adjacent Parramatta War Memorial Pool was also closed and demolished. A small group of protesters disagreed with the decision, gaining a measure of local media coverage to promote their anti-stadium online petitions. A replacement for
4515-454: The Top 8 in 2010. After a season of unrelenting disappointment which saw five-eighth Daniel Mortimer dropped to reserve grade, centre Timana Tahu being suspended for an on-field confrontation against the Newcastle Knights and reports of player rifts, Daniel Anderson was sacked unceremoniously as Parramatta coach and replaced by New Zealand World Cup-winning coach Stephen Kearney . The Parramatta club made several new player signings for
4620-464: The Wanderers, Mitchell Duke , scoring both goals. The attendance figure was 17,091 which is the Wanderers highest-ever A-League regular season crowd, outside of Sydney Derby matches. The Wanderers' largest crowd attended two weeks later on 26 October 2019 when they hosted Sydney FC in the Sydney Derby. The game was played in front of 28,519 fans and was won by the Wanderers 1–0. In November 2019,
4725-633: The Year and was crowned the best and fairest player in the game, winning the Dally M Medal for 2009. After a 7-game winning streak, the Eels succumbed to a heavy defeat by the minor premiers St George-Illawarra Dragons , however they returned to Kogarah in Week 1 of the 2009 NRL Finals Series and defeated the Dragons 25–12 featuring an impressive late game try by Dally M medal winner Jarryd Hayne . Following successive wins against
4830-586: The area. Pressure in the area for a local club to participate in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership began in the mid-1930s with a formal proposal put to the NSWRL in 1936 by local rugby league identities such as Jack Argent and Jack Scullin . The proposal was rejected by all clubs except Western Suburbs who, despite having the most to lose from the entrance of a Parramatta side (with much of their territory being lost to Parramatta), voted for
4935-485: The cap. It was acknowledged that this change was made due to the demoralising nature of the Storm punishment and having to witness a team running out week after week with nothing to play for. The aftermath ended with Parramatta hooker Nathan Peats being squeezed out of the club, so the club would be just under the salary cap and start playing for competition points for the remainder of the season. Though this did very little for
5040-415: The club came close to pulling off upset wins against top of the table St George only for the club to concede two tries in 5 minutes to lose 20–18 and South Sydney after leading 20–6 late into the game only for The Rabbitohs to score late tries and win 26–20. In Round 18, Parramatta lost 18–16 to Newcastle with The Eels being denied a last minute try after it was ruled winger Bevan French had put his foot over
5145-406: The club doing so poorly in the early years was due to a lack of resources and a weak playing roster. Where other teams fielded test and representative players, Parramatta fielded mainly amateur players or park footballers. The only players of note during this dark period were Billy Rayner and Brian Hambly . In 1962, Parramatta made the finals for the first time; this achievement was repeated for
5250-537: The club finally reached the grand final, in their thirtieth season. However, they lost narrowly to a Manly-Warringah side that they had defeated just two weeks earlier. Both clubs had been admitted into the NSWRFL in 1947, and Parramatta were in their first grand final while Manly were in their eighth premiership decider (having qualified for their first in 1951 ) and were bidding for their third premiership after wins in 1972 and 1973 . Unfortunately for Parramatta, this game
5355-504: The club mid-season due to numerous personal problems and off field issues. The 2017 season saw a major turnaround for the club with Parramatta finishing fourth on the table and making the finals for the first time since 2009. Some of the highlights throughout the year were the club winning nine out of their final ten matches and defeating Brisbane twice including a 52–34 win at Suncorp Stadium and eventual premiers Melbourne. Parramatta then went on to play premiership favorites Melbourne in
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#17330846458045460-481: The clubs history, ending Canterbury's two year premiership winning streak. The fourth premiership victory capped off a strong period for the club, between 1975 and 1986, the club had only missed the finals once and played in seven grand finals, winning four. From 1987 to 1996, the Parramatta club failed to make the finals. With the advent of the Super League war in the mid-1990s, Parramatta capitalised on staying with
