The NRL has commenced planning into building its own stadium in south-west Sydney, with reports the league has already sounded out the Bulldogs and Tigers to gauge their interest.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo recently spoke to officials from both clubs surrounding the idea of owning a potential new stadium in Liverpool or Rossmore near Western Sydney airport.
In doing so, the NRL has also approached the NSW state government regarding funding for the potential new project.
But according to the report, the league has been with resistance due to the Sydney suburbs of Penrith, Brookvale and Sydney Olympic Park expected to be the beneficiaries of an $800 million investment pledge into Sydney stadia.
The idea of purchasing a piece of land where a stadium can be built is a possibility the NRL is considering, which would allow the game to rent out the venue for other sporting events and entertainment interests.
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The move would be similar to the AFL, the owners of Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, which it claimed in 2016.
“The Bulldogs are open to hearing proposals and have the good of the game in our thinking,” Bulldogs chairman John Khoury told the SMH. “But at the moment we have not received any formal proposals.”
The move would bring some stability to the Tigers, who have had a complex situation with venues.
The Tigers in recent times have split their Sydney home games between Leichhardt Oval Campbelltown, CommBank Stadium and Stadium Australia.
“I’ve made it very well known that I believe the greatest challenge facing the Wests Tigers is securing a permanent home in the short to medium term,” Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis told the SMH.
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Part of the $800 million in funding that was originally earmarked to upgrade Stadium Australia is now expected to flood into building a new 25,000-seat stadium in Penrith, while around $200 million will go into the upgrade of Brookvale Oval.
V’landys in June told 2GB’s Ben Fordham about the NRL’s hope of having a new stadium built at Liverpool.
“As you know there was $800 million set aside to upgrade ANZ (Stadium Australia), that’s not going to happen, there will be some funds going to ANZ but the majority will be spent on suburban stadiums,” V’landys said.
“We also want one out in Liverpool where we can have the Bulldogs and possibly the Tigers,” he said.
“By the time the strategy is finished, New South Wales and Sydney should have some of the best sporting facilities anywhere in the world, and we deserve them.”