NRL club Wests Tigers and Liverpool Council have met with the NSW Government in the hope of gaining funding for a 20,000-seat stadium in Liverpool’s CBD via a 3,000 new apartment caveat.
Regarded as nomads of the league, the lowly NRL club will split its games between Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Leichhardt Oval, Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium (Magic Round) Tamworth’s Scully Park in 2024. The club hopes that the proposed Liverpool facility will consolidate its fanbase.
Located at the junction of the Hume Highway and Remembrance Avenue, the site is intriguingly the location of the proposed Oasis precinct, floated by Canterbury Leagues, who still own the site. It is claimed the site, worth $40-50 million, would comprise 3,000 new apartments – a mix of private, public housing and build-to-rent – developed by the Holman Barnes Group if approved.
Wests Tigers hopes the revenue gained from the housing development would offset much of the cost of the new stadium, a redeveloped aquatic centre, new aged care facility and a conference centre. Cost estimates indicate that the Minns Government would only have to contribute $100 million if they gave the green light.
Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun believes the proposal is of a major benefit to his community, telling 2GB that a stadium has been in his Council’s pipeline for decades.
“Whoever has any vision, if you want to grow your market share you’d think south-west Sydney is where it’s all growing,” he says.
“If the Tigers see opportunity here, go for it.”
The proposal is not without conjecture. Many rugby league personalities are adamant Campbelltown Sports Stadium is where the club should be based permanently, given their standing in the region, the growth anticipated within the region and the fact that a new academy for junior representative players will be located adjacent to the stadium that the club has played at since its inception.
Another issue is the fact that the proposal is being driven by current Wests Tigers Chairman, Lee Hagipantelis, who is currently under fire due to an external review commissioned by the club’s majority shareholder, the Holman Barnes Group.
Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne, who has long lobbied for funding for upgrades to Leichhardt Oval (renders pictured above), believes the proposal is “ridiculous”.
“The adopted position of Wests Tigers board is to advocate for the long-overdue funding to upgrade Leichhardt and Campbelltown,” he says.
“The ridiculous idea of now moving all home games to a stadium in Liverpool, funded by property developers, is absurd and not in keeping with the club’s commitment to fans and members.
“Wests Tigers is a much-loved sporting franchise not a property development company. The club has no business advocating for housing policies in Liverpool.”
While the proposal remains up in the air, Wests Tigers have gone public with a plan to reinvigorate both Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Sports Stadium in recent months, seeking private investment. There has been no movement on either front.