5565-399: The co-tenants at Western Sydney Stadium , which sits on the same site that was once Parramatta Stadium . It took thirty years for the club to make the grand final, which they did in 1976 and 1977, losing on both occasions. However, this period foreshadowed their most successful period in the early 1980s, when they won four premierships and qualified for five grand finals in six seasons. This
5670-428: The coming weeks. Between Round 12 and Round 22 of the 2019 season, Parramatta would go on to win 8 of their 10 games. In Round 22 against the Gold Coast Titans , Parramatta qualified for the 2019 finals series with a 36–12 victory at Cbus Super Stadium . At the end of the 2019 regular season, Parramatta finished 5th on the table and qualified for the finals. In the elimination final against Brisbane, Parramatta won
5775-515: The concrete exteriors of the "cookie-cutter" multi-purpose stadiums that preceded the new parks, Populous incorporated other innovative touches: natural grass playing surfaces (instead of artificial turf ), asymmetrical field dimensions, various park-specific idiosyncrasies (like Tal's Hill in Houston), and less foul territory that would keep fans farther from the diamond. And because the stadiums were designed for baseball instead of several sports,
5880-515: The demolished Parramatta Stadium (1986) which in turn was built on the site of the old Cumberland Oval, home ground to the Parramatta Eels since 1947. The current stadium opened in April 2019 and has a 30,000-seat capacity. The stadium is owned by the NSW Government and built at a cost of $ 300 million. The stadium hosts games across the major rectangular field sports in Sydney . The primary uses of
5985-420: The distinctiveness that was originally found in early retro-classic ballparks is impossible to maintain. Some older ballparks like Fenway Park have strange dimensions because of the small parcels of land on which the parks were built. Most new stadiums are built on larger, dedicated land parcels. One sportswriter said the attempt to emulate the old parks' quirks is "contrived." Some commentators have criticized
6090-593: The entrance of the new club. The advent of World War II put the establishment of the club on hold and a Parramatta district club was not proposed again until 1946 when the club was successfully admitted into the Premiership. Parramatta saw very little success in their early years, despite narrowly missing out on finals qualification in 1949 under the guidance of former Western Suburbs and Leeds five-eighth Vic Hey . Between 1952 and 1961 , they finished last eight times and won only 35 of 180 matches. The reasons behind
6195-614: The fans some hope for the rest of the season. However this was short lived and following a 38-6 thumping to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 25 of the Telstra Premiership were officially unable to avoid the wooden spoon. Whilst Parramatta's problems in 2012 were largely attributed to their relatively poor defence, numerous pundits blamed them on the recurring absences of star fullback Jarryd Hayne . Even whilst producing higher per-match statistics than any other fullback in
6300-504: The final game of rugby league, defeating St George Illawarra 30–18, with Bevan French scoring three tries. Parramatta Memorial Swimming Club was also demolished to make way for the expanded stadium. It was replaced by the Parramatta Aquatic Centre, built on vacant Parramatta Park Trust space that hosted the 9-hole Parramatta Golf Course until the member funded club went into administration and closed in 2015. In September 2015,
6405-417: The first qualifying final, going into the second half Parramatta had stunned everyone by leading the match and it took Melbourne the last play of the game to hold on and win 18–16. The following week, Parramatta played against North Queensland in the sudden death elimination final. Parramatta led 10–6 at halftime but went on to lose the match 24–16 in what would be one of the biggest upsets of the season. For
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#17330846458046510-513: The game (8 tries, 14 try-assists), Hayne only managed to complete 10 games from the season's 24, due to both injury and State of Origin duty . Throughout the season many of the Parramatta players came under scrutiny and were dropped to the NSW Cup , including high-profile recruit Chris Sandow , who at the time was touted as overweight and unfit, and veteran Luke Burt . As a result, players Matt Ryan, Jake Mullaney and Nathan Smith were called up to
