Dyldam Parramatta Eels Chairman Steve Sharp, Acting CEO John Boulous and Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh joined Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres, Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee and Cr Scott Lloyd, Parramatta Lord Mayor earlier this week to discuss plans for the brand new 30,000-seat stadium coming to Parramatta.
The new rectangular stadium is scheduled for completion by 2019, and Hindmarsh welcomed the new Parramatta home stadium saying it would be great for the fans.
“It’s not even an upgrade, it’s a whole new stadium!” Hindmarsh said.
“They are starting from scratch which I think is ideal. This has been around for thirty years this stadium, they have done a bit of patchwork to it, and it’s time for a brand new one.”
“It’s great for Parramatta and it’s great for all sporting codes that are playing here but it’s best for the fans. Having a brand new stadium in the middle of Parramatta, I’ve seen concept drawings too, it’s going to be very, very good.”
Hindmarsh was looking forward to seeing the new stadium, believing it will lay a platform for sport in the heart of Parramatta for decades to come.
“My kids, they have been fortunate enough to watch some games here but they will be excited to see what the new stadium is like and I think a lot of people will.”
“It’s great for Parramatta and great for Western Sydney. Western Sydney has changed so much in the last several years. In a way, it’s a win for Western Sydney, we kind of get left behind a little bit,” Hindmarsh added.
The stadium holds fond memories for Hindmarsh, who had his own ideas of saving some memorabilia of the stadium before the construction begins.
“It was fun whilst it lasted, but there is always time for change and it’s going to be very soon. I’ll be coming to watch very closely the construction of it, maybe pinch a few things, a couple of lights.”
“That light tower would look good in my backyard… and maybe the scoreboard would look good in the backyard for the kids!”
“The last time they had a stadium here to farewell, I think they burnt it down so it wouldn’t be the safest thing to do! I would like to see them get rid of the turf in a nice way, grab your spade from home, come down and pay five bucks for a metre patch would be ideal,” Hindmarsh added.
NEW STADIUM FAQs
What will the new Stadium look like?
The Stadium will be rectangular and seat 30,000, with final plans and designs expected to be available in the final quarter of 2016.
When will the new Stadium be ready?
Parramatta’s new stadium is anticipated to be completed by 2019, and will be the new long-term home for the Dyldam Parramatta Eels.
When will construction begin on the new stadium?
With plans for the venue at least 12 months away, construction will not begin until at least the end of 2016. This means the Dyldam Parramatta Eels will continue to play out of Pirtek Stadium in the 2016 season.
Where will we play during the construction period?
At this moment, the Eels have not committed to a specific venue or venues during the construction period. We will continue to ask our Members for feedback over the next 12-16 months as we plan the venues for our upcoming seasons.
What will happen to my seats/ticketed Eels Membership?
Currently, the Eels play across two venues in Sydney (Pirtek Stadium and ANZ Stadium) and while Members seats cannot be identical in the different locations, we work hard to ensure that Members with adjoining seats remain together, seat views are of similar quality etc.
Similarly, over the next 12 months we will communicate with all our ticketed Members to ensure that the process around seating at any future venues gets the best possible result for our Members.