6615-434: The game saying "They came into the game under a sh*tload of pressure but for us, it was just a good time and a heap of fun. Parra were sh*tting themselves and we were just having a good time". Andrew Johns also reportedly could tell how nervous the Parramatta players were and knew they had a chance at making an upset. In 2005, Parramatta finished as minor premiers in the regular season and came up against North Queensland in
6720-402: The game. The following year, Parramatta captured their first minor premiership before qualifying for the grand final for the second year running. Against St. George , the match was drawn 9-9, forcing a replay the following weekend. In this match, Parramatta lost 22–0. The Eels made the finals in both 1978 and 1979, but missed the finals in 1980 for the first time since 1974. The early 1980s
6825-413: The ladder but had they not been stripped of the 12 competition points they would have played in the finals. The 2016 season was also difficult for Parramatta as to become salary cap compliant the club needed to release players such as Nathan Peats and Junior Paulo to be able to play for points. Star recruit Kieran Foran who signed only months earlier on a $ 1 million a year contract also walked out on
6930-453: The ladder but lost the match controversially 21–18 in front of 50,000 fans. In round 24 Parramatta were sitting 8th on the ladder and looked destined to play in the finals for the first time since 2009 and only needed to win one of their last two remaining games against sides lower than them on the table which were Canberra and Newcastle. Parramatta lost both matches and missed out on the finals series by two competition points. The 2015 season
7035-671: The massive Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse at Camden Yards that dominates the right field view behind Eutaw Street , whereas Progressive Field's glass and steel exterior "call[s] to mind the drawbridges and train trestles that crisscross the nearby Cuyahoga River ." Starting with Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati in 2003, a number of Populous Sport's stadiums featured more contemporary and even futuristic designs. Subsequent stadium exteriors featuring this motif opened in Washington, D.C. , and Minnesota . In addition to moving away from
7140-428: The match 26–10. This was their 5th preliminary final loss in nine years. In 2009, under new coach Daniel Anderson , the Eels had an indifferent start to the season which saw the release of star halfback Brett Finch . After 18 rounds and incredibly inconsistent form, the Parramatta Eels had won only 5 games and were sitting third-last and were in direct contention for the dreaded 2009 NRL Wooden Spoon. TAB SportsBet had
7245-451: The match 58–0 at the new Western Sydney Stadium . The victory was the biggest finals win in history, eclipsing Newtown's 55–7 win over St George in 1944. The match was also Parramatta's biggest win over Brisbane and Brisbane's worst ever loss since entering the competition in 1988. The following week against Melbourne in the elimination semi final, Parramatta were defeated 32–0 at AAMI Park which ended their season. The loss against Melbourne
7350-445: The match and with a minute left on the scoreboard, winger Daryl Halligan kicked a conversion from out on the far touchline to send the game into extra time. Canterbury won in extra time 32–20. The loss was hard to take for Parramatta as they had beaten eventual premiers Brisbane twice during the season. In 1999, Parramatta led Melbourne 16–0 at halftime in the preliminary final only to lose 18–16 at full time. Melbourne went on to win
7455-403: The new stadium in their 2019 season. The dimensions of the pitch meet international standards for soccer and both rugby codes. For rugby union the touch in-goal areas will be 10 metres, at the lower end of the acceptable range of 10 to 22 metres. The stadium is rated to host international matches across the sporting codes. The first rugby test match at the venue took place on 7 September 2019 with
7560-482: The new stadium was on 20 July 2019 when Western Sydney Wanderers hosted English side Leeds United . The game was attended by 24,419 which Leeds won 2–1. Leeds player Mateusz Bogusz scored the first goal at the ground, Kwame Yeboah scored the first goal for the Wanderers at their home stadium while Pablo Hernández scored the winning goal in the dying seconds of the match. The game was praised for its good atmosphere as both groups of supporters sang and cheered through
7665-490: The new trains were to be "The Hayne Train" and "The Fuifui Moimoi Express". They were to be painted blue and gold, and run along the western line of the railway network. On 22 April 2010, the Melbourne Storm were stripped of the premiership as a result of long-term gross salary cap breaches disclosed by the NRL. However, the premiership for 2009 was not handed over to the Parramatta Eels, instead remaining vacant. In 2010,
7770-484: The off-season after receiving the wooden spoon two years running. The club did this by releasing the aforementioned twelve players and signing more in key areas to help them achieve success in the 2014 season. Parramatta also recruited a new coach in Brad Arthur , formerly an Assistant Coach at the club, as Ricky Stuart reneged on the final two years of his contract. This was in order to return to his hometown of Canberra,
7875-403: The oval and proceeded to burn the grandstand to the ground, and shortly after a decision was made to build a modern stadium. Parramatta Stadium was designed in 1984, built in 1985 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 5 March 1986. The new rectangular stadium continued to host local, state and national sports events as well as concerts. It was converted into an all-seater stadium in 2002, with
7980-454: The pool was announced in March 2017, with the NSW Government confirming that a new aquatic centre would be built on the old Parramatta Golf Course site. The key features of the stadium are a 10,000 increase in capacity from the old stadium, a major increase in corporate facilities, steep grandstands, integrated pedestrian and transport links, local landscaping, a premium field-level members club and
8085-417: The preliminary final. In a game that Parramatta were expected to win, North Queensland defied the odds and won the match 29–0. In 2006, Parramatta finished 8th in the regular season and faced Melbourne in the first week of the finals losing 12–6 and thus being eliminated from the competition. In 2007, Parramatta again made the preliminary final and once more the opponent was Melbourne. Parramatta went on to lose
8190-483: The preliminary penalties, Parramatta were handed their punishment with the addition of their for/against points tally accumulated from rounds 1-9 being deducted. The main point of interest in this episode was the manner of the punishment when compared to the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach in 2010, while the Melbourne Storm were not allowed to play for points for the whole season the Parramatta Eels were permitted to play for points as soon as they fell back in line with
8295-410: The premiership the following week. In the 2000 NRL season , Parramatta finished 7th and won both their sudden death finals matches to take on Brisbane in the preliminary final. In a game that they were not expected to win, Parramatta came close but lost the match against a much stronger Brisbane side. This was their 3rd preliminary final loss in a row. The Eels reached the 2001 NRL Grand final after
8400-463: The reduction in teams at the end of the twentieth century. In the 1998 NRL season Parramatta finished 4th and defeated North Sydney in the first week of the finals 25–12. The following week Parramatta traveled to Brisbane in the major semi final and won the match 15-10 earning the week off. In the 1998 preliminary final Parramatta were leading arch rivals Canterbury 18–2 with less than 10 minutes to play only for Canterbury to fight their way back into
8505-453: The resting of five-eighth Daniel Mortimer . Before the final match of their season, Parramatta had won only five of their 24 games and were in contention for the dreaded wooden spoon. During their final match, the Parramatta side emerged victorious over the Gold Coast Titans who were also direct contenders for last place. The wooden spoon was awarded to the Gold Coast side, finishing 16th on
8610-615: The river such as Darling Harbour , Meadowbank and Sydney Olympic Park , terminating at the Parramatta ferry wharf . The Parramatta Light Rail will also service the new stadium via the Prince Alfred Square stop. All are located in the Parramatta CBD within a one-kilometre, 15-minute walking distance to the stadium. Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in
8715-517: The season before eventually winning their first game of the season defeating Manly 44–10 in Round 7. In Round 8, Parramatta defeated Wests 24–22 to make it back to back victories for the club. The Eels then went on to lose the next 5 games in a row before eventually winning their third game of the season defeating North Queensland 20–14 in Darwin in which Jarryd Hayne returned from injury scoring two tries. The following weeks were filled with disappointment as
8820-403: The sideline. The following week, Parramatta defeated arch rivals Canterbury 14–8 in what the media dubbed the "Spoon Bowl". There were hopes that Parramatta could avoid the wooden spoon as going into the second last game of the season the club sat above North Queensland on the table due to for and against. In what was the retiring Jonathan Thurston's final home game, both clubs needed a win to avoid
8925-774: The site gained the Cumberland Oval name. Cumberland Oval was used variously for horse racing, cricket, athletics, rugby union, rugby league and motor sports. When in use for motor sports the site was named the Parramatta Speedway, holding events from 1930 through to 1959. When the Parramatta District Rugby League Club were admitted into the NSWRL Premiership in 1947, Cumberland Oval became the club's home ground. In 1981 after Parramatta won their first-ever rugby league premiership supporters packed into
9030-478: The south end of the ground on 12 February 2018, and complete by late 2018. The structure as a whole was complete in early 2019, with the final internal and landscaping work being completed prior to the opening. The stadium officially opened on 14 April 2019. The stadium's main purpose is hosting games for the three major football codes in New South Wales. The two major tenants are the Western Sydney Wanderers and
9135-406: The spectacular run of form of star fullback Jarryd Hayne . Winning the award for man-of-the-match in every game from Round 19–24, and again in the first week of the finals, Hayne was described as "the best player in any code of football in Australia" by premiership-winning coach Phil Gould. Following his astonishing string of 7-man-of-the-match performances, Hayne won the award for Dally M Fullback of
9240-416: The stadium are to host rugby league , association football , rugby union as well as concerts and special events. The foundation teams are National Rugby League club Parramatta Eels and A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers . Other tenants include NRL team Wests Tigers who have used the stadium as an alternate venue between 2019 and 2023 and again for the 2025 NRL season onwards. The area on which
9345-589: The stadium as an alternate venue in 2022. These clubs, alongside the South Sydney Rabbitohs , confirmed they'd use the stadium as a temporary home ground from mid 2020 while Stadium Australia is redeveloped. However, this redevelopment never occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic . As a result of the Sydney Football Stadium redevelopment, the New South Wales Waratahs played 3 Super Rugby matches at
9450-577: The stadium held its first international game with the Matildas hosting Chile in front of a 20,029 crowd, a record for an international women's game in Australia at the time. Parramatta railway station is serviced by trains of the North Shore & Western Line , Cumberland Line and Blue Mountains Line . The Parramatta River ferry route begins at Circular Quay in the Sydney CBD and includes stops along
9555-487: The stadium is, was used for leisure and horse racing in the British colony at Parramatta , that was founded along with the harbour settlement of Sydney in 1788. Governor Charles FitzRoy approved the creation of a racecourse on the site in 1847, with a cricket field grown within the racetrack and opened in 1863. After numerous name changes the local cricket club settled on the name Central Cumberland Cricket Club, and from there
9660-427: The start of the 2019 NRL season , Parramatta were predicted by many to finish towards the bottom of the table or claim another wooden spoon. The club started off the year with back to back victories over Penrith and arch rivals Canterbury-Bankstown . In Round 6 of the 2019 NRL season , Parramatta played their first game at the new Western Sydney Stadium against the Wests Tigers and ran out 51–6 winners in front of
9765-455: The start of the 2016 NRL season, the Parramatta Eels faced the prospect with starting the season on -4 points due to salary cap indiscretions in 2015, however the NRL was satisfied with governance changes at the Eels and no points were deducted. However, it was revealed in March that third-party payments had been made by several companies to several players, which is strictly prohibited in
9870-566: The team he played for during his youth. Before the 2014 season started, Brad Arthur and Parramatta implemented a new recruitment policy and made strong signings including future NSW hooker Nathan Peats , promising star Corey Norman and William Hopoate who was a 2011 premiership winner and NSW representative before leaving rugby league to join a two-year Mormon mission. The 2014 season started off in great style as Parramatta won four out of their first six matches. Parramatta then went into their Easter Monday clash at Stadium Australia sitting 5th on
9975-533: The team losing over half of their matches by four points or fewer, many of which were conceded after attaining leads over their opponents. Parramatta pushed a record four games into Golden Point during the season, however were unable to win any, resulting in a draw against the St. George Illawarra Dragons and one-point losses to the Penrith Panthers , Sydney Roosters and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs . Throughout
10080-422: The three following seasons under coach Ken Kearney . Around this time the club managed to finally attract better players such as Ken Thornett , Dick Thornett and Bob O'Reilly . However, the club slid back down the ladder in the following years, collecting the wooden spoon in 1970 and 1972. The club's first major success came in 1975 when they defeated Manly-Warringah in the pre-season cup final. In 1976 ,
10185-437: The top squad and have impressed in their roles of Second-Row, Fullback and Hooker respectively, making a suitable replacement for injured stars Jarryd Hayne and Matt Keating . Towards the end of the season Ricky Stuart was announced as the new coach for the Parramatta Eels from 2013. In June 2013, head coach Ricky Stuart told twelve Parramatta players via an overhead projector that their services would not be required beyond
10290-409: The troubled club finishing the NRL season 13th on the ladder winning only six of their last 14 matches. Their first match played after the points deduction was against South Sydney at Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta lost the match 22–20 in a close game. 2016 would also prove to be the final year that Parramatta would play at Parramatta Stadium as it was due to be demolished at seasons end to make way for
10395-509: The wooden spoon. North Queensland won the match 44–6. In the final game of the season, Parramatta were defeated 44–10 by the Sydney Roosters ensuring that the club finished last and claimed their 14th wooden spoon and the Roosters claiming the minor premiership. Before the match, the Roosters needed to defeat Parramatta by 27 points to overtake Melbourne and finish first on the table. Before
10500-440: Was a golden era for the club and yielded their only premiership titles. In 2016, a salary cap breach saw them stripped of their 2016 Auckland Nines premiership. The club plays in the NRL, the premier rugby league football competition in Australia. Parramatta sides are also fielded in lower grades and junior competitions run by the New South Wales Rugby League . The playing of rugby union and rugby league in Parramatta lie in
10605-527: Was a year to forget for Parramatta as they finished 12th on the table. The highlights being in round 1 when Parramatta defeated Manly 42–12 and Semi Radradra scoring 24 tries in 18 matches. The discovery by the NRL in 2016 of salary cap breaches, over a period of four years, resulted in it stripping the Parramatta club of the twelve competition points the club has accrued so far in the 2016 NRL season. In addition to being fined $ 1 million, Parramatta also had its 2016 NRL Auckland Nines title revoked. On 19 July 2016
10710-508: Was also the sixth time Parramatta had been defeated by Melbourne in a finals game since 1999. Populous (company) Populous , legally Populous Holdings, Inc. , is a global architectural and design practice specializing in sports facilities, arenas and convention centers, as well as the planning and design of major special events. Populous was created through a management buyout in January 2009, becoming independently owned and operated. It
10815-599: Was first based in the city's Garment District in the Lucas Place office building. In 2005, it moved into its headquarters at 300 Wyandotte in the River Market neighborhood in a new building it designed, on land developed as an urban renewal project through tax incentives from the city's Planned Industrial Expansion Authority. It was the first major company to relocate to the neighborhood in several decades. In March 2009, HOK Sport Venue Event changed its name to Populous after
10920-550: Was led by architect Ron Labinski , who has been described as "the world's first sports venue architect." On several projects, HOK Sport had teamed with international design practice LOBB Partnership, which maintained offices in London, England, and Brisbane, Australia. On HOK Sport's 15th anniversary in November 1998, the firm merged with LOBB. The new practice retained headquarters in all three cities. The Kansas City, Missouri , office
11025-469: Was the most successful period for Parramatta, who earned five grand final appearances and four premierships from 1981 to 1986. Under the influence of coach Jack Gibson and with a team including names such as Ray Price , Peter Sterling , Eric Grothe, Sr. , Steve Ella , Mick Cronin , and Brett Kenny the club captured three consecutive premierships from 1981 to 1983, beating the Newtown Jets in 1981 and
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